MIMO Wireless Router Face-Off

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article149.php' target='_blank'>http://www.tomsnetworking.com/Sections-article149.php</a><br /><br /></div><i>"About a year ago in Do Extended-range WLAN technologies deliver? I looked at three products representing three technologies that claimed to deliver higher speed and extended range to folks putting together home wireless LANs. Among those technologies was Airgo Networks' True MIMO, which was represented by Belkin's "Pre-N" router and card and which beat the other two products hands-down. Since then, a flurry of products with the apparently alluring "MIMO" (Multiple Input Multiple Output) term somehow incorporated into their names has hit retail shelves. Yes, folks, MIMO has become the "new black" (at least in the consumer WLAN world) and purveyors of consumer WLAN gear hope that you'll once again dig deep into your wallets to drink the latest Kool-Aid, that really, really, this-time-for-sure, honest-and-truly, will cure those wireless dead spots that we all have around our homes."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/bunch_o_mimo.png" /><br /><br />The promise of MIMO and Pre-N is alluring, but I've had nothing but trouble with both the Belkin and Netgear Pre-N MIMO routers. The Belkin kept hanging on me, WiFi would die, and was generally unstable. No amount of firmware upgrades would help, and Belkin tech support was clueless. I then switched to a Netgear Pre-N MIMO router, and had weeks of problems where it would somehow stop passing all HTTP requests on. I could ping, do email, etc., but anything that went out over port 80 would fail. I'd have to reboot the router to get it working again. I've since switched to an old 802.11b. D-Link router I had lying around, and it's 90% more stable. Once every day or two the WiFi will stop working and require a reboot, but it's an improvement. I do have to wonder why I have no many problems maintaining a stable WiFi signal from any router though - I have a feeling there maybe a rogue access point nearby that's kicking out massive interference, but that's not something I can prove. Plus, even with the supposed greater range of the MIMO units, my wife's laptop on the top floor of our house kept losing signal, and a regular 802.11b router can provide a solid signal to it - so what good is the MIMO router? Networking is a sore point for me these past few months. :evil:

[ctmagnus]

My three-old-year Linksys WAP11 doesn't require rebooting more than once every two or three months. If I were you, I'd consider getting a cheap notebook and installing Linux on it, with Kismet. That should indicate if there are any rogue APs that are causing the interference you mention.

Fwiw, when I was in Vancouver last time, I noticed that there was one spot that managed to disable the wireless on my then-current Pocket PC both times we drove past it, so interference is definately not out of the question.

[Jason Dunn]

If I were you, I'd consider getting a cheap notebook and installing Linux on it, with Kismet. That should indicate if there are any rogue APs that are causing the interference you mention

Ugg....there HAS to be a better way to trouble-shoot this than getting a new laptop just for testing. :?

[mcsouth]

I can understand your frustration, as I've had my own fair share, but my story actually went the other way round....

I had a D-Link 802.11b router (514+, I think), and it worked great for a year and a half or so - my neighbour around the corner and four houses down commented that he was getting a stronger signal from my router than his own! 8O (that's when I figured out how to secure my router...)

However, it seemed to go from ultra-stable to completely unstable over a six month period. It worked for probably over a year without ever requiring a reboot, but it finally started getting fussy, kicking my wife's laptop off the wireless network, even though we were using a compatible D-Link PCMCIA card. Initially, a reboot would seem to straighten it out for several weeks, but over time, it gradually kept getting worse, to the point where I was rebooting it several times a week. Updated firmware didn't help - it fact, it seemed to make it worse, so I finally decided to move on.

I am now running a Linksys SRX pre N router (the one with the three antennas), and it has been a gem. Easy configuration and security setup, and much stronger signal in our basement than previously (through cement block walls!) has made me very happy with the purchase - although the $300 price tag for the router and matching PC card did make my heart skip a few beats. I figure that the improved performance and lack of issues has made it worth the investment, including the fact that when I connect with my pda, it doesn't kill the network speed for my wife.

I hope that it continues to work this well for the next year or two until they nail down the N spec, or move on to WiMax or other....

[ctmagnus]

If I were you, I'd consider getting a cheap notebook and installing Linux on it, with Kismet. That should indicate if there are any rogue APs that are causing the interference you mention

Ugg....there HAS to be a better way to trouble-shoot this than getting a new laptop just for testing. :?

Knoppix (Linux distro on a bootable CD/DVD) occurred to me while I was out with the dog, but I don't know if it comes with Kismet. There's Knoppix STD (http://www.knoppix-std.org/), but you like things user-friendly so it's likely not for you. ;)

[Tim Williamson]

Haven't tested this yet, but here's (http://www.remote-exploit.org) a link to a bootable network auditing Linux release.