Newbie question.

RouterOS Beginner Basics
1

Hey Mikrotik forum,

I am here today on behalf of my friend who lives out in S.E.A loving life by the sea, but not loving the WIFI. At the moment he has set himself up in Cambodia where he will be living for the next 8-16 months, working with an NGO helping Cambodia improve on health and safety. At the moment he is using an Internet company called “metfone” and he says that it is terrible WIFI, to say the least. Unfortunately, where he is based, no other internet company can come to him so he has to stick with what he’s got in term of providers.

So, I know to some of you guys this might be a very stupid/dumb question but, I honestly need some advice because I’m completely oblivious when it comes to the technical side of electronics and I have no idea if this will work for my friend. Basically, in Cambodia, the wireless routers are terrible and just won’t boost out the signal that the company advertises. And the router he has fails constantly with a weekly engineer call out to fix it. He said “it is just unbearable” His last and only option is to get a more powerful router where the hardware is a lot better than the Asian equivalent he is getting now.

The main question is will the new wireless router here: http://www.for-sale.co.uk/router work with any internet company? or are they linked to a certain company?

I will start with these first to see what advice you guys can share with me. If it does work, I will be coming back with more questions on what my best options are etc. If there is any other information that you guys need please just comment below and I will be happy add them on.
Looking forward to your replies guys and my friend is depending on it!!

2

If the wifi signal is bad, you have to find out why:

  1. too far away from the WiFi access point? (moving closer improves the internet?)
  2. bad internet connection to begin with? (ie. not good even when close to the AP?)
  3. interference from other devices?

Also find out if there is reliable 3G/4G in this location. You could avoid that WiFi provider altogether.

3

I will get onto him straight away and find out some of the answers to these questions for you!

Thanks for the reply

4
  1. would be the answer. He said even when he is next to the router the connection is terrible. He also said for a couple hours every day it would improve and then drop back to it’s normal, but he thinks this could be due to the amount of people using the internet service in the area “Peak Times”
5

Another question is how many devices is connecting on the one ap?

A windows 10 update on a low speed connection kills it for all the others using that connection

6

It sounds like the only option to solve this, would be to replace the router. Installing additional devices will not help.

7

Sweet well I’m one step closer! So when it comes to the router, would any router be compatible with the WIFI company or do you have to buy theirs??
As far as I know only his computer and a smartphone but I would have to ask to make sure.

Thanks for the reply’s guys

8

You have to see where he gets his internet. DSL line, Sattelite, some other way. If there is an ethernet cable plugged into the router, you can most likely then just plug any other WiFi router onto the same cable

9

Yes, he has an ethernet cable and apparent fiber optic. I will let him know that it should be fine. I will be back soon guys
thanks