RWatson wrote:

I have both Linksys and 2wire routers (in different locations) and both become unreliable at 35-40 feet. My Iphone also "sees" routers fro
far distances but will never actually connect. I think what happens depends on multiple factors.

If you routers become unreliable at 35 to 40 feet, something is wrong, even through walls mine works great out to the end of my property at full strength. I have my radio turned up all the way. Perhaps they have radio signal strength adjustments? If so, I suggest turning them up. Also if you are running the default Linksys firmware, you should get Tomato or DD-WRT it will make it work better.

billc124 wrote:

RWatson wrote:

I have both Linksys and 2wire routers (in different locations) and both become unreliable at 35-40 feet. My Iphone also "sees" routers fro
far distances but will never actually connect. I think what happens depends on multiple factors.

If you routers become unreliable at 35 to 40 feet, something is wrong, even through walls mine works great out to the end of my property at full strength. I have my radio turned up all the way. Perhaps they have radio signal strength adjustments? If so, I suggest turning them up. Also if you are running the default Linksys firmware, you should get Tomato or DD-WRT it will make it work better.

Actually you can have that problem and nothing be wrong. I have a house that was built in 1910 and I dont know whats in these walls but my signal varies greatly going through 2 walls to my living room. I have had a couple different routers and the signal is always about the same. We have had three different cell phone providers and none of them will pick up inside my house. Its not like I am far from town, I am only 10 minutes from downtown charlotte and 2 minutes from the airport. So i am not out in the woods or anything, just something about this house blocks all kinds of signals.

DoomsDay wrote:

have a house that was built in 1910 and I dont know whats in these walls but my signal varies greatly going through 2 walls to my living room.

Apparently they were building Faraday cages into internal walls in 1910. Is your house a converted research lab?

eri3k wrote:

Apparently they were building Faraday cages into internal walls in 1910.

You may be closer to right than you think. That was about the time that expanded metal lath began to replace wood as the foundation for plaster walls.

Hi Again...

If I break this all down to its simplest form...

I need a router.
I connect the modem to the router, then the router to my PC.
I set the router to work wirelessly.

If the router won't work wirelessly, I can hook up the router with a cord across the house to the Roku/TV.

How can I check and see if the router will work before I get the Roku? I'd hate to have to go through all the hassle of sending the Roku back to the company after purchasing it, the router, cables, cords, etc.

Someone asked if I could change the location of my modem -- no I can't.
I do have high speed broadband access.

Anything else I've missed or have incorrect?

Thanks!

zeezee wrote:

Hi Again...
I need a router.
I connect the modem to the router, then the router to my PC.
I set the router to work wirelessly.

If the router won't work wirelessly, I can hook up the router with a cord across the house to the Roku/TV.

How can I check and see if the router will work before I get the Roku? I'd hate to have to go through all the hassle of sending the Roku back to the company after purchasing it, the router, cables, cords, etc.

Someone asked if I could change the location of my modem -- no I can't.
I do have high speed broadband access.

Anything else I've missed or have incorrect?

A router is almost a must these days. I believe all Blu-Ray players are finally required to have an ethernet connection, and many TV's are Network ready as well. On my Network at home I have two routers (One wired only and one wireless) and a Network switch, I believe that soon, that will not be an unusual configuration at all. Our refrigerators etc. will all eventually be Internet enabled. Getting a router now is a good idea.

Modem to router, and then router to PC is correct, no problems there.

Regarding "setting the router to use wireless". There are two schools of thought on this. I run my Roku wired, because wired is easier to maintain, and tends to be at least 'somewhat' more reliable. Different situations will call for different configurations though. You will need to examine this more closely and determine which configuration is going to be best for your particular set of circumstances.

It will be a real drag if you get all of this and something doesn't work, but that is a risk we take, you MAY need to return defective merchandise. These products have become more stable in recent months, and getting a defective unit would most certainly be the exception and not the rule. Chances are you will not have any defective merchandise as long as you purchase NEW equipment.

So here,
1. Get router
2. Get CAT 6 cables as needed (CAT5 will work fine, but the CAT6 will be more futureproof)
3. Connect Router to Cable Modem
4. Connect Router to PC
5. Connect ROKU Box to router (whether wired or wirelessly)
6. Barbecue a couple racks of ribs, and invite the guy you know, that knows the most about computer networking, for ribs if you have any problems.

To test the setup before buying the ROKU, you might get the router working (wired connection to PC while setting the gadget up), then move your computer to where the ROKU will be and see if you have a wireless connection. If you don't have a wireless computer borrow someone's lap top for the experiment.

That's probably the best you can do.

Without carrying the discussion further about how far a router will work, reading through other forums other factors are also the type of router as well as antenna on the router (or special antennas).

Time to go do it!

I have a wireless router on my computer desk. In the other side of the house, I have my Roku box. Different room about 35 ft away going through 2 walls. I have a netgear wireless router hooked up sitting next to my computer. I plugged in my Roku box and it found my wireless quickly and was easy to setup once you type in the security information on the Roku box.

Get the wireless router first and connect it and go through the setup process for the key, etc. Once completed, then get the Roku box, plug it into the TV without internet cable. It will go through the setup and put the information in for the wireless connection. Mine found it the first time and works great.

Good luck. I really hate 75 ft cables, but with wireless, you cannot beat it.