Extending wifi signal in the house

[RhondaHonda]

Alright, Let me start off by saying I'm not real computer savvy. I have ATT's modem with 4 outputs on it. My house has CAT 5 running to a few spots throughout. I am looking for advice on what to buy to add wifi modems or access points or whatever in at least 2 other spots in the house. I'll keep the ATT modem for access in the east part of the house. I'd like one for the second floor and one for the west side first floor. Thanks.

 

[Ramblejam]

Just to be sure...

Is your goal to have complete wireless coverage over the entire house?

 

[Dyusik]

Just g e t a router. Try it, may serve you fine as is. If not, buy repeater(s) if you have dead zones. For my 2 level 1400sq ft I get coverage all of the inside (incl garage), and back yard. The router is AC from asus, no complaints.

 

[Nick1994]

I'd just try buying a decent router in the first place that has good signal strength. If it doesn't reach well you can always return it and buy something else.

 

[Bgallagher]

you can either buy a better router/modem or a wifi booster. I installed a booster for my inlaws over the weekend as they had a dead spot in their kitchen. Their signal is full strength and all I had to do was plug it into an outlet and match it with the router.

 

[Donald]

Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd just try buying a decent router in the first place that has good signal strength. If it doesn't reach well you can always return it and buy something else.


+1 - I bought a new router a few months back. Then I emptied my bedroom for new carpet and put the router in the basement since that was one place I could connect up my DSL. I needed wireless to work while carpet was being installed. It was going to be for a day or two until I got stuff moved back into my bedroom. However the router worked so well in the basement that I left it there along with the DSL modem. The only thing in my bedroom now is cordless base and headset base. Wife put up with but did not appreciate a pile of electronic boxes in the bedroom. So now most stuff is in the basement, things work fine. Life is good.

 

[tgrudzin]

Any recommendation on a repeater? My detached garage and backyard is lacking signal strength.

 

[Nick1994]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Originally Posted By: Nick1994
I'd just try buying a decent router in the first place that has good signal strength. If it doesn't reach well you can always return it and buy something else.


+1 - I bought a new router a few months back. Then I emptied my bedroom for new carpet and put the router in the basement since that was one place I could connect up my DSL. I needed wireless to work while carpet was being installed. It was going to be for a day or two until I got stuff moved back into my bedroom. However the router worked so well in the basement that I left it there along with the DSL modem. The only thing in my bedroom now is cordless base and headset base. Wife put up with but did not appreciate a pile of electronic boxes in the bedroom. So now most stuff is in the basement, things work fine. Life is good.
Yeah sometimes they surprise you. My brother rented a 2 story house, was built over 100 years ago so ceilings were even taller than usual. The attic was finished and he used that as an office, so that was technically the 3rd floor and that's where his router was. Wifi worked perfect downstairs

 

[Wolf359]

Just how much did you want to spend? As others said, get an AC router. The faster they are, the more it is. The cheap routers are the N300-N900 routers and they don't support the higher speeds. Best bang for the buck is probably somewhere between an AC1200-AC1750 router. If you spend $120 on an Archer C9, you'd get an AC1900 router. There are some cheap $55 AC1750 refurbished routers out there like the Trendnet, there are some decent reviews of it out there.

 

[Kawiguy454]

If your in a mansion get a repeater ...check for reviews anywhere from $40 and up.

If you live in a typical house get a new router +1 ASUS. The new routers use active beam-forming which means they electronically focus onto connected signals and work very well.

 

[dparm]

I don't think you'll need a repeater unless you have tons of square footage all on the same floor. (e.g. a huge ranch house)

Try to locate the router in a somewhat central location. If you have some CAT5 runs, just find one that's approximately in the middle of the house and test it out for a day or two.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Just to be sure...

Is your goal to have complete wireless coverage over the entire house?


Yes, that's correct.

 

[RhondaHonda]

The ATT signal comes in on the east side in the basement. The house is 6,500 sq feet of finished area on 3 levels so the west side is fairly far ~90 feet away (before accounting for any height differences from floor to floor)from the modem currently. I don't mind spending a few hundred if it means I'll have a good signal all over. I just didn't know what equipment to buy or how to get started. I also didn't realize one good router is any better than the single modem we have now.

 

[Nick1994]

Routers and modems are separate things. Modems convert the cable signal into what you can plug a computer or router into. Routers are for wireless internet.

I didn't know you had a mansion lol, so 1 router probably won't cut it.

 

[Wolf359]

Originally Posted By: RhondaHonda
The ATT signal comes in on the east side in the basement. The house is 6,500 sq feet of finished area on 3 levels so the west side is fairly far ~90 feet away (before accounting for any height differences from floor to floor)from the modem currently. I don't mind spending a few hundred if it means I'll have a good signal all over. I just didn't know what equipment to buy or how to get started. I also didn't realize one good router is any better than the single modem we have now.


Well if you don't mind spending several hundred, get an AC5300 router. Either Asus or Netgear. What's your internet speed? In theory a 5300 router is going to get you 5300 megabits, and you probably only have a 100-300 megabit connection, but it will use more antennas and it's more likely you'll get the full speed at the other end of the house. I had a built in N300 router and I was only getting 2-3 megabits at the other end of the house even though I have a 150 megabit connecting. Even when I'm right next to the router, I was only getting 75 megabits. Once I went to an AC1750 router, I was getting full speed next to router and about 75-100 at the other end of the house. Just use speedtest.net to check your link speed.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Haha, not what I'd consider a mansion but it's bigger than the standard 3 bed/2 bath house.

Like I said, technology has passed me by! Router, modem... Who knows. I know it came from ATT and I didn't have to purchase any additional equipment to have wifi. It does have outputs on it for Ethernet cables. Would an access point or 2 be what I need? Multiple routers? I may do an addition for another garage and would like to have wifi there as well so if it's as simple as buying a new router or access point for each general area and plugging those directly into ATT's modem/router combo that would be excellent. Thanks.

 

[RhondaHonda]

Wolf359-I live in a newer development in a somewhat rural suburb. We only have 6 megabit service available here from ATT. So currently we don't have a real fast connection (maybe even more important to not lose any speed since I don't have much to start with).

 

[Wolf359]

They probably gave you a cheap N300 router. How many houses are nearby? N300 uses 2.4 GHz and AC uses 5 GHz. There may be other devices using 2.4 GHz but not as many use 5 GHz which is why you should get an AC router. You could run an ethernet cable from your ATT modem/router to another router in a central part of the house to get maximum coverage. For maximum speed, you want a router that does AC, most newer devices like phones and tablets made in the last couple years support AC.

 

[NYSteve]

Originally Posted By: RhondaHonda
Haha, not what I'd consider a mansion but it's bigger than the standard 3 bed/2 bath house.

Like I said, technology has passed me by! Router, modem... Who knows. I know it came from ATT and I didn't have to purchase any additional equipment to have wifi. It does have outputs on it for Ethernet cables. Would an access point or 2 be what I need? Multiple routers? I may do an addition for another garage and would like to have wifi there as well so if it's as simple as buying a new router or access point for each general area and plugging those directly into ATT's modem/router combo that would be excellent. Thanks.


To get you up to speed with network tech, i would start at Small Net Builder basics:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/basics/lanwan-basics/32056-how-to-improve-network-performance-part-1

For non-tech relatives/friends, I reco getting an Apple Airport Extreme and Air Expresses as boosters. For your AT&T gateway, you will turn off the wifi and use it as a model only. Ideally, the cat5 runs go to where you have dead spots. That's where the Airport Expresses come in.

It is a little pricey but can get good discounts at the Apple refurb store. Refurbed Airport Extreme is $200 and is AC.