Hello,

I have a Mikrotik WIFI Router and my wireless always seems really doggy and slow. We have 6 clients running on it and it almost always seems to be really dragging.

Can anyone recommend a troubleshooting guide or some steps to see where/what is causing the issue?

Thanks in advance.

Harry

There are far too many ways your Wi-Fi could be broken. To have an idea you would need to study a lot. I can give some hints to get you started. Apparently you can connect to your network but you are not happy about the performance. I would look at the environment and signal level first.

If you have an Android device you can install WiFi Analyzer to see what else is on the air. You can also see your signal strength and a lot of useful info. To make use of most of it your would again need to study a lot. If you want an alternative, I have also heard good about Network Signal Info and ScanFi. You can't use iOS devices since Apple prohibits direct access to the Wi-Fi radio. If you only have iOS then you could use Wi-Fi SweetSpots which gives you the signal level but no info about the environment.

Hi Petri,

First - thank for the suggestion of the Android App - we are more Android that Mac here so I will be looking into it - as well as the other suggestions you made below.
Secondly, I upgraded my router after posting that and it seems to have cleared up a lot of things. Time will tell.
Lastly - my router is in the basement in a wiring closet. I am thinking I should take those antennas and mount them elsewhere. Curious if you know where to get the cables for that as well as something to mount them on the wall.

Thank you for your answers and assistance.

HHK

You never mentioned your router model or RouterOS version. They are important if you want to get useful help here.

No, you don't want to put the antennas at the end of a cable. The cable will kill the signal on the way. You need another router. Replace the current one with a hEX and place the Wi-Fi router in a central spot. Think of it as a speaker. Where would you put a speaker so everyone can hear it? Not in the basement in a wiring closet. Run an Ethernet cable between the two routers.

If you are in a pinch you could get by with hEX Lite, but I try to avoid anything with Lite in the name. The price difference is small. If you want a cleaner installation replace the current router with a PoE model so it can feed power to the Wi-Fi AP as well. There are respective hEX PoE models, but the new hEX S would also suit this as you only need one PoE port.

Sorry - you are right - and that right has 48 ports in it and a bunch of those are filled - so I guess I would go the other way and say - what kind of a WIFI box can put up in house to run back to router.

6.42.3 is the version. Model is a "Cloud Router Switch" - I can't get to the back of it at the moment and I don't see where it specifies a model number in the software.

Thanks for your help. I am a cloud architect and I am about to get some more gear in the basement so I would like to optimize what I have going on.

My 10 Cents only my observations but Really its better to have Several Access Points Targeted for the coverage you need and Lower Power at the Access Point

You obviously have Cat 5 /6 Running to a Number of Outlets so you can discretely place a couple of inexpensive APs in an appropriate position

I personally Have WAP AC's for my Access Points and the Odd HAP AC2 for Indoor and Outdoor Coverage

So depending how you want to extend coverage you have quite a few options but the New HAP AC2's seem to have a lot of the Bugs Ironed out so are a fairly inexpensive way of putting in Targeted Unobtrusive Coverage


When you update the Device did you also update the Routerboard Firmware ( Under System/Routerboard/Upgrade) ?

Under the Wireless Tab there is a selection for Registration for your AP it will Show the Devices , Received Signal Strength from the Device and Connected Speed etc if teh signal is low buy another AP and install it somewhere suitable



Wireless Settings


2.4 Ghz
Set on them on Staggered Channels ( 1 -6 -11 for the 2.4 Ghz Band )
Only set 20 Mhz BAndwidth for the 2.4 Ghz Channels and dont put them any
wider than 20 Mhz
Set Band to 2Ghz G/N ( you shouldnt need the legacy b setting)
Lower the Power Output a little otherwise your connecting devices will likley here the AP but wont neccessarily be able to sustain a decent connection ( WAP
generally has way more Transmit Power than you Phone etc


5 GHZ Pick non overlapping Channels
Do not set your channel width any wider than 20/40Mhz Ce ( 1 channel extension ) as more width is generally wasteful for real world use

@JasonZZR has good points. However, I was thinking that if @hhkatch gets bad coverage from a single AP tucked in a basement wiring closet he has a good chance of getting decent coverage with a single AP placed in a good spot. Managing multiple APs is easier if you set up CAPsMAN, but it steepens the learning curve again. The hAP ac² looks like a good device, but I haven't yet deployed them. My old favorite is hAP AC with its three radio chains, but it costs twice as much and looks ugly. (Again, avoid anything with Lite in its name.)

Thanks to both of you for those comments.

I will let you know my results after I put in a new AP.

Kind Regards,
Harry