Hi allI have been successfully using a WN2000RPT Wireless Extender for a few years now, extending the wireless range in my property to a remote bedroom. However the downside is that when it comes to streaming, it doesn't cut it.My Broadband speed averages around 78Mbps down and around 19Mbps up. Ethernet-wise I am well able to stream HD movies, Blurays etc along with HD Audio.However wireless-wise I get constant buffering. I know that there is a minimum 50% loss when extending a wireless setup like mine but I am simply not getting the speed of connection I need to play my movies. Wireless streaming is always a headache, I know that too :-)So I have been looking at the current crop of Netgear Extenders in particular the EX6200 - would you say this is the best one?So my router deploys a dual-band wireless setup 2.4ghz & 5ghz. This where I need some advice. When utilising the dual band capabilities of the EX6200 - does it need to pick up both channels? As I have said my bedroom is remote and doubt whether the EX6200 will pick up the 5ghz signal. A 5ghz signal only travels so far does it not?That said if the EZ6200 receives via 2.4ghz and then I connect my device to the extender via the 5ghz channel, will that work without the 50% throughput-loss?I am confused as to how these newer extenders work and would appreciate if someone could explain things for me. If I cannot get the 5ghz signal in the first instance will I see any benefit from my existing extender?Many thanks

Wireless performance on repeat , extender are generally the same so going different model will behave similar.EX6200 is 802.11AC so if you have R6xx or R7xx models you can get more bandwidth on wireless but also remember the streaming the video internet is limited your broadband speed.Changing to 802.11AC setup does not make any faster if your internet is ex. 50Mbps

Thank you but you have missed the point of my post. The clue was in the Subject.I need to know if I am going to loss 50% bancwidth before I start? Then how to set it up to gain more bandwidth compared with existing WN2000RPT.

Then how to set it up to gain more bandwidth compared with existing WN2000RPT.??WN2000RPT is 300Mbps for LAN transfer so if you need more that that you will need 802.11ac router and extender ex6200 to get the fastest LAN speed you can achieve.This will be only good if you are need LAN to LAN transfer streaming, file transfer otherwise unless you have super fast internet broadband speed I don't see the changes will makes any better My Broadband speed averages around 78Mbps down and around 19Mbps up.existing setup should do just fine ..

I am talking about the usual 50% loss when extending a wireless setup. Dual band routers don't suffer from this, correct? This is the whole point of my post - how to setup so not to lose this bandwidth.Someone else please?

Result is same.If you want better performance use power line device or run the cables. Buy new extender will not make any changes

Dual Band Routers - Are They An Improvement?

15 Replies

jmizoguchi
Virtuoso
May 27, 2014
Result should same as you would do with existing wn2000rpt
rozel
Aspirant
May 27, 2014
Back to square one lol!

Oh well unless someone else can reply, I wii try somewhere else.
fordem
Mentor
May 27, 2014
According to the user manuals, Netgear's EX6100 & EX6200 extenders allow the use of "fast lane" technology which, if configured, will allow one band to be used for the link to the router, and the other band to be used to connect the client devices - this, in theory, will allow operation without the 50% drop in throughput. I get the impression that neither of you understands the reason for the degradation - most WiFi devices are single duplex - they can transmit and they can receive, but they cannot do so at the same time - in the case of a single band repeater (or extender) this means that the unit must receive the request from the client, transmit it to the router, then receive the response from the router and transmit it to the client - roughly half the time is spent transmitting in one direction or the other, and the other half receiving. This, by the way, is a "best case scenario" with only one client - as the number of clients increases, so does the degradation. By using "fast lane" technology - or - a second radio for the "back haul" - there is less degradation as the extender can be transmitting data to the client at the same time as it is receiving it from the router - there will still be some degradation because the radios are still half duplex, but nowhere near as much as if it were a single band repeater. So - yes - connecting an EX6200 to your router on one band and to the PS3 on the other can be expected to give better performance than you're getting now - which band should be used where for best performance will have to be determined by trial & error. http://kb.netgear.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/24662/~/what-is-fastlane-technology-and-how-to-configure-it%3F
rozel
Aspirant
May 31, 2014
Hi

I have been away and just read your post - apologies if you thought me rude.

That is precisely the explanation I was after - I'm no expert but felt that I would get better results from a new Extender.

OK so if I'm getting 10Mbps download speed (starting from 78 Mbps at the router) now with my existing extender, could you hazard a guess as to what I could expect with a new EX6200? And would this be fast enough for Bluray/HD movies do you think?

I may take a punt :-)

fordem

Mentor

May 31, 2014

rozel wrote:
Hi

I have been away and just read your post - apologies if you thought me rude.

That is precisely the explanation I was after - I'm no expert but felt that I would get better results from a new Extender.

OK so if I'm getting 10Mbps download speed (starting from 78 Mbps at the router) now with my existing extender, could you hazard a guess as to what I could expect with a new EX6200? And would this be fast enough for Bluray/HD movies do you think?

I may take a punt :-)

rozel wrote:
Hi I have been away and just read your post - apologies if you thought me rude. That is precisely the explanation I was after - I'm no expert but felt that I would get better results from a new Extender. OK so if I'm getting 10Mbps download speed (starting from 78 Mbps at the router) now with my existing extender, could you hazard a guess as to what I could expect with a new EX6200? And would this be fast enough for Bluray/HD movies do you think? I may take a punt :-)

I would offer no guesses - partly because of a lack of detail - there's no mention of how those measurements are being made, what the end points are, and what's between those two end points.

I know there's a dual band router and a single band extender, which, as has been discussed WILL cause a minimum of 50% drop in throughput - you're going from 78 mbps to 10 mbps - quite a bit more than 50% - which if I assume is being measured with a laptop connecting in both cases with WiFi - would suggest that you have either significant attenuation or interference along the way.

It is my belief that most end users (and an alarming number of professionals) don't understand the importance of proper positioning of the wireless access points/routers, and the impact it has on performance.

Assuming you have a smartphone or tablet, download Netgear,s WiFi Analytics app and have a look at it - you can use it to "plot" the signal strength in the various rooms of your house - make a floor plan sketch, mark your router's position, switch off your extender and plot the strengths, and then repeat with the extender on - can you relocate the extender or router to improve anything?

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Dual Band Routers - Are They An Improvement?