Making My Way In The Digital Domain But I'm Not Quite There Yet

halo

After reading the three week ordeal post by @DSkip , searching the web for tutorials on home networking (in general), and going through "how to" articles / videos on setting up JRiver and/or PLEX I've definitely been getting a crash course over the last month.

What I've discovered so far is that I had a 6MBs internet connection from my ISP that I upped to a 18MBs connection speed. In so doing, I got a new modem/gateway from my ISP that is a dual band wireless router and modem (ARRIS Dual Band).

Newer devices that I own are on the 5 GHz band while legacy devices are on the 2.4GHz band. I was surprised to see that both of my ROKU Streaming Sticks are able to be on the 5GHz band and, since a lot of streaming is done through them, it's a good thing.

In similar fashion to @DSkip and others, I was surprised to see how many devices are on our home network (17 in all):

1. Roku Streaming Stick
2. Roku Streaming Stick
3. Panasonic Blu-Ray Player
4. Sony Blu-Ray Player
5. Slim Devices SB3 Squeezebox
6. DENON 2113CI AVR
7. Toshiba laptop (media server)
8. Lenovo laptop
9. MacBook Air laptop
10. MacBook Pro laptop
11. iPhone 6
12. Samsung Galaxy S4
13. Epson Printer (always on)
14. ASUS RT-N12 D1 Wireless-N300 router (always on – used as a repeater)
15. ASUS TF300T-A1-BL Tablet
16. ASUS Google Nexus 7 Tablet
17. Netgear AC1200 High Gain WiFi USB Adapter

Similar to @DSkip , I decided to use a USB dongle to get my laptop server on the 5GHz band because it didn't have that capability built-in to it already.

I have the laptop server, the SB3, the DENON 2113CI AVR, and the TV on the same rack but there is no access to the internet over there unless it's wireless. The only two wireless devices are the laptop server and the SB3.

As I mentioned earlier, I got the USB Dongle to provide AC1200 access for the laptop server. I also purchased a 5 port switch and I already have the ASUS router being used as a repeater to provide access to the network for the DENON and the TV and, possibly, the SB3.

Is there a way to utilize the wireless AC1200 dongle to provide access to the 5GHz band for the laptop server AND the DENON and the TV and the SB3 using the 5-port gigabit switch? If I'm using the AC1200 dongle and the switch, can I ditch the ASUS router / repeater or do I have to utilize the ASUS router / repeter to incorporate the wireless dongle?

I still haven't decided between JRiver and PLEX. I was not expecting both applications to place such a high demand on my server's processor. Being that the laptop server has an i5 processor, I thought it'd be fine. However, most of the tutorials point out that my CPU's passmark score of 3089 is on the low side of what is just barely acceptable to run JRiver or PLEX.

My media (music only) worked fine on the SB3 but it isn't showing up right in PLEX or JRiver. I may have to redo the entire music library as the tags aren't properly set up for use with JRiver or PLEX (A lot of artists are listed as unknown despite the album artwork being correct and the corresponding tracks for the albums aren't by the same artist).

I do apologize for the long post but, I do want to give you an accurate picture as to what I'm working with and where I'm running into issues.

Any help, advice, or recommendations will be very much appreciated.

Thanks for reading through the whole post

recoveryone

maybe I'm lost in some of the translation, but from my understanding of wifi you can only use the design GHz of the device. Adding a dongle that has the ability to use 5GHz will not force the 2GHz device to upspeed to that level. I have a dual router/modem that support both 2.4 and 5 GHz, the majority of my devices all connect at 2.4GHz and only my wife and my cell phone use the 5Ghz. One thing you may have to consider also is the security protocol level that each of your devices. I ran into this issue twice with older devices, my HP Officejet 7410 does not support WPA2, I also had an issues with the wifi security cameras not supporting the newer security protocols, so I had to set the router to WPA to allow all my devices to connect.

just my 2 cents of experiences dealing with wifi devices.

honestaquarian

@halo
Who is your ISP? If you have that many devices on your network you SHOULD be running over a hundred mbps download speeds. The reason for this is not just the speed of the network,but the bandwidth. The larger the pipe,the more stuff you can get through it at the same time. Which is why you need ten times more bandwidth than you already have to start. Secondly you can buy your own modem and router. You do not have to rent them from the cable company. Thirdly since wireless AC is relatively new,not all devices are capable of using it. Most wireless AC routers and access points also broadcast wireless A/B/G and N as well. Wireless N also uses the 2.4 ghz and 5 ghz bands.
This may not help you,but WIRED networking is ALWAYS better than wireless. Devices like smart tv's,desktop computers,network capable receivers and other such non portables devices ALWAYS work FAR BETTER with the ethernet cords plugged in.
My modem and router are in my bedroom. Most of what is on my network is wired. Portable devices like cell phones and tablets do not have ethernet ports,so of course they are wirelessly accessing my network. I have eleven devices on my network and have 110 mbps speed from my ISP because of that. 18 mbps is fine if you only have two devices.
My desktop computer, network receiver, playstation,TiVo Mini and network hard drive are all wired into my network in the bedroom. Some using a five port gigabit switch. I have a L O N G CAT5e cable going out to the living room to another 8 port gigabit switch where the network surround preamp,Blu-ray player, TiVo Roamio and wireless access point that my tablet and cell phone use to access my network are all in the living room. I did this because;
1) The airwaves are crowded in my neighborhood, so wireless speeds tend to droop
2) Wired networks are FAR MORE secure than wireless. I only got the wireless access point when I got my first cell phone.
3) I noticed that my playstation for example works a LOT better with the ethernet cord plugged in versus using the wireless. When I was using the wireless, the streaming would be choppy and buffered all the time due to the crowded airwaves(*meaning all of my neighbors were online on their own networks, but in the same frequency bands that I was using*)

halo

Thank you so much for your input @honestaquarian and @recoveryone !

I am fairly new to networking.

I did a speed test and I'm actually getting a little over 24 MBs. Alas, I cannot afford a higher bandwith/speed plan from my ISP, which is at&t.

I was told, during my research, that the network speed isn't dependent on the speed of the connection from the ISP.

I have gone through my devices to see (and test) which devices are capable of utilizing 80211a/b/g/n band from the router - really only n as I understand it because the others are now obsolete, and which devices can utilize 80211ac/n on the 5GHz band from the router.

@recoveryone, you may be right about the older laptop only being able to utilize the a/b/g/n on the 2.4GHz band. I was hoping that the dongle would provide the access to the higher speed 5GHz band for the server. I am trying to repurpose an three-year-old laptop that sustained damage and can no longer be used as a portable device but it can function just fine as a stationary device.

@honestaquarian - I understand and agree that it would be better, and safer, to hardwire all devices, but I cannot have ethernet cables running all over the apartment. The WAF alone prevents this and its a safety hazard that people can trip over. I do appreciate the recommendation, it just isn't possible in my situation.

I am not running all of these devices at the same time, gobbling up the bandwith. Different things are on at different times.

Since getting the upgrade to 18MBs and the new dual band router, we haven't had many issues with buffering since I looked into the congestion in my building and I switched the channels on the router accordingly. I selected channels with the highest score and the least amount of AP and things have been pretty smooth.

My network is password protected and the printer on my network and it is hardwired to the desktop computer. A look at the available networks does show other people's printer's but not mine. None of my devices shows up when looking for a network except for my dual bands and other people's secure, and unsecure, networks.

I also wanted to mention that the laptop server is using a USB 3.0 connected external drive to house all my media. From the audio side of things, I am using a USB DAC to run the signal via RCA cables to the receiver. I could run a toslink cable from the laptop server to the receiver but my understanding is that the receiver's internal DAC will then be processing the signals. I should probably try it both ways to see which one I prefer. I just ordered a DSD DAC to process hi resolution audio files and I'm pretty sure that the receiver cannot accomplish this on its own through the toslink cable, but I could be wrong.

polrbehr

honestaquarian wrote: »

This may not help you,but WIRED networking is ALWAYS better than wireless. Devices like smart tv's,desktop computers,network capable receivers and other such non portables devices ALWAYS work FAR BETTER with the ethernet cords plugged in.

2) Wired networks are FAR MORE secure than wireless. I only got the wireless access point when I got my first cell phone.

3) I noticed that my playstation for example works a LOT better with the ethernet cord plugged in versus using the wireless. When I was using the wireless, the streaming would be choppy and buffered all the time due to the crowded airwaves(*meaning all of my neighbors were online on their own networks, but in the same frequency bands that I was using*)

^^^^^ This ^^^^^

From my own personal experiences, I went from having about 18 wireless devices down to 11, and out of those (mostly iDevices, but 3 laptops as well) maybe 4 might be on at the same time.
For example, a quick check on Speedtest.net shows my wireless connection for my laptop to be 28.3/14.6Mbps, but my desktop PC consistently hits 110/40 via Ethernet.

If running wired connections is not possible at this point for you, the suggestion of upping your service is a good place to start, and maybe buy the best wireless router you can get for now?

halo

Thanks @polrbehr ! So, purchasing an additional modem is a good idea? When the tech was installing it, he said I could buy my own but they were very expensive after doing a google search. For the least expensive alternative, it is the the price of renting for over 3-years from at&t. They don't give you the option to buy anymore.

Would I be using the at&t gateway as a modem and the separate router as a router for connecting all devices?

The telephone jack for the DSL is along one wall. Other equipment is in a different room (I'm renting so I cannot drill holes in the wall to run wires) and the TV, Stereo, Blu-Ray in the living room is no where near the wall with the phone line/DSL line.

honestaquarian

@polrbehr You will ALWAYS get a faster speedtest on a wired connection. The isp will tell you that as well.
@halo I ran the long CAT5e cable along baseboards and up and over doors just like they ran the phone wires. Nothing to trip over and you can somewhat hide the cable if you keep it close enough to the door trim(*especially on top-AND you can paint it*) YES routers and modems are expensive up front,but you no longer have to pay the rental fees for the equipment from AT&T. So that will lower your bill a little each month. I am assuming you mean AT&T U-Vers. Normally I would say get a TiVo and save on the cable box fees as well. However TiVo is not compatible with AT&T U-Vers. Everyone's needs and wants are different if course. How many devices are online at the same time will determine how much speed you are getting when going online. You are correct about the download speed (*inTERnet*)having zero affect on the speeds between the various devices on your network
(*inTRAnet*)

honestaquarian

You could purchase an all in one modem/wireless/router combo
Or even better you can get them separately. I say that because if it's an all in one and say the modem part goes down. You have to replace the entire unit and your network is down until then. If you keep them seperate, not only is that not an issue,but you also have more say on which features and benefits you can select or opt out of with each unit.

EndersShadow

@halo71

See if my attached diagram makes any sense to you. I am using a Asus EA-N66 access point/repeater/bridge AS A BRIDGE. Once I configured it to be a bridge, I connected it to a switch and then wired anything in the HT rack that needs web access to it (Panasonic TV, Denon X4100a, Squeezebox Classic, HTPC, Xbox One) and then I'm good to go.

If another device down there needs web access I just jack into the exiting 8 port switch and it gets instant web access.

Is that kinda what your talking about?

halo

Thank you for all of the replies!

I will discuss those options with my better half and see what we can put together. I'll need some really long runs of cable if I'm going to make that happen. I don't know how much longer we'll be in this apartment either. I was hoping to get this done while on my winter break from school but it's a pretty substantial undertaking.

Yes, @EndersShadow - I am in need of a bridge but my ASUS only has three options: Router, Repeater, and Wireless Access Point. The repeater is the only one that provides a signal to the equipment in the rack as the Router and Access Point require an ethernet cable to be attached to the device.

Forgive my lack of understanding on how to configure the device as a bridge as that is exactly what I want it to do and I have a 5 port switch that will allow mw to plug into the non-wireless devices.

EndersShadow

halo wrote: »

Yes, @EndersShadow - I am in need of a bridge but my ASUS only has three options: Router, Repeater, and Wireless Access Point. The repeater is the only one that provides a signal to the equipment in the rack as the Router and Access Point require an ethernet cable to be attached to the device.

Forgive my lack of understanding on how to configure the device as a bridge as that is exactly what I want it to do and I have a 5 port switch that will allow mw to plug into the non-wireless devices.

My suggestion was to by a network bridge off newegg. Your router likely WONT be able to be a network bridge without hacking the firmware... and well, I dont suggest it for most people....

Alternately they make powerline adapters that allow you to use the wire inside the walls as ethernet cables..... One of those at the router, another connected to the switch "should" perform the same as a bridge.

Not super cheap... but dont require any holes and when you move they come with you. Just make sure you get gigaBIT capable ones.....

halo

Thanks @EndersShadow ! I understand now. I will look into getting a bridge. Your diagram is spot on by the way.

@DSkip , very cool, thanks for the information. When I initially tested PLEX by watching a movie (DVD ripped using MakeMKV) my processor was running all out for about twenty to thirty seconds and then it settled down to almost nothing.

I also noticed that the exact same movie appears in different configurations between PLEX and JRiver. PLEX shows the movie as 480p and JRiver shows it as 720p. There are no settings in MakeMKV, that I'm aware of, for tweaking the resolution. The movie was ripped by the same program but PLEX is telling me it's 480p and JRiver is telling me it's 720p. Is this a limitation of the respective software for playback?

halo

@EndersShadow, I see a lot of products that act as range extenders or access points but not many that act as a dedicated bridge.

Are there any devices that you would recommend?

The only one I saw is made by Edimax: newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833315145

I'll keep looking to see if i can find anything else, unless this little guy will do the job.

honestaquarian

@halo I forgot to ask if you knew that Windows Media player in everything from Windows Vista forward was capable of acting as a media server on your network?
I can stream downloaded movies and music ripped from CD's to my Playstation, the receiver in the bedroom, the Blu-ray player in the living room and the surround preamp. I can also stream from my network back up hard drive to all of those devices.

EndersShadow

Asus EA-N66

honestaquarian

DSkip wrote: »

Windows media is horrendous for sound. If strongly advise against that move.

@DSkip I didn't say anything about using Windows Media Audio. The latest versions of the Windows Media Player are DLNA certified.So you can stream your videos and music all over your network.

halo

I haven't used the Windows Media Player in ages. I will look into it. Thanks @honestaquarian!

@EndersShadow, that's a substantial piece of hardware. Thank you for the recommendation!

honestaquarian

What?
No TIP?????

(*snicker*)
Again it is the latest versions of Windows Media player.
I think it's version 12

honestaquarian

You have to turn on the streaming features and allow all of the various devices on your network

BlueFox

Don't make life difficult by using a junky general purpose computer for music. Buy a dedicated file player designed for one purpose, playing music. Sony, Cambridge, Bryston, Lumin, and others take the pain out of digital music, and put quality audio into it.

honestaquarian

BlueFox wrote: »

Don't make life difficult by using a junky general purpose computer for music. Buy a dedicated file player designed for one purpose, playing music. Sony, Cambridge, Bryston, Lumin, and others take the pain out of digital music, and put quality audio into it.

Hey I'm having a WONDERFUL time with mine. I stream DSD downloads to my Oppo through the SMB from my backup hard drive and they sound GOOOOOOOOD.While the music is playing I also have slideshows of pics streaming from the computer via the DLNA.

honestaquarian

Oh yeah and I can simultaneously stream a movie to the Playstation in the other room from either the computer or the backup hard drive.

EndersShadow

halo wrote: »

@EndersShadow, that's a substantial piece of hardware. Thank you for the recommendation!

Yup. I bought mine refurb to save some dough. It's worked FLAWLESSLY.... It required some work to setup but not too bad. And then set and forget.

They have some open box/returns for 45 bucks.. Much better than 120

halo

Thanks again for all the replies!

@BlueFox, while that sounds awesome (no pun intended), I've looked at those devices and they aren't within my means at the moment.

Hopefully prices will come down on that equipment in the future.

I like the idea of making it "easy" so thank you for the suggestion.

EndersShadow

EndersShadow wrote: »

halo wrote: »

@EndersShadow, that's a substantial piece of hardware. Thank you for the recommendation!

Yup. I bought mine refurb to save some dough. It's worked FLAWLESSLY.... It required some work to setup but not too bad. And then set and forget.

They have some open box/returns for 45 bucks.. Much better than 120

The links wouldn't post last night so here they are this morning. Both from NewEgg directly rather than a reseller. I bought mine this exact way.

Refurb - 40$

Open Box - 25

halo

Thanks @EndersShadow, I just typed in refurbished ASUS EA-N66 and I found them at Newegg. It's on it's way to me now.

I got two so that I can use one in the bedroom and one in the living room.

@BlueFox, I'm also streaming more than just music. Having a dedicated music player, as you suggest, would be nice but, it only addresses one part of the network. If you go back and read through the post, you'll see that I'm asking questions about setting up an effective and efficient home network and about streaming different types of media from my laptop server to my devices in, and out of, the apartment.

EndersShadow

halo wrote: »

Thanks @EndersShadow, I just typed in refurbished ASUS EA-N66 and I found them at Newegg. It's on it's way to me now.

I got two so that I can use one in the bedroom and one in the living room.

Cool! ONLY thing to make note of... you need to hardwire them to a laptop/computer to program them to what function you want it to be. Once thats done, plug them in whenever.

It takes about 15 minutes to program it with connecting and disconnecting stuff but its not too hard....

Also you can set them to either 5 GHz OR 2.4Ghz... but not both at the same time. Might help things though if you can go full 5Ghz for everything (I cant or I would).

halo

I understand. I had to set up the repeater the same way. I'll just take the repeater out of the network, set up the bridge, and be back up and running. I really appreciate your advice on the hardware @EndersShadow

EndersShadow

halo wrote: »

I understand. I had to set up the repeater the same way. I'll just take the repeater out of the network, set up the bridge, and be back up and running. I really appreciate your advice on the hardware @EndersShadow

Dont thank me.... I got that advice from @ZLTFUL so I'm just passing it along

halo

Now on to the software...

I'm really leaning toward JRiver even though I like the PLEX GUI.

My little OriGen USB DAC just arrived and it's got JRiver listed in the instructions. I like that it has DSD and PCM decoding for the future sake of my music library. As of now, my music files are FLAC along with a (very) few MP3s.

I don't know that the DAC will do anything for movies or if I'll have to manually change the settings on it when I switch between the two types of media. Hopefully someone with more experience can chime in on this point.

halo

After some minor tweaking and adjusting, the laptop server is up and running!

The music files are stored on a Fantom (powered) external USB 3.0 Drive (Hitachi 7200 RPM HDD)) which feeds FLAC files to the Toshiba P840-ST2N01 laptop, which is running JRiver 21. The laptop is outputting the signal to a Micca OriGen USB DAC's analog output which is feeding the signal to the DENON 2113CI. Both the Fantom Drive and the OriGen are connected to a small Orico 4-port USB 3.0 hub which is connected to one of the USB 3.0 ports on the laptop.

I am very pleasantly surprised at how this set up sounds. My wife is a musician and she noticed the difference between the HDD/laptop/DAC over the SB3 right away.

I still have a lot of work ahead of me as far as organizing my media files and setting up the rest of the network once the ASUS bridge(s) arrive.

I start back at school on Monday so all of this stuff is going to shift to the back-burner until summer (we only get a week off for spring break).

Thanks again to anyone and everyone that pitched in with ideas, advice, suggestions, and recommendations!

Please keep them coming as I'll still be checking in when I have a spare moment.

Happy New Year to you all!