Kitz ADSL Broadband Information
adsl spacer  
Support this site
Home Broadband ISPs Tech Routers Wiki Forum
 
     
   Compare ISP   Rate your ISP
   Glossary   Glossary
 
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: VMG 3925 wifi channels  (Read 2398 times)

banger

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • TTB 80/20
VMG 3925 wifi channels
« on: June 11, 2018, 01:50:42 AM »

Most of my gear is 5ghz wifi N. The VMG 3925 is N and AC. I set it to auto on 5ghz wifi and it picks channel 104 but my N gear cant see a signal. Is this because it is N rated or is the 3925 faulty?
Logged
Tim
talktalkbusiness.net & freenetname
Asus RT-AC68U and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A Bridge on 80 Meg TTB Fibre

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1502566996147131655

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #1 on: June 11, 2018, 03:32:09 AM »

Shouldn’t be a problem. Can your ‘gear’ speak 5GHz, because that is not always the case?
Logged

j0hn

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 4093
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #2 on: June 11, 2018, 09:00:30 AM »

Lots of kit can't see the 100+ channels.
My Fire TV stick is 1 such device.
Logged
Talktalk FTTP 550/75 - Speedtest - BQM

tubaman

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 12519
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #3 on: June 11, 2018, 09:39:40 AM »

Lots of kit can't see the 100+ channels.
My Fire TV stick is 1 such device.

Ditto with my Samsung TV.
I always manually select wifi channels as I find that auto selection can be somewhat hit and miss.
 :)
Logged
BT FTTC 55/10 Huawei Cab - Zyxel VMG8924-B10A

banger

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • TTB 80/20
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #4 on: June 11, 2018, 08:35:13 PM »

I am sure the kit is 5ghz as it works on lower channels but not higher than about 48.
Logged
Tim
talktalkbusiness.net & freenetname
Asus RT-AC68U and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A Bridge on 80 Meg TTB Fibre

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1502566996147131655

chenks

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1106
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #5 on: June 11, 2018, 08:43:15 PM »

I am sure the kit is 5ghz as it works on lower channels but not higher than about 48.

see post 3
Logged

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #6 on: June 12, 2018, 04:27:09 AM »

The problem with higher 5 GHz channels could be national standard related perhaps, is that possible? Some kit I have seen sulks regarding transmitting on some channels unless you lie to it about regional regulatory settings, I wonder if there is some similar blinkered deficiency in respect of rx on certain kit?
Logged

banger

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • TTB 80/20
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #7 on: June 12, 2018, 05:02:37 AM »

Not sure how I would lie to my Amazon Echos to see the upper channels.
Logged
Tim
talktalkbusiness.net & freenetname
Asus RT-AC68U and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A Bridge on 80 Meg TTB Fibre

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1502566996147131655

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #8 on: June 12, 2018, 06:09:05 AM »

Some WAPs have per-country settings, but as you say, the kit that just thinks it knows which country it is parked in may well not be alterable. Manufacturers  may even release different per-country flash ROM images.

When you say your kit is ‘5 GHz’ do you mean 5 GHz-capable or 5 GHz-only?

I do have some 5 GHz-only WAPs which I am not using currently so such a thing does exist, but I have never heard of ‘client’ devices (stations) that cannot speak 2.4 GHz as 5 GHz was not that common until a few years ago and there is still a ton of 2.4 GHz-only kit out there.

Of course, locking it onto the lowest of the 5GHz channels, 36-64 fixes all problems. I am not familiar with this device but, if it is like the ZyXEL WAPs I use, then it could be that ‘auto’ means that it chooses a chooses a clear channel where there is no interference from some other access point.

With my WAPs the end result using ‘auto’ (clear channel auto-select) seems to be rather chaotic, and although it is a nice-sounding idea, it is very poorly documented and I have turned it off and fixed a channel.

I had a brief squint at the manual. I can’t see separate settings for 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz so I am wondering if there is only one radio. If so, so no simultaneous 2.4 + 5 GHz operation, and that is a bit rubbish. If that is the case, and you have no neighbours, then definitely change over to 2.4 GHz rather than 5 GHz as the range is better.

I use 2.4 GHz too with one 40 MHz wide channel there. I have two ZyXEL WAPs currently up and running, with more to be installed just sitting around in boxes. These WAPs contain two independent dual-frequency-band radios: each of which can speak either 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz regardless of what the other radio is doing, so maximum flexibility. It is not just always 2.4 GHz + 5 GHz.

One of my WAPs currently talks on 5 GHz + 2.4 GHz and the other talks on two different 5 GHz channels, all non-clashing, so that is a total of three 5 GHz channels in use each being 40 MHz wide.

I use the lowest 5 GHz channels
* 36-43 on WAP #1, radio 2 (40 MHz wide)
* 44-51 on WAP #2, radio 1 (40 MHz wide)
* 108-115 on WAP #2, radio 2 (40 MHz wide)
and
* WAP #1, radio 1 is on 2.4 GHz, 40 MHz wide

In the 2.4 GHz band, I am already hogging most of the 2.4GHz space, leaving only room for a 20 MHz channel, but that space is left free for use by bluetooth devices and so such as I have found that hogging it all causes problems with kit fighting and some non-ethernet-802.11 functions not working. Also letting such kit auto-select to a clear channel keeps it from lowering the performance of WLAN traffic by contending. I have no close neighbours, and although unfortunately a new house is due to go up, it won’t be that close and there is also my windowless, 6ft thick double stone gable-end wall acting as a massive shield blocking things in that direction. So I have all of the spectrum free of neighbours.

If your router isn't being flexible enough, then you could just get a really good WAP (or two) and deploy that instead, turning the wireless off in the original router.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2018, 06:14:03 AM by Weaver »
Logged

banger

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • TTB 80/20
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #9 on: June 12, 2018, 09:01:54 PM »

All my gear can do 2.4 or 5ghz N but I wonder if because it is N it is limited to lower channels.
Logged
Tim
talktalkbusiness.net & freenetname
Asus RT-AC68U and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A Bridge on 80 Meg TTB Fibre

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1502566996147131655

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #10 on: June 12, 2018, 11:43:34 PM »

No it won't be limited - I don't believe there is any such thing in that particular spec. It has not come up in my reading.

Anyway, my ZyXEL 802.11n WAPs are not limited like that, nothing to stop me setting them to channels 100+.

* I do seem to remember that there might be a per-country restriction somewhere though on the use of channels ≥ 100, but whether or not the access point observes that is another matter, plus who knows how the kit is configured or what territory it thinks it is parked in. I should try to look it up again.
« Last Edit: June 12, 2018, 11:48:36 PM by Weaver »
Logged

banger

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1186
  • TTB 80/20
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #11 on: June 13, 2018, 02:49:57 AM »

Just looked at my DSL-N55U Asus router and that only goes up to channel 48 like the Amazon echos.

Found this https://www.digitalairwireless.com/articles/blog/quick-guide-5ghz-uk-part-2 which looks like it is a UK restriction because of radar but doesn't explain why the 3925 has the full range of channels.
« Last Edit: June 13, 2018, 02:55:42 AM by banger »
Logged
Tim
talktalkbusiness.net & freenetname
Asus RT-AC68U and ZyXEL VMG1312-B10A Bridge on 80 Meg TTB Fibre

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/1502566996147131655

j0hn

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 4093
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #12 on: June 13, 2018, 01:22:30 PM »

This is a handy page.
The Band B Channels(100+) can only be used if DFS is enabled.

Lots of kit will only work with Band A UNII-1 Lower Channels (36–48).
Nothing to do with N or AC, just how the kit is.

edit: just noticed you linked the same page above.
Logged
Talktalk FTTP 550/75 - Speedtest - BQM

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #13 on: June 13, 2018, 11:42:11 PM »

One of my WAPs is offering a channel above 100 and one 5Hz low one so that clients who do not like 100+ will have an alternative.

Note that 36-51 are 0.2W 52-67 are 0.1W and 100-150 are 0.5W so the latter are good if you can get them to work.

The exceptional 149-161 are 4W [!] but I think are supposed to be for outside point-to-point (beam) use only.

My arrangement attached (1. Excel xlsx spreadsheet, zipped + 2. csv spreadsheet, zipped + 3. Original Apple Numbers spreadsheet, zipped )

(I assumed 40 MHz channels - ie pairs of 20 MHz bonded channels - everywhere, and put anti-clashing cross-check rules in it.)
« Last Edit: June 14, 2018, 12:15:32 AM by Weaver »
Logged

Weaver

  • Senior Kitizen
  • ******
  • Posts: 11459
  • Retd s/w dev; A&A; 4x7km ADSL2 lines; Firebrick
Re: VMG 3925 wifi channels
« Reply #14 on: June 14, 2018, 02:31:31 AM »

I noted there was an iPad Pro on channel 108 and one access point showed devices as follows :
    user #01: channel 108, 300 Mbps, signal strength 76%
    user #02: channel  44, 162 Mbps, signal strength 10%
Logged