Router range extender?

[Picky1]

Currently my D-Link N+ router is located with my modem in my basement office and I have dead spots on the far end of the main floor of my house. I was thinking about getting a range extender something like this:

http://us.dlink.com/products/access-...ange-extender/

Has anyone tried one of these before? Any suggestions?

 

[mattwithcats]

Range extenders will drop your speed by at least half.
It must receive, then retransmit, each packet of information...

Better, put a second router up, run a wire from the first to the second..
Change the ip address or turn off DHCP...

Or change antenna, or change location...

 

[zzyzzx]

Get a better antenna!

 

[michaelluscher]

In this order

-Better Antennas
-Better Placement
-Better Router

 

[OVERKILL]

You can always install an access point and assign it the same SSID and passphrase. This is sort of a cheap way of doing clustered wireless, obviously without the automated roaming hand off and the rest of the good stuff a true managed cluster setup does.

 

[Rolla07]

I would first try putting the router in a more central area to see if placement can help. You can try a different antenna/s but most likely cost close to same as a new router. (From what I've seen anyways).

 

[bdcardinal]

Get a Netgear Nighthawk R8000, I did and it solved all my low power signal issues.

 

[Picky1]

Thanks for all of the input, I am sort of in the dark with this stuff.

-Better Antennas - how do I change the antennas on my current router?

-Better Placement - Unfortunately, this is not possible the way my house it wired up. Plus I am not looking to run wires all of the place (through walls and upstairs).

-Better Router - That Netgear router looks nice...but pricey!

- Access Point - How does that differ from the ranger extender and does it have to be wired to the router?

Others have mentioned to daisy chain routers, how does one do that? I do have an extra older Belkin G router that I could use.

 

[OVERKILL]

Yes, the access point needs to be wired to the router. It will provide far better throughput than the range extender.

You can turn your old Belkin into an access point by disabling DHCP on it, assigning it an IP in your same subnet on the LAN interface and then configuring it with the same SSID, security and passphrase as your current router. Then locate it somewhere close to where you are having reception issues but that you can provide ethernet connectivity from your primary router to it and plug the cable into one of its LAN ports (not the WAN port).

 

[SevenBizzos]

I'm just throwing another option out here. Move the router to a central location and hook the office up through a powerline ethernet.

 

[Picky1]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Yes, the access point needs to be wired to the router. It will provide far better throughput than the range extender.

You can turn your old Belkin into an access point by disabling DHCP on it, assigning it an IP in your same subnet on the LAN interface and then configuring it with the same SSID, security and passphrase as your current router. Then locate it somewhere close to where you are having reception issues but that you can provide ethernet connectivity from your primary router to it and plug the cable into one of its LAN ports (not the WAN port).

Thanks again for all of the info, this stuff is way over my head.

I have two routers, the one that I am currently using is a D-Link N 300 Router (DIR-615) and it is just not getting the job done. The extra router that I have is a Belkin Wireless G Router (F5D7230-4).

If I understand you correctly you are suggesting that I run a cable from one modem in my basement to the main floor of my house than then set up the 2nd router. Which router would you suggest that I keep in my basement office, and which one should I keep on my main floor? Also, any suggestions as to where I could get a long cable...as I guess I am going to need like a 40-50' cable to make it up to the main floor.

 

[PandaBear]

In theory, if your range extender use 2 different non overlapping channels (i.e. 1/6, 6/11, 1/11) and work as 1 client + 1 access point, it wouldn't reduce the speed at all. If your unit only support 1 channel at a time for both side of the repeating work, then yes it will reduce throughput by half.

I bought 2 older routers, at least 1 that support open source firmware for client mode, put them together as my own repeater on different channels instead. So far this setup is working very well.