Netgear WNDR3400 or TP Link WR1043ND

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dark_horizon

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I am planning to buy a wireless router.

Area to be connected: 1000 sq ft house, with router being placed in a corner bedroom, so I need connectivity through 2 layers of walls.

Devices to be connected: 1 Laptop, 1 Asus tablet, 1 Asus Netbook, mobile phones sometimes.

I am currently using Fivenet 1 Mbps unlimited plan, however I plan to upgrade to 10 Mbps unlimited in a few months. Also, Fivenet has an excellent LAN,with download speeds of 6-10 MBps being common on LAN.

I have considered the following 2 routers, however I am open to more suggestions.

Netgear N600 Wireless-N Dual Band - Costing $70 (Rs 3750) (Importing from US, if I buy this)

Specifications - NETGEAR - N600 Wireless-N Dual Band Router with 4-port Ethernet Switch and USB Port - WNDR3400-100NAS

TP-Link WR1043ND - Costing Rs 3600 on Ebay India

Specifications - TL-WR1043ND - Welcome to TP-LINK

TP Link has a gigabit ethernet port, which Netgear doesn't. Is it an absolute necessity to get 10 MBps speed on LAN downloads?

Netgear is dual band, 2.4 Ghz & 5 GHz.

My budget is upto Rs 4000. Which router will suffice my needs?
 
@dark_horizon

A single Wifi router with antenna of 5 Dbi gain will be best. ( TP-Link/iBBaton models)
can be substituted with iB Baton WRX 150N or similar TP link models.
( for Increased range: or provision to use/ attach an external antenna.
TP-Link TL-ANT2405C Low Cost 2.4GHz 5dBi Indoor Desktop Omni-directional cost about Rs 600/=
http://www.broadbandshop.in/47-109-large/tp-link-tl-ant2405c-low-cost-24ghz-5dbi-indoor-desktop-omni-directional-antenna-india-.jpg[/img
For Rs 4000/ we can buy two wifi routers with WDS/WDM menu
and link wirelessly both for greater coverage. ( details if needed )
 
what is ^ this ? , me office no vdo work for meI am looking for cheapest one, Till yet found a TP-Link N wirless for about 1050 INR
 
@dark_horizon

A single Wifi router with antenna of 5 Dbi gain will be best. ( TP-Link/iBBaton models)
can be substituted with iB Baton WRX 150N or similar TP link models.
( for Increased range: or provision to use/ attach an external antenna.
TP-Link TL-ANT2405C Low Cost 2.4GHz 5dBi Indoor Desktop Omni-directional cost about Rs 600/=
http://www.broadbandshop.in/47-109-large/tp-link-tl-ant2405c-low-cost-24ghz-5dbi-indoor-desktop-omni-directional-antenna-india-.jpg[/img
For Rs 4000/ we can buy two wifi routers with WDS/WDM menu
and link wirelessly both for greater coverage. ( details if needed )

Did not check this reply early, would have gone ahead with it. Now, its messed up.

Ordered a TP Link WR1043ND last week from ebay. It has 3*3Dbi antennas, but barely provides range in the adjoining room. I have a 1000 sq.ft house, and the router is placed in a corner room. I get speeds of 65 Mbps in the router room, 5 Mbps in the adjoining room, and the router SSID is not even detected in the other corner of the house.

Is this expected of a 300 Mbps N series router, or should I get it checked under warranty?

Also, in this thread [URL="https://broadband.forum/india-broadband/75456-can-fix-12-dbi-antena/"]https://broadband.forum/india-broadband/75456-can-fix-12-dbi-antena/[/URL] , you have provided a link to a 12 Dbi antenna. Would it work in my case?

Also, from the 3 antenna connections provided in the router, can I fix one 12 Dbi antenna and two 3 Dbi antennas?
 

As the antennas are external possible to add higher gain Antenna. In this model
need should not arise ( for your location now ). If all antennas are vertical radiation is a circular pattern.
If you make one vertical and other two parallel to ground and rotate the unit
to get maximum signal at farthest point. Max ( say EAST/west or North/south pattern figure of 8)

You can add the Improved antenna gain antenna.
Worst case ; any wifi router should give minimum 20 to 30 feet radius wifi reception.
( include some obstruction like one or two walls ) "Line of sight" should be free.

Reposition the unit at a higher height and check.
or keep the antennas parallel to ground and rotate for max signal at farthest point.
Check wireless channel selected is Channel 11. ( if on auto should select 11 or 6)
Or should I get it checked under warranty? YES.
Feedback.
 
1043 is capable of an output of 20dbi. Hence you can upgrade the antenna by purchasing 2 9dbi ones and replacing the 2 3dbi default pieces. The antenna will reduce the spread of movement along the antenna axis and instead focus them in the radial direction. Hence you will get more range.

All routers in this price range have unremarkable Wifi coverage performance. You could have tried the Buffalo WZR-HP series.

Either re-position your wan router to a more central location or use an access point or wireless repeater to increase your coverage. These are easy solutions and give guaranteed results.

PS : I bought the 1043ND from prime 4 months ago at 3k. While i haven't found anything major to complain about, its performance isn't stellar.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
in addition to high gain antenna's u can also try flashing the router with DD-WRT or OpenWRT and increasing the radio power through these firmwares
 

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