Question about Routers range

[Karan85]

Hi. I was finally thinking of replacing my beetel 450bxi I got with my airtel connection years back. Was going through the suggestions and zeroed in on the TP- Link W8968.. but I've been reading that there are two hardware versions of it.. the V1 has 2x3dbi antenna. I can't seem to find TP Link in stores where I live. I could go to Lamington to look but I'm not too keen on doing that.

Another one I was looking at was the Asus DSL N10E. It has a 1x5dbi antenna.

The question is, which would be better for range? 2x3dbi or 1x5dbi.

About a 1000 sqft apt. The Router will be in a room at a corner. Right now, I can get a signal in all the rooms, but if I go near the window in the farthest room, or close the door, I can't connect.
Not interested in heavy streaming or downloading.. Just want a decent enough connection to check mails/ messages and light browsing throughout the house.

The beetel I currently have is 802.11 g and has a 2dbi antenna.. Shouldnt any N router with even 2x3dbi increase the range to cover the whole apartment.. or are there other factors involved?

Important points:
is 1x5dbi better than 2x3dbi?
1000sqft to cover. Please suggest a good router... Even if I get the v1 of TP-Link W8968, would it be good enough for my usage?

 

[whitestar_999]

try calling these resellers to see if it helps:
Regional Distributors - Welcome to TP-LINK
as for range it depends on a lot of factors like nature of construction material of your home,design,interference from nearby wifi networks/electrical devices etc.2 antennas means better penetrating power within its range meaning signal strength of 2*3dbi will be greater than single 3dbi in a closed room with door closed but both of them will have a lesser range than single 5dbi antenna.still i would suggest to get W8968 because even with 3dbi antennas i consider it a better model than asus one & considering your current beetel range i would say even with 3dbi antennas W8968 should be enough for most of your requirements.

 

[Karan85]

Thanks for the reply.
Considering my single 2dbi is almost doing the job, the 2x3 should be fine.. the added range + added penetration power (there are 2 walls and a wooden cabinet between the farthest room and the router)
The 1x5dbi should work too.. but TP Link has a usb port so that could be useful.

I'll talk to the resellers tomorrow (or Monday). If it's priced too high or too far, I might just order from Flipkart.


Just one more question.. Can I check the version of the TP Link without opening the box? Or is it only mentioned on the sticker at the bottom of the router after opening?

 

[whitestar_999]

tp-link W8968 usb port support usb drives as well as 3g usb modems & it also has a EWAN port which makes configuring it easy for a cable broadband connection like sify,beam etc.i haven't seen tp-link packing so can't say if you can find hardware version on box itself.try PMing member @shreymittal who owns 2 tp-link models to know if the packet has some sticker mentioning hardware version.once you get a reply do post here as it may help others.

 

[Karan85]

Thanks for the help whitestar

This vid on youtube suggests it should be on the box.. Makes sense too..

Also, the version 2 might mention guest network in the list of features on the box.
Should find out soon enough.

 

[whitestar_999]

one member here was able to find v2 in local store but at a bit higher price(~200 more).if you do get v2 from local reseller then mention it here & if you are able to get it from some online site then mention that site name.i am hoping that one of tp-link reseller in mumbai may be able to tell you some online site or local shop from where you can get W8968 v2.

 

[gagan_kumar]

one member here was able to find v2 in local store but at a bit higher price(~200 more).if you do get v2 from local reseller then mention it here & if you are able to get it from some online site then mention that site name.i am hoping that one of tp-link reseller in mumbai may be able to tell you some online site or local shop from where you can get W8968 v2.

how to check version i recently bought it from sp road here...........

 

[Karan85]

how to check version i recently bought it from sp road here...........

How to find the hardware version on a TP-Link device? - Welcome to TP-LINK

Had one more question.. Was looking at the TP-Link website and noticed the W8961ND.
It has a 2x3dbi antenna. Does not have the usb port and the functionality that comes with it and doesn't have an EWAN port. Neither feature that I will be using. (USB would be handy, but not needed.. will set up a home network.. no plans of using a 3g dongle)

If I can get the version 2 of 8968, it'll be great. That'll be my first choice. if not, then both will have 2x3 dbi antennas.. Their range should be the same.. right? Might consider the W8961 in that case.

I'm asking because the W8961 is listed for 1600 on primeabgb's site.. that's nearly 900 cheaper than the W8968..

Range is the most important factor here...

 

[whitestar_999]

if you are sure about not needing extra features of W8968 then W8961 is also fine.

 

[Karan85]

Ah.. I'm pretty certain I won't be using a 3G dongle and have no plans to change from the Airtel. I've had it for 6-7 years and it has been very reliable with almost zero downtime.

Will try for the 5db ver 2.. if I can't find it.. will get the 8961 (same range as the ver 1 8968)
Thanks

EDIT: Called the resellers.
Tanish technologies had version 2.
Price : 2300
Month of import: Sept 2013
The guy picked it out of a big carton of W8968s.. Said they had received the stock a couple of days back.

You can check the version from the box.. It's there alongside the serial number... also has "guest network" as a feature on the front of the box which v1 didn't have.

Thanks for all the help.. Off to set it up.

 

[RohanM]

I bought TD-W8961ND from snapdeal last week, got ver 3 as per sticker.. so how can I find that my antenna is 3dbi*2 or 5dbi*2 ???

 

[whitestar_999]

it is 2*3dBi.check model page on tp-link site & under download tab check datasheet of various versions.in case of 8961ND there is only 1 datasheet under V2 meaning the hardware for V2 & V3 is same.in case of W8968 there are 2 datasheet one each under V1 & V2 because V2 has 2*5dBi whereas V1 has 2*3dBi antennas.
TD-W8961ND - Welcome to TP-LINK
TD-W8968 - Welcome to TP-LINK