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Advice/Guidance for large family Router/Network

996 views 3 replies 2 participants last post by  TheCyberMan 
#1 ·
Hi, new to the forum so Hi to everyone :smile:

I have basic knowledge of IT but none of Routers/Networking etc so please be gentle.....

In recent months with the family all growing up the internet usage in our house has increased greatly and we are finding running all our devices is getting more difficult.

I purchased an Air Airport Express to try and ease the work on my very basic router (Free Talk Talk one that we got about 2 years ago) but this has not really helped, so I decided that we need to purchase a better router to handle the useage but that is where I got lost and hope that you guys can give me some help/advice.

There are six people in our house, me, my wife and four teenage boys (who all have several devices: xbox, ipod, ipad, pc's etc not forgetting their mobile phones) and when we try and get them to switch their wifi off it's like talking to a brick wall..!

So, a few pointers that might help you professionals guide me.

My Download Speed is 5.8 mb/s
My Upload Speed is 0.595 mb/s

6 users - Running 3 items each (rough guide)

Do I need to get a powerful Router?

Do I need to set up a Network? If so is that easy to do?

Any help would be gratefully received as it is driving me mad that sometimes I cannot get on the internet and I pay the bill..!! :angry:
 
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#2 ·
Hi and welcome to TSF,

You already have a network as you have an ADSL modem/router and then have i assume wired and wireless devices which connect to it so there is your network.

I notice you have xboxe's i assume maybe you have several you can confirm so online gaming is a must and is a bandwidth eater.

I think the first thing to look at is what you are going to be using your internet connection for.
So if you could give me what you will be doing on the network below i will list a few things that you or your teenage sons may be wanting for the internet.

1. Internet browsing
2. Video streaming including HD(high definiton) content.
3. Online gaming.
4. Use of skype of similar apps for video calling.
5. P2P(we do not support P2P so we cannot advise on this at all it is against the forum rules and will not answer questions on it, please do not ask. It is only included as it is a bandwidth eater and also the danger of getting viruses or malware can be greatly increased with it's use).

Now discounting browsing all the rest take up bandwidth and your download and upload may not be enough if running on several machines at the same time.

Hence the difficulty you are having with your network.

Your subscribed bandwidth from Talk Talk is where you should have a look at first probably subscribing to a higher bandwidth from them your upload is very smalll so gaming on several machines at any one time is going to eat that up straightaway and you may suffer disconnects as it exceeds your max upload, the same applies with the download as well although that is better.

A new router will not neccessarily help with your internet speed from the isp as that speed is from their servers or exhange to your router.

A new router with a decent throughput speed around 25Mbps will help with file transfer on the local network or speed of connection from devices to router an improvement in website loading may also be seen, but not when downloading or uploading to and from the internet.

Hope this helps.
 
#3 ·
Hi Cyberman - thanks for the reply, in answer to your questions, all of the below with exception of P2P (no idea what that is..!)

1. Internet browsing (All family members)
2. Video streaming including HD(high definiton) content. (Regulary use)
3. Online gaming. (3 Xboxes in the house used with XBox live)
4. Use of skype of similar apps for video calling. (Occasional use)

So it sounds like I need to upgrade my internet speed but not sure any one offers a faster speed where I am located.

I have just done a check and it looks like the speed I am currently getting is the best I can get at the moment due to my phone line and distance from the exchange :frown: bugger..!!!


 
#4 ·
P2P is relating to bitorrent.

If you cannot upgrade your bandwidth subscription form Talk Talk or there is no other company in your area offering higher bandwidth then you are stuck with that i am afraid.

Something you can check tho with Talk Talk is ask them the subscribed download and upload but do not give them any figures whatsoever so you get a true answer.

You can then compare with your throughput speed figures above and if your download and upload is no where near the subscribed bandwidth you should be receiving you can take them to task it is worth a shot.

Also all the devices you have are they all connecting wirelessly discount ipad, smart phones and ipods as i know they all connect wirelessly just the pc's and xboxe's i need to know about and how many devices in total connect wirelessly to the router including ipads etc?

Also the wireless network mode you use on the router do you use 802.11n?
 
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