wi fi extenders

JEN22

What do I buy to extend the wi fi round the house without using ethernet leads then?
I just want something to plug in the kitchen to pick the wi fi up from the router in the lounge

grumpycrab

JEN22 wrote: »

What do I buy to extend the wi fi round the house without using ethernet leads then?
I just want something to plug in the kitchen to pick the wi fi up from the router in the lounge

A couple (more) questions.
1. can you easily return the 2 boxes you have now to the shop?
2. from the router in the lounge, walk to the TV in the kitchen with big steps. How many steps is that?

If you can get your money back for your exisiting pair then I suggest this simple device from Amazon for £12 (Prime).
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIUHAG6
Assuming the number of steps you've counted above is not too many ( rough guide but say 30 max without any thick walls!) then count half the steps from the router and plug in this device. Just need a spare power socket somewhere around half way between lounge and kitchen. Then see box for instructions.

Or this one if you cannot free up 1 spare power socket
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Extender-Broadband-Ethernet-RE305/dp/B00M0KILOA/
(just plugged one of these in for a neighbour and was really impressed)

full-stop

Unfortunately wireless can be a bit of a 'black art'. What works in one situation does not work in another.

This has been the case ever since I started using wifi in about 2001-02.

The problem in a lot of cases, especially with laptops, is that the wireless card is usually both 'cheap and nasty'. Furthermore because the card is usually buried within the casing, reception suffers especially with distance.

As has been mentioned before, sometimes powerlines work, other times extenders, etc. For a long time, I used to replace the antenna (when it was possible) on my WAP for a better one (and on my PCI wifi card in my desktop).

The other matter to consider regards the WAP that you are using. Some have better wifi functionality than others.

Lately, I have been using nano routers specifically with my laptops and find that they work really well, plus if the laptop is older with a 'g' card, there is also a speed boost to boot.

I have used both of these; TP Link WR902AC and TP Link WR802N. The first one has both 2.4 and 5 GHz wireless. Both come with power adapters but can be usb powered too (0.35A & 0.25A respectively).

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-Support-Extender-UK-TL-WR902AC/dp/B01NAYG15H

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-WR802N-Wireless-Enterprise-Computing/dp/B00TACCPUW

These nano routers have multiple functions but I have so far only used them specifically in Client Bridge Mode. They are also designed to be used on holiday, in hotel room as example.

I am on 40/10 fibre and on a laptop some 30-35 feet (one floor below) away using 5Ghz, I am getting 36.5 / 9.5.

By all means try the Netgear range extender linked to above by another poster, it's cheap so not too much harm done.

Good luck with it.

JEN22

No I cant take them back but I need something that works


Itd exactly 30 large steps from kitchen tv to lounge router

prenton01

Step buying extenders everyone waste of time

If you want to have top speed in every room you need to by Mesh devices i have 3 set up one at bottom of stairs, one at top of stairs and one in my bedroom this is a 3 bedroom house and all rooms have average 60mbps from the router in corner of the house in living room behind the TV (Virgin internet)

This will explain
https://www.techadvisor.co.uk/test-centre/network-wifi/best-mesh-wi-fi-network-systems-2018-3661110/

I bought these ones of Aliexpress
https://!!!!!!!.com/yadkb7ht

arciere

full-stop wrote: »

The problem in a lot of cases, especially with laptops, is that the wireless card is usually both 'cheap and nasty'. Furthermore because the card is usually buried within the casing, reception suffers especially with distance.

WiFi cards in laptops have separate antenna connections (it's normally 2 or 3 wires that connect to the card). These wires are often physically connected to the laptop's screen so that the whole screen functions as an antenna.
So, bottom line, even if the card is 'buried', it will always have a good reception thanks to the screen or other metal components on the laptop.

grumpycrab

grumpycrab wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00NIUHAG6

Just tested one of these and range was very poor. The TP LINK below was much better.

grumpycrab wrote: »

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Universal-Extender-Broadband-Ethernet-RE305/dp/B00M0KILOA/
(just plugged one of these in for a neighbour and was really impressed)