Airport Extreme vs. Century Link

[Faqua]

Awhile ago, someone supposedly more knowledgeable than myself told me to hook airport and century link like this. And, for a some time I have been having less than optimal wifi signal strength. Average is about 5 to 15 down. Up only 1 to 2 via speedtest. On my plan I was to expect no more than 20-30 up. My apartment building has 8 units. Not sure how many are on century link, maybe all, maybe none. Airport and century are approximately 15-20 feet from my computer; they're in living room, computers are in bedroom/office. (small apartment).
Question:
Do I need 1 or both? If both, are they plugged in correctly? If 1, which one? If airport, how do I go about setting/resetting it? If century link, same question?
I also realize, by chatting with various locals and computer stores, century link is a less than optimal provider. And living in the sticks (small town in lower Alabama), providers are limited. Imagine that...
Thanks to all with more knowledge than myself...
It's humpday and I have yet to get over the hump... :{

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Need more info.

The Airport Extreme is a WiFi router. CenturyLink would have provided a cable/DSL modem to you which might also have WiFi capabilities.

The Airport Extreme by itself doesn't do anything.

If the CenturyLink router is new enough it likely supports the latest WiFi standards and would be fine for your needs. So power-down and remove the Airport Extreme from your network.

Login to your CenturyLink router (look up CenturyLink documentation on this) and enable the WiFi access point with an SSID that makes sense to you along with a strong password.

Now connect all of your devices to his new network and test the performance. If the speeds match what you are expecting from your plan, then you're good to go.

Understand that with cable Internet service, you will not get close to what the advertised speeds are based on who else is on the same service around you.

 

[Faqua]

Need more info.

The Airport Extreme is a WiFi router. CenturyLink would have provided a cable/DSL modem to you which might also have WiFi capabilities.

The Airport Extreme by itself doesn't do anything.

If the CenturyLink router is new enough it likely supports the latest WiFi standards and would be fine for your needs. So power-down and remove the Airport Extreme from your network.

Login to your CenturyLink router (look up CenturyLink documentation on this) and enable the WiFi access point with an SSID that makes sense to you along with a strong password.

Now connect all of your devices to his new network and test the performance. If the speeds match what you are expecting from your plan, then you're good to go.

Understand that with cable Internet service, you will not get close to what the advertised speeds are based on who else is on the same service around you.

Thanks.
One of the drawbacks of longevity is CRS (Can't Remember Squat). Should have posted these earlier:

Hope that helps...

 

[Raz0rEdge]

OK, since your CenturyLink device is also a WiFi router, do what I suggested in my post and start with just that in play.

 

[Faqua]

Need more info.

The Airport Extreme is a WiFi router. CenturyLink would have provided a cable/DSL modem to you which might also have WiFi capabilities.

The Airport Extreme by itself doesn't do anything.

If the CenturyLink router is new enough it likely supports the latest WiFi standards and would be fine for your needs. So power-down and remove the Airport Extreme from your network.

Login to your CenturyLink router (look up CenturyLink documentation on this) and enable the WiFi access point with an SSID that makes sense to you along with a strong password.

Now connect all of your devices to his new network and test the performance. If the speeds match what you are expecting from your plan, then you're good to go.

Understand that with cable Internet service, you will not get close to what the advertised speeds are based on who else is on the same service around you.

Not much understanding on SSID makes sense to me, unfortunately.

OK, since your CenturyLink device is also a WiFi router, do what I suggested in my post and start with just that in play.

Thanks. Disconnected airport. Seems to be doing ok for now. No need for it anymore? Now it's a boat anchor?

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Back in the day, most ISP's provided just a modem that provided Internet access through wired Ethernet connection. In that world, you need devices like the Airport Extreme which is just a WiFi/wired router to go wireless.

Later, ISPs began providing modems with built-in WiFi routers. A lot of people switched to that, I still don't. I use my Airport Extreme with my FiOS modem for a long time.

I recently switched to TP-Link router with my upgraded gigabit FiOS modem, but still not using the WiFi provided by the modem itself.

 

[Faqua]

Back in the day, most ISP's provided just a modem that provided Internet access through wired Ethernet connection. In that world, you need devices like the Airport Extreme which is just a WiFi/wired router to go wireless.

Later, ISPs began providing modems with built-in WiFi routers. A lot of people switched to that, I still don't. I use my Airport Extreme with my FiOS modem for a long time.

I recently switched to TP-Link router with my upgraded gigabit FiOS modem, but still not using the WiFi provided by the modem itself.

Thanks again. Guess I'll be trolling for shrimp now and using my new anchor for the good spots... :}

 

[pm-r]

Not much understanding on SSID makes sense to me, unfortunately.

I would think that you should be able to find out everything you need from here:

Modems and equipment

Learn how to manage your CenturyLink internet connection with your gateway modem-router. Learn about settings and options for best performance with your internet equipment.

www.centurylink.com

- Patrick
=======

 

[Faqua]

I would think that you should be able to find out everything you need from here:

Modems and equipment

Learn how to manage your CenturyLink internet connection with your gateway modem-router. Learn about settings and options for best performance with your internet equipment.

www.centurylink.com

- Patrick
=======

Thanks Patrick.
I poked and prodded all over Centurylink's site and couldn't find what you found. I'll no doubt spend a few hours tomorrow learning about what, and what NOT to do...
Thanks again!

John

 

[chscag]

I recently switched to TP-Link router with my upgraded gigabit FiOS modem, but still not using the WiFi provided by the modem itself.

Ashwin: Do you also subscribe to FIOS TV?

I also have the FIOS modem but have not hooked up my TP-Link router because I'm subscribed to FIOS TV and that creates a problem with the on line TV Guide.

 

[Faqua]

Ashwin: Do you also subscribe to FIOS TV?

I also have the FIOS modem but have not hooked up my TP-Link router because I'm subscribed to FIOS TV and that creates a problem with the on line TV Guide.

Ashwin, I don't subscribe to that. Probably because I've never heard of it before and haven't the foggiest idea what it is... I have a Roku TV and watch old reruns of westerns and such... Us old timers ain't into the new stuff networks are dishing out... :}
Thanks anyway...

Just noticed I sent that to Ashwin. Sorry... :{

 

[Raz0rEdge]

Ashwin: Do you also subscribe to FIOS TV?

I also have the FIOS modem but have not hooked up my TP-Link router because I'm subscribed to FIOS TV and that creates a problem with the on line TV Guide.

I have the full triple play and got the new FiOS TV One for the main TV and I have the FiOS TV One Mini for the basement TV. The main TV box is attached over coax, the mini is purely WiFi since I forgot to run coax cable when I got the basement finished. It all works fine along with the guide and my router and extender.

 

[chscag]

Well, that sounds encouraging. I do have a set of instructions from the FIOS folks on how to do it using my own router, but I've been a bit hesitant to give it a go. I might take some time this weekend and see if I can mess things up.

 

[Slydude]

Well, that sounds encouraging. I do have a set of instructions from the FIOS folks on how to do it using my own router, but I've been a bit hesitant to give it a go. I might take some time this weekend and see if I can mess things up.

Apparently, you do not follow the Red Green show philosophy "If It Ain't Broke, You're Not Trying."
If It Ain't Broke, You're Not Trying

 

[chscag]

LOL, I've run into many "Red Greens" during my long career in the electronic repair business. Sometimes, the "Red Green" guy is me.

 

[Slydude]

LOL, I've run into many "Red Greens" during my long career in the electronic repair business. Sometimes, the "Red Green" guy is me.

Me too.

 

[Faqua]

After looking at the century link site I see my router/modem will not do 5ghz, only 2.5ghz. Still having very slow downloads. Can you suggest something with more juice that will work with century link? Or maybe a "booster"? But since the distance between the two is only about 20ft. I can't see that it would help...
Thanks again.

 

[Raz0rEdge]

2.4 Ghz gives you better range and is stronger to get through walls and other inference at slower speeds while 5 Ghz sacrifices all that for faster speeds.

However, 2.4 GHz is still faster than your Internet speed, so it shouldn't matter.

The CenturyLink device might just be a crappy WiFi access point. To that end, you would use a different device to service your WiFi needs while you connect it to the CenturyLink device as a wired interface like you had with the Airport Extreme.

However, before you do any of that, now that you are just using the CenturyLink device, you should get in touch with their support to first verify that everything is configured/working properly. You are within your right to ask them to meet the bandwidth you're paying for. Once that is resolved, you can think about adding other devices. If you put other devices in the way, they will have a way out saying that they can't guarantee devices that they didn't provide.

 

[Faqua]

2.4 Ghz gives you better range and is stronger to get through walls and other inference at slower speeds while 5 Ghz sacrifices all that for faster speeds.

However, 2.4 GHz is still faster than your Internet speed, so it shouldn't matter.

The CenturyLink device might just be a crappy WiFi access point. To that end, you would use a different device to service your WiFi needs while you connect it to the CenturyLink device as a wired interface like you had with the Airport Extreme.

However, before you do any of that, now that you are just using the CenturyLink device, you should get in touch with their support to first verify that everything is configured/working properly. You are within your right to ask them to meet the bandwidth you're paying for. Once that is resolved, you can think about adding other devices. If you put other devices in the way, they will have a way out saying that they can't guarantee devices that they didn't provide.

Thanks Ashwin.
Have tried in the past to get results from them to no avail. It's always the customers' fault. Century link is universally despised here in the "sunny" south (currently raining cats and dogs) for their poor service. But, unlike big cities, choices are very limited and not much better then century. Just thought a different device would be an improvement...

Thanks anyway.

 

[MacInWin]

In addition to the differences mentioned by Ashwin, the 2.4 band only has 11 channels. Due to the nature of the system, a single channel can have interference from channels as far away as 6 other channels. So, if you are in a dense neighborhood, or in a block of flats, it may be that everyone on CenturyLink is on the default channel, which is normally chan 6. You can try to get a feel for whether or not this interference is at your location by clicking on the WiFi "fan" on the top menu bar, then "Other networks" to see what other routers are nearby. Or you can get a network analyzer like NetSpot (it has a free version) to show the nearby networks, the signal strength and what channel they are using. Try to find a channel that has the fewest other networks on it and that has the lowest signals arriving at your location. Then set the CentryLink to that channel and see if that improves things. (You'll have to look at the CenturyLink user manual, assuming they have one, to see how to set the channel.)