poor wi-fi coverage at home

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: uc50ic4more
If you are pathologically frugal like me, instead of throwing money at the problem you could always just Google "DIY Wifi extender" and for pennies build yourself a strange/ ugly-looking apparatus that will both direct and extend your WiFi signal. I did this years ago and no longer have the (ridiculously simple) instructions on hand but there are plans a' plenty on the internet.


While not a bad idea most combo modem/routers are terrible.

best to start with something decent.

I tried using a motorola SBG6580 and I couldnt even get wireless to be reliable 1 room away. Bought a refurb e2000 for 15$ and its 10x better. (this was years ago)

Currently have a netgear r7000 and buffalo WZR-1750DHP

the netgear has slightly better range. I snagged it for 80$ on clearance.

The buffalo which has been surprisingly good has been repurposed as a wireless adapter box in the living room

It gives me wireless to ethernet for my camera system and TV.

I also have a WAP in the garage for back deck/garage/driveway coverage.
https://store.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-ap-88.html

 

[sleddriver]

Do you own this house? If so, what about snaking another cable up through a closet corner to add a separate router upstairs? Another option is to add additional DATA ports.

 

[Zeus33]

Originally Posted By: shinyWheels
Use the 5.8 band if you can. The 2.4 band is very crowded.



The advantage that the 5 ghz band has is it's good for heavy data transfers at fast speed (streaming HD movies, etc.) over fairly short distances. The 2.4 ghz band, while a little more crowded, provides MUCH better range. Using a free WiFi analyzer, you can avoid channels that have lots of interference on them, unless you live in a heavily populated apartment building. Since he is having a coverage issue, he would be better served using the 2.4 band.

The primary difference between the 2.4 GHz and 5GHz wireless frequencies is range as the 2.4GHz frequency is able to reach farther than the 5GHz frequency. This is a result of the basic characteristics that waves attenuate much faster at higher frequencies. So if you are more concerned with the coverage, you should select 2.4GHz rather than 5GHz.

 

[xfactor9]

Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
Most wifi repeaters will cut your network throughput substantially.

If you want awesome wifi signal strength and max speed, get a Nighthawk R7000 - http://amzn.to/1kxNDtm


Why does the extender reduce throughput? Is it because that it's an additional device that causes interference with the base wifi router? I'm more concerned with reliability than thru-put.

It's not like my broadband DSL is that fast to begin with

 

[sxg6]

I'd probably give something like this a try before spending too much money. I've used it in the past with good success.

BUFFALO AirStation N300 Open Source DD-WRT Wireless Router (WHR-300HP2D) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00IB8IVDQ/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_0hCpwbK6JS9ZP

 

[Nick R]

Originally Posted By: xfactor9
Originally Posted By: BubbaFL
Most wifi repeaters will cut your network throughput substantially.

If you want awesome wifi signal strength and max speed, get a Nighthawk R7000 - http://amzn.to/1kxNDtm


Why does the extender reduce throughput? Is it because that it's an additional device that causes interference with the base wifi router? I'm more concerned with reliability than thru-put.

It's not like my broadband DSL is that fast to begin with




The problem with wireless extenders/repeaters is just that. They have to repeat the signal. The way they work, is they receive the initial signal from the main AP, and rebroadcast it via the same chipset and radios. This means that you cut throughput in half, and increase latency. Ideally, if you need wider coverage beyond what a more powerful single AP solution can fix, you use a multi-AP solution. Ideally, something like a pfsense firewall, or other actual "router" that handles NAT/firewalling, and a ubiquiti unifi multi-AP solution

 

[Vikas]

Seconded the idea of nixing the WiFi extender! I already tried it and it just does not work. Powerline adapter might work but I do not have any experience with them.

the problem is even if your range "looks" like it is extended i.e. you see more bars, the actual throughput is just not there. The only way to get better signal is to start with more powerful signal at the source. I did some objective measurements. I was able to get better and more consistent bandwidth going to the main router directly rather than going through the extender at the desired location using the same client.

I tried moving the WiFi extender at different place in my house but was never really satisfied. I finally changed the base router and new base router minimized the need for the range extender.

 

[skinnyd]

Do you have coax in the room the DSL router is in and somewhere on the second floor? You might be able to use a MOCA network extender that will utilize the existing coax. This will work even if you are already using the coax for a TV signal. The video on the amazon page explains briefly how it works.

http://www.amazon.com/Actiontec-Dual-Ban...iontec+wcb3000n


Depending the quality of the coax in your house your results may vary. I'm using it and so far its working great. The unit wouldn't work in the room I initially wanted to use it in as I needed to use a coax splitter to split the signal between the extender and the tv. I was unable to get the extender to sync but its working great in an alternate room. I'm using the wired portion and have the wireless turned off so cant speak to the wireless performance. But I have two pcs on the wired connection and its working great.

If you already have a MOCA router from the telco you can buy the extender and not the kit.

Something to consider if you want to add wired capability to a location or improve wireless performance and can utilize existing coax cabling.