best way to extend wireless signal?

mezz200

I think Sky are a bit funny with you using other routers. Have you considered some home-plug adapters?

garynuman

mezz200 wrote: »

I think Sky are a bit funny with you using other routers. Have you considered some home-plug adapters?

Thats the way I have gone.

esuhl

mezz200 wrote: »

I think Sky are a bit funny with you using other routers. Have you considered some home-plug adapters?

The ISP I'm with will only (officially) provide support if you're using the router they supply. But the second "router" I'm using isn't actually being used as a router -- I'm just using the switch and access point, so my ISP wouldn't be aware of its existence.

Jammyb wrote: »

DON'T wirelessly extend your wifi range with a second router or AP/access point. This halves your throughput/speed for not only anything that is connected to the Second router/AP but also halves the throughput/speed to devices connected to the main router.

Just to clarify... I'm not using the second "router" as a repeater (which presumably would reduce throughput significantly), I've just connected the two four-port switches on the router and enabled both wireless access points. Effectively I have one router with six spare Ethernet ports (two are used to connect the two boxes) and two wireless access points. Any degradation in throughput would be insignificant, I imagine.

Jammyb

Sky aren't funny. They've switched from PPPOA to "MER with a twist" and made it very difficult to keep connected with aftermarket routers.

Hope you've set the channels for your routers/AP's to 1, 6, 11 to stop them fighting themselves.

esuhl

Jammyb wrote: »

Sky aren't funny. They've switched from PPPOA to "MER with a twist" and made it very difficult to keep connected with aftermarket routers.

PPPoA and MER relate to the ISP side of the connection, so as long as you are not using your second "router" as a router (i.e. you're just using the switch and access point of the "router" on your local network), then you should be able to use any number of "routers" without problems (although, by the sound of it, the Sky router must be the one doing the routing).

Jammyb wrote: »

Hope you've set the channels for your routers/AP's to 1, 6, 11 to stop them fighting themselves.

Obviously you don't want nearby access points broadcasting on the same channels... You can use software like InSSIDer to check local channel utilisation.

Jammyb

esuhl wrote: »

PPPoA and MER relate to the ISP side of the connection, so as long as you are not using your second "router" as a router (i.e. you're just using the switch and access point of the "router" on your local network), then you should be able to use any number of "routers" without problems (although, by the sound of it, the Sky router must be the one doing the routing).

That's what I meant. You can attach any router/s you like to the sky one. As long as the sky one is the one attached to the telephone line.

esuhl wrote: »

Obviously you don't want nearby access points broadcasting on the same channels... You can use software to check local channel utilisation.

That program does help a lot. And once you enter the realm of having more than one wifi broadcast at home it becomes not so much for other networks crossing over. But you need your router and AP's channels to be far apart otherwise you can create your own dead spots within your wifi bubbles!