Using a bridge to "boost" the signal?

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koretex

[H]ard|Gawd
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Sep 18, 2000
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So I've got a Linksys N router and I only get 20% signal strength to my PS3. I would think that the speed would be better with 20% as my laptop sitting right by the PS3 only has 20% signal strength as well, but my speeds fluctuates between 3-4mbs on the laptop where they are only about 50k on the PS3! So I basically can't do shit on the PS3. I want to be able to stream video and music, download demos (right now it takes about 3-4 days per demo), and I would love to be able to play some Uncharted2 MP.

So here is my question, would a Linksys N bridge be able to grab a strong enough N signal to be able to do everything I am wanting to do above? I have actually never even used the N capabilities of my router as everything I own just does G, but if I could run Cat5 into the PS3 off the bridge and be getting decent enough speeds to stream and play MP I would be very happy :D
 
I would suggest running cable, or moving the N router closer if possible. Also, try elevating the PS3 or router if they are low to the ground. Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but wireless + gaming = FTL....
 
I would think that a dedicated bridge would be better. Probably have stronger signal strength, plus a dedicated antenna (that could be upgraded if needed).

But, try moving it first to save some cash.
 
REDYOUCH said:
I would suggest running cable, or moving the N router closer if possible. Also, try elevating the PS3 or router if they are low to the ground. Probably not the answer you wanted to hear, but wireless + gaming = FTL....
Click to expand...

I would LOVE to run some cable, but drilling a hole in the floor is my only option there and the wife has already said "hell fucking no" to that.

The PS3 is on a dresser and has to stay there, and the router is on top of a shelf about 2 feet from the ceiling and has to stay there.
 
Ur_Mom said:
I would think that a dedicated bridge would be better. Probably have stronger signal strength, plus a dedicated antenna (that could be upgraded if needed).

But, try moving it first to save some cash.
Click to expand...

excuse the ignorance, but whats the difference between a bridge and a dedicated bridge?
 
Yeah not sure what he meant by that either. I think he just means to use a DD-WRT router and use the wireless bridge mode in that instead of buying off-the-shelf bridges.
 
I think he just meant a separate bridge, as opposed to the built-in wireless.

With a few feet of cable, you should be able to put the bridge at whatever point in the room is closest to the router, and possibly upgrade the antenna for better results.

Assuming it's 6' straight down and 12' over, that's only about 13.5' straight to it. If you're getting such bad results at only 13.5', it seems like there must be something in the wall/ceiling that's killing the signal. If it's really that the structure isn't WiFi-friendly, then even major antenna and transceiver upgrades might not help a whole lot.

It sounds like the laptop's signal is pretty close to what the PS3 is getting, so you can see if moving it around the room helps at all. I would think that the external antenna on a bridge would be better than an internal or PC card antenna, so it still may be better than what your laptop gets, but at least moving the laptop around will give you an idea if the signal is any better elsewhere in the room.

You may also want to look into alternative Ethernet bridging methods like HomePlug or MoCA. Those might allow you to get around having to run new wire without having to deal with WiFi signal issues.
 
I think running a bridge actually slows you down. I could be wrong, but I swear I've read it. I'll do some research.

Edit: Nevermind, that's with a repeater.
 
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