WLAN Router/Nokia 770 Performance List
 

There is a problem with the Nokia 770's WLAN connection. The problem basically goes like this: The Nokia will detect and connect to a WLAN network, but will not access the internet when connected. This problem happens with some WLAN access points, but not others.

I want to document which WLAN access points perform well with the Nokia 770 and which ones perform poorly.

For all of you who use the Nokia 770 with access points, please reply with your Access Point make/model, the maximum range that your Nokia 770 can access the internet with that Access Point.

To get this started:

1. Microsoft MN-700 802.11b/g Access Point, Max Range: 6 feet.
2. T-Mobile Access Point, Max Range: 25 feet.
3. Belkin F5D7230-4 Access Point mixed 802.11b/g, Max Range: 50 feet.

I need your help folks. My ultimate goal for this list is to help people figure out what router to buy or if they need to buy a new router for their Nokia 770. Also, I want to get an understanding of what people's experiences are. For example, is there someone out there getting 40 ft, 80 ft, 120 ft, 300 ft, or 750 ft on their Nokia 770? If so, what router are they using?

belkin Pre-N router
 

http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProdu...duct_Id=184316

I have this one and I can go out from my apartment building and sit on the grass and still have signal... (don't ask me how far away... far enough)
-i

Linksys WRT54G - up to about 50 feet, full strength up to about 25 feet

Remember to state the maximum distance at which you have internet access (are able to surf the web.) The Nokia 770 has an issue where it will show high signal strength but will not allow you to surf the web.

"still have signal" means I can use the thing w/o any problems. more than 100 feet away and still can use it

I don't think this is a problem with the 770 at all. I thought this was a result of an access point using open authentication as opposed to shared authentication?

I'm not saying this list isn't a good idea, or that the 770 doesn't have any wifi problems (works fine for me but), just that I see this behaviour with other devices as well, and I think it's intentional.

Brad.

The wifi part of the Nokia 770 is excelent.
My nokia770 detects 2 hotspots from a building almost 1km away (LOS)
(It can't get connected, but it does detect them...)


I have a ASUS WL-500G, and I get about 30m range inside my house (with brick and cement walls).
This router is awesome, it also runs linux, and has a usb port.. so you can connect a usb harddisk to it...
It uses similar hardware to the Linksys wrt54g, but has the bonus of USB and a LPT port. oh.. and is cheap too... :)

hi, thanks for the input guys. I love my 770, but what we don't need is more people posting about how crappy the wifi is - do a google search for nokia 770 wlan problem and you will see what I mean. Virtually every review given by any major publication has listed the Nokia 770's WLAN as subpar. Just the facts!

bradb - no, that is a separate issue.
lmf - detecting a wifi network from 1 km away is useless if you can't access the internet with that network. I didn't pay $350 for a glorified wifi detector.

Here's another one:
Linksys BEFW1134-A 802.11b Base Station - 60 feet.

Linksys WRTSL54GS with Thibor's 15b firmware works well for me.
One of the many nice features of this firmware is the ability to adjust the transmit power. I run at 50% (42 mW) which is the default even with the factory firmware. You can boost it up to 84 mW to increase range.

Netgear WGR101 - Mobile AP

Good connection at least 50ft
-Unable to make NFS connections

With all due respect, that list is a bit silly. Example: I have a netgear access point and I use it at home (150 years old european house with thick brick walls). Each walls eats 20 dB, so no signal after the third wall. To solve the problem, I bought a separate patch antenna with 8 dB of gain. In free space, with that extra antenna main lobe pointed at the Nokia, I can probably reach over 300 meters.

So which is the correct answer: 3 walls or 300 meters?

BTW: I work in antennas. I can easily point you to designs with 20 dB of gain, and they would boost your contacts quite remarkably. A few kilometers, line of sight, can relatively easily be done for wifi.

FWIW: the 770 appears to be quite sensitive actually. It certainly beats my Apple powerbook and the CF card for my (now retired) Zaurus.