I gathered a few access points for testing purposes, which are suppose to give good range and a reliable connection (no "command failed" for no reason") for the TSU9600.
The equipment is:

Linksys WRT350N - when in mixed mode, which is the only mode available, there are frequent disconnections.

Linksys WRT150N - Mimo-G - should be good.

Netgear WPN824 - Mimo-G with smart 7 antenna array.

Ruckus wireless - A lot of hype around this one, actually the patent holder for the WPN824 antenna array (the netgear even has Ruckus' logo on the side) and supposedly supports other features for range as well.

Linksys WRT54GL - Been using this one extensively, let's see how it holds up.

Linksys WRT54GL running dd-WRT v23SP2 - This is more just for fun and educational purposes, I can make the router transmit at maximum TX power and we'll see if there's any difference there, but naturally I can't start selling WRT54GLs running dd-WRT too much. it is 3rd party firmware after all.

Extricom WLan switch - this is something a bit different, it's a really cool system, it actually supports no hand-offs between APs - TESTED! I just need to test the range of EACH AP now.


Now I'm not really sure about actually conducting the tests... I have WiFi tools such as Netstumbler on my laptop, and also I can run speed tests from different ranges, but I don't think none of them actually matter as the TSU9600 mostly acts out like it feels with different routers.
Should I just put the AP somewhere and walk around the house with the TSU9600 running Escient module and see where the connection cuts off for each router?
Man wouldn't it be a waste of time grasping that the remote acts exactly the same (crappy) with all the Access points... hah.

Anyway if anyone has an idea for a better testing method I'd be happy to hear.

I am getting very good results with a Pakedge C2 unit. It is a commercial grade ceiling mount unit with adjustable transmit power. It almost covers my whole house. I get excellent one room results with the LeGrande ceiling mount units, but the field falls off too fast.

Man I haven't even heard of those brands, where and why did you get them?
Ever compare to a more known brand like Linksys or Netgear?

I use a lot of linksys and no netgear. All my switches, routers and hubs are linsys. I do not like the esthetic design of their WAP's nor their performance. The Pakedge is commercial grade and lists for about $600. I got dealer pricing which is about half. The CEO is very knowledgable and talks to his customers directly. It is a full blown commercail unit with variable power and all the bells and whistles you expect.

Both units are ceiling mounted and esthetically very pleasing.

The Legrande OnQ is a bout $180 and is also ceiling mounted, but does not have all the features of the Pakedge. It is more in line with a linksys unit. The electronics are by Motorola. It is carried by Worthington Distribution.

Whatever I install in my home has to be very estheticly pleasing. No obvious electronic stuff is visible.

Both units are POE (Power over Ethernet) and come with the power supplies and signal injectors (the injector is a passive wiring board with two RJ45's and one power connection, that puts power on pins 7 and 8 of one of the RJ45's)

My house has a high metal content (hurricane region design) of rebar and strapping, a radiant barrier which is essentially a aluminum foil shield in the attic, and heavy cinder block exterior. It does not like RF.

The pakedge almost covers the whole house but I already had the OnQ units so I decided to use them also. I have one extra onQ uinit that I will be putting on the Lanai to cover the pool area.

Try pakedge.com and onqlegrande.com for more info

About the esthetic side of things, to my experience, there will be a peice of furniture in the Pronto-controlled-room almost 100% of the time. we seldom place the A/V equipment THAT far from the Television that placing an AP with the A/V equipment won't provide coverage for the remote near the TV.

Regarding the specs, I'm just trying to put my finger on what pairs with the Pronto best, if it's high TX power then I'll find a product with that. if it's high Receive sensitivity then I'll find an AP with the highest one.

The C2 packs 200mW in 802.11b but only 126mW (-23dBm) for 802.11g so that's not that hard to beat with an Atheros -23dBm chip like in Compex AP which I will also test.

Anyway, I'll report back...

One advantage of the C2 is that it is more likely to be placed in a favorable location, rather than being buried somewhere because access points are ugly.

I think that high transmit power would be an advantage because the receive sensitivity of the TSU9600 is compromized by the hand that typically wraps around the antenna.

Any updates for pronto friendly access points? they seem to come in only 2 varieties cheap and unreliable and mega expensive commercial grade units. Is there something in between that works well?

I'm aware of no new updates. Pretty much most Linksys equipment will work pretty well. If you have an G/N-based router, your best bet may be G-Only mode.

Ive been using a Linksys Wag200 home gateway for a year no problems also a 54g Access point, with no poblems in loads of other location.

I just got off the Phone with Victor Pak of Pakedge. He told me some very interesting things.

1) Their newest model is at the FCC limit of radio power and radio sensitivity

2) They can generally completely cover a 6000 sq ft home with plaster/sheetrock wall construction with a single WAP

3) If more than one WAP is needed you can assign them all to the same radio channel and they will pass the clients between them transparent to the client as the client roams.

4) Philips has their WAP's in Belgium and are very pleased with their performance

5) They do not currently handle WAP encryption but will in the unit coming out this summer, along with Wireless-N if the spec ever goes final.

6) It is still a square bezel so alignment in the ceiling to get a high WAF requires patience.

7) there is a built in DHCP server that will handle IP address reservations by MAC address guaranteeing that each Pronto will get the same IP all the time.

Downside is Price!!! A very expensive unit (Commercial grade) but if one covers the whole house . . .

I have been using PakEdge WAPs for quite a while in all of our installs. They are the best performing WAPs I have found. The newer 3 series units have great power output. I am covering a 4000 sq. ft condo unit that is all metal studs, mc electrical, and a lot of metal duct work. It covers the whole unit perfectly. I have recently heard of a new company that will be competing with PakEdge. I believe the name is Luxor or Luxem or something like that. They are expensive, but extremely powerful. As for now, we will be staying with PakEdge.

I came across a very cheap access point from Edimax. It is also a 5-port switcher. I got two and I have been testing them since Xmas. WEP works fine as long as I enter the password in hex format.

Connectivity is quick. I set it to G only.

I ended up using 64bit WEP, MAC filtering and I have also hidden the SSID. Much better than an unsecured access point anyway.

We are talking £25 here, around $35 including vat. The model is EW-7209Apg. They also have a PoE version (not 5 ports though).

I have just noticed that they also do a signal booster, with adjustable output (100-500mW).