If you are planning to go wireless with your current internet connection then you need a wireless router to set up a Wi-Fi internet
network at your home. You will only need a basic Wi-Fi router for this
having reasonable amount of network range as you are setting the network
in your home only. There are some budget wireless routers available from good companies like Tp-Link, Netgear, Buffalo etc. that offers good price to performance ratio so that you can enjoy a decent Wi-Fi network connection at your home. Here are some of the budget Wi-Fi routers for you.
All these routers have almost same characteristics and specifications
supporting Wireless N technology with speeds up to 150 Mbps and having a
5dBI Antenna. All of them have 4 LAN ports and 1 WAN port for
connectivity. Netgear Router goes somewhat ahead having more advanced security
features. These routers will cost you under Rs. 1300 which is very much
affordable. You can choose any one of them according to your desire or
like.
So guys here is the list of the top 5 best WiFi routers available in the Indian Market today, they are easily buy-able from any online/offline retailer.
TP-LINK TL-WR740N 150Mbps Wireless N Router: Rs 899
Key Feature:
- Wireless Security Encryption
- Wireless speed upto 150 Mbps
- Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) Automatically Avoids Channel Conflicts
- Supports SPI Firewall
- IP Based Bandwidth Control
- Supports WPA / WPA2 Encryptions
- WDS Wireless Bridge
- Easy to Setup
Netgear JNR1010 N150 Wireless Router: Rs 1044
Key Features:
- Power and Wi-Fi On / Off Buttons
- Easy CD-less Installation
- Improved Wi-Fi Coverage
- Live Parental Controls
- Guest Network Access
- Secure Connection
- Internet Speed Optimization
D-Link DIR-600L Wireless N150 Cloud Router: Rs 1063
Key Features:
- Real-time Browsing Record
- Easy Setup Wizard
- User Control
- Online User Notice
- Wireless Intrusion Alert
- Cloud Router
iBall 150M eXtreme Wireless-N Router : Rs 1070
Key Features:
- Wireless
- Speed Upto 150 Mbps
- Parental Control Security
- Omni Directional Antenna
Micromax 440W Router with Power Bank: Rs 1530
Key Features:
- Creates Wi-Fi Hotspot
- WEP/WPA/WPA2
- 4400 mAh Li-ion Battery
- USB Port Support
- 150 Mbps Speed
- Pair Upto 32 Devices
- 4 MB RAM
- 1 LAN Port
- RJ45 and USB Connectivity
Feel free to leave a comment regarding any query regarding the same or inform me if you have any better option than these I'll be more than happy to add them to my list.
hi , i have a bsnl adsl broadband connection and d-link N300 wifi router with 2 antenna but i hardly get range all around in my house. it just works in the adjoining 2 rooms. cant get range more than 10-12 mtrs. i had a bsnl modem but bout a d-link one thinking it wud solve my problem but its the same. the roter is in an open space in the centre of the house and i hardly get any range on the ground floor. Plz check the specs and advise a more powerful router which can provide coverage for the full house. Current Model Name: DSL-2750U :: Wireless N300 ADSL 11n 2x2 8/32M wifi router with USB/WPS/Dying Gasp
ReplyDeleteHello,
DeleteThe problem that is evident over here is that you have a lot of disturbances in your locations.
Your router works on the frequency range of 2.4 GHz - 2.484 Ghz which gives you larger range with stronger single but its easily distort-able. I presume that you have a cordless phone or a microwave functioning in the near by vicinity of the modem if not just next to it.
So please confirm if this is the situation or not in your case as then only we can consider buying a replacement.
Also update me on your budget for the new router that you plan on buying if needed.
hi , i dont hv a cordless phone at home and my microwave is in the kitchen on the ground floor. the modem is placed on the top floor. its placed in a open place, kind of like a seconday living room and theres a void next to it so i can get signal just below d void area.
ReplyDeletemy buget is about 5000 rs so suggest a modem which is very powerful or smtin that will increase the range of my wifi
i only need range and not other features like power bank n stuff. primary focus is to get range everywhere at home. if there are other features along with it then i dont mind.
DeleteOK so I've got your problem, this is a clear case of conflicting frequency/channel. The simple side is that you've placed your modem in a place where another WiFi network is also functional maybe your neighbors and on the more technical side maybe your modem has chosen a channel that is already quite loaded with other devices operating at the same value. This is common in areas where you have multiple connections around like in apartments or crowded neighborhoods.
DeleteThe fix, a I don't want you to go bonkers using the hit and trial method, is that you download this small utility:
http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/wifi_information_view.html
This will help you see that what is the channel that most of the WiFi networks in your surrounding are using.
Now you have to use a channel that i either not being used or is being used by a very less number of people like two or three people are using it.
Go to the browser and type 192.168.1.1 which should be your default router IP and press enter. Go to the SSID or channel section if you have one or simple in the Wireless section you'll see a group of options such as Channel bandwidth etc here you have to change the value to that channel that you want to use, they range from 1-11 in most cases.
Save and restart your modem and see if it makes any difference in the range.
Note: If you find the software a bit difficult to use then you can use one channel at a time and see which is giving you better results and stick with it.
If this method doesn't work then I suggest that you buy a repeater to save money or a dual band router and use 5Ghz as your router frequency instead of the present 2.4Ghz.
i dwnloaded wifiinfo but after i opened it , its empty. there are no networks displayed.
ReplyDeletei opened the router menu and following is pasted below. plz advise what changes to be effected.
Channel:
Current: 1 (interference: acceptable)
Auto Channel Timer(min)
Standard Mode:
Bandwidth:
Current: 40MHz
Control Sideband:
Current: Lower
802.11n Rate:
802.11n Protection:
Support 802.11n Client Only:
RIFS Advertisement:
OBSS Co-Existance:
RX Chain Power Save:
RX Chain Power Save Quiet Time:
RX Chain Power Save PPS:
Radio Power Save:
Radio Power Save Quiet Time:
Radio Power Save PPS:
Radio Power Save On Time:
54g™ Rate:
Multicast Rate:
Basic Rate:
Fragmentation Threshold:
RTS Threshold:
DTIM Interval:
Beacon Interval:
Global Max Clients:
XPress™ Technology:
Afterburner Technology: (Disable WMM for Selection)
Transmit Power:
WMM(Wi-Fi Multimedia):
WMM No Acknowledgement:
WMM APSD:
Your channel is set to 1 which can cause a lot of interference, don't go by the term. Change it to some other frequency maybe 7 or 3 should work for you.
DeleteAlso you've set it only for 802.11n which is not adviceable set it to all the available standards best if there is an option for auto 802.11b/g/n as many device don't support this and may show signal drops.
The transmit power should be high check it if its set to low.
Some things need to be done manually and don't have a straight away method a hit and trial is needed.
If this doesn't work then the only solution is that you buy a repeater or a dual band router and use it at 5Ghz.
can u recommend a repeater and how do i install it???
ReplyDeleteIn the budget segment I recommend that you buy the TP-LINK TL-WA750RE
DeleteIts easy to setup, you just need to plug it in your computer via the ethernet cable that you use and enter 192.168.1.1 in your browser. Enter 'admin' as the username and password by default. Now you just have to go the wireless section and enter the same SSID as your router ie your WiFi name and password in the password dialogue box. Very much like you setup a WiFi connection on your laptop or cell phone.
The manual has all this in detail so don't worry I've used it myself once. Just place it i the area where the main router's range dies, from there it will extend your range.
Also I recommend that your BSNL modem be put to use aswell, just connect it with an ethernet cable from your new router and place it in another corner you'll get double the range then. Its collecting dust in a corner so better put it to use.
Final suggestion, buy the extender and also use your old BSNL router to make the most out of your connection and get full range in the house at the minimum cost.
i have 2 telephone sockets. one on the first floor and one on the ground floor. both are interconnected. so to answer the call can pick up any phone. i had tried connecting the bsnl modem to the ground floor one but didnt succeed. do i have to connect the bsnl modem to my d-link modem ?? or will it work connecting to the phn socket thru a splitter? m also confused if i type 192.168.1.1 which router setting will show? if u can instruct me how to use bsnl modem on the ground floor then i dont really need a repeater.
ReplyDeleteNo one one connection you can only use one modem as your primary router so that's not a possibility. Follow these steps:
Delete1. Connect your main d-link router to the PC via the ethernet cable.
2. Locate the wireless settings and enable the wireless bridge or wireless repeater option, this will enable the router to broadcast its signals to your old BSNL router when needed.
3. In the same section there must be an option of entering the MAC address, enter the MAC address of your BSNL router (Its written at the bottom of the product)
4. Click on save and exit.
Now for your old BSNL router>>>
1. Remove the primary router and connect the BSNL router through the enternet cable.
2. In the wireless repeater settings, change it from ‘Access Point (AP)’ to the ‘repeater’ option (for some routers you may have to create a wireless bridge).
Note: If you don’t find these settings, then this isn’t possible or you’ll need custom firmware.
3. Now don't touch any setting and simply enter the MAC address of the primary that is your d-link modem.
4. Look for LAN/IP address settings. Turn off any setting relating to using it as a ‘DHCP Server’ – you don’t want it to act as the chief router.
5. Next, change its IP address to 192.168.0.2 and write this down as this will be the address used to enter its admin screen in the future. Save the settings.
6. Make sure that the wireless settings are the same as those used by the main router (such as SSID (network name), security mode, Channel, and MAC Authentication).
Now simply plug in the main router and power it on & put your old BSNL router where your range just dies and power it on aswell and see if you get a range boost by this method.
If this doesn't work then we'll have to setup your router by a wire that will limit the location of your BSNL router from your d-link router proportional to how long the wire is.
HI , i enabled the wireless bridge and tried entering the MAC address but it says its not valid. The mac address i entered was 0018028E87D1 which was written on the bsnl modem. is there some space in between?
ReplyDeleteThese are problems with firmwares of routers. In your case make sure that you have updated you router firmware to the latest one it might even solve your range issue to some extent as new firmware come with lot of bug fixes including such MAC address errors.
DeleteFirst update it and then try entering this address. The address seems to be fine and there wouldn't be any space in between but yes you should enter it in this format:
00:18:02:8E:87:D1
Its the standard MAC address format. Try it and update me on your problem.
yeah i figured it out later. i connected the bsnl modem and checked the MAC address and it was displayed as u hv typed below. Did everything as u advised but cudnt find the repeater option in the bsnl modem menu. It just had access point enable or disable. Never mind i will use a repeater as u have advised earlier. i checked the firmware on the DLink site and it showed me 2011 firmware. so i figured it must be updated as i had purchased it in 2011. i was also scared i might mess up the settings of the router since i dont know how to configure it. So in order to update it i should download the firmware and update it through lan and not through wireless. thats the only precaution?
ReplyDeleteYes that means that the BSNL router cannot act as a repeater, so an additional repeater is what you'll need. They are very easy to setup as they are meant to do just that only.
DeleteFor the update you can save your existing settings as backup and then update the firmware easily from the LAN only. Just click on update and it'll auto detect and install the latest version.
The settings of a router don't change on updating the firmware but still as you've made a backup in the above step that I've told you, restoring will be a simple step just click on browse and select the backup file and it'll auto adjust the settings to the desired status.
Don't worry its a simple and must do step recommended by the manufacturers themselves.
Hi.
ReplyDeleteJust out of curiosity, I wanted to ask that what's the purpose of channel selection? I have my routers channel selection on auto. I guess it changes every time I restart the router.
Also, there is this option, 'TxPower'. It is by default set at 20%. Does it have something to do with the routers range?
Thank you.
Hello,
DeleteA WiFi router can work on two frequencies, 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz, the 2.4Ghz spectrum is common and is mostly available in all the routers these days as 5Ghz router aren't 'pocket-friendly'
So your router pretty much like mine works on the 2.4Ghz and is divided into 11 channels ranging from 1-11
Auto is good if you are getting good signal strength and internet speed, so better leave it as it is. In case you have poor signal strength or bad internet speed then you can choose the channel manually. 1, 6 and 11 are the most common channels one should opt to in such cases as they are the broadest channels available.
So in short the rule of thumb is, having connection issues, signal drops etc and you also live in a crowded area with multiple WiFi connections or you use too many gadgets connected to the same WiFi connection then change the channel to anyone of the three I mentioned. If this is not the case with you then leave it to Auto as such.
TxPower is the term that we use to determine the strength at which the router transmits. This power is responsible for the maximum range at which your router can register its presence and hence is recognizable. Also a stronger signal will generally provide a more reliable wireless connection and will help to warn your neighbours not to use the channel you are using. But But But changing the TxPower might heat up your modem badly and decrease its life span since many manufacturers don't design their products to work on full or near full load. And it can lead to a warranty void aswell in many cases.
So I recommend that you leave the value to 20% or 20dBm only.
Hope my answer was helpful in solving your query. Feel free to ask any further questions, if any.
Yup. I thought the same that bumping up the txpower might cause heating issues.
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for forming your answer in such simple words.
Will hit you up later if got any more questions.
Happy to know that I could help you Tanmay.
DeleteYeah sure feel free to leave a comment wit any query that you might have, will try my best to solve it for you.
Keep visiting.
Hey can u help me with buying a WiFi modem/router??
ReplyDeleteCurrently I am having a normal modem (cisco)at my home.
I'm using Asianet broadband at home(cable type).
Kindly suggest me with one below 1000rs.
Hello,
DeleteI suggest that you look at the D-Link DIR-600M Wireless N150 Home Router or the TP-LINK TL-WR841N 300Mbps Wireless N Router since both are really good and it all comes down to which one you can get at a better price.
The latter works like a bridge out of the box so its an added feature for it aswell.