Extending wifi

Takedap

As a bit of background, I live in an old bungalow with fairly thick walls.  The layout also means that there is a fairly long distance from one end of the property to the other.   I have a fast full fibre internet connection with a good wifi signal when in the same room as the router.   To use a PC in a different room, I have tried using a wired connection with TP Link 500 homeplugs but have found that there is a huge drop off in speed, probably due to distance & old wiring.  As an example, on the wired connection, I can get 100Mbps at the router but this drops to less than 10Mbps at the furthest point.  Wifi (at a distance) is actually slightly faster but not by much.

I have seen that I could repurpose an old router as a wifi extender or repeater at the far end of the homeplugs.  My question is, if I did that, will the old router then transmit a "full strength" signal, even though it would be using a slower wired connection (if this makes sense)  I am asking rather than just trying it as the PC does not yet have a wifi card so that will entail a bit more expense so I want to know if it is feasible before laying any cash out!  Or are there better ways of doing this with incurring excessive costs?

Thanks for looking.

Cisco001

there is an option for mesh wifi. But I don't know how effective is it as you have thick wall.

wongataa

The wireless point on the end of the extension would broadcast a full strength wireless signal but the speed will be limited by the speed on the link to the router connected to the phone line.

The best link would be via network cable if possible - no slowdowns.  Next would be faster homeplugs.  With homeplugs the fastest possible speed is half the number written on the package, so for yours it is 250Mbps, not 500.  The the link speed is reduced further by network overheads, wiring lengths, and wiring conditions.

[Deleted User]

Takedap said:

I have seen that I could repurpose an old router as a wifi extender or repeater at the far end of the homeplugs.  My question is, if I did that, will the old router then transmit a "full strength" signal, even though it would be using a slower wired connection (if this makes sense)  

The old router / wifi extender solution will only transmit data as fast as the slowest link in the network - ie the homeplugs so you will not gain anything by moving the this set up.

I guess two options for you are:
1. Mesh wifi system where each node is close enough to the next one to not get a significant drop in speed, but will be expensive and may require quite a few nodes to avoid the thick walls issue.

2. Cheapest is to run ethernet cables from the main router. I know this is inconvenient but is so cheap and reliable it really should be considered. You can run really long lengths without any impact to speed so could potentially route neatly round skirting boards and doorways etc if you don't fancy making holes in walls or even outside the house and back in?

neilmcl

A cheap solution would be to try using the 5Ghz band, assuming your router supports it. All you'd need is an inexpensive dual band USB WIFI adapter like one of these:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxesla-Wifi-Adapter-Wireless-Compatible/dp/B08GS4PX13/ref=sr_1_8

[Deleted User]

neilmcl said:

A cheap solution would be to try using the 5Ghz band, assuming your router supports it. All you'd need is an inexpensive dual band USB WIFI adapter like one of these:https://www.amazon.co.uk/Maxesla-Wifi-Adapter-Wireless-Compatible/dp/B08GS4PX13/ref=sr_1_8

5Ghz is much worse at going through walls than 2.4Ghz so I don't think this would help unless I've misunderstood your post?

But on that thought, maybe we should check which band the OP is using as they will getting better range and penetration with 2.4Ghz?

CoastingHatbox

If the bungalow has some attic space, the easiest option might be a couple of ceiling mount access points at each end of the bungalow, both plugged into the router via PoE injectors for power. (This means one cable handles both network connectivity and electrical supply to each access point).

Undervalued

Takedap said:

As a bit of background, I live in an old bungalow with fairly thick walls.  The layout also means that there is a fairly long distance from one end of the property to the other.   I have a fast full fibre internet connection with a good wifi signal when in the same room as the router.   To use a PC in a different room, I have tried using a wired connection with TP Link 500 homeplugs but have found that there is a huge drop off in speed, probably due to distance & old wiring.  As an example, on the wired connection, I can get 100Mbps at the router but this drops to less than 10Mbps at the furthest point.  Wifi (at a distance) is actually slightly faster but not by much.

I have seen that I could repurpose an old router as a wifi extender or repeater at the far end of the homeplugs.  My question is, if I did that, will the old router then transmit a "full strength" signal, even though it would be using a slower wired connection (if this makes sense)  I am asking rather than just trying it as the PC does not yet have a wifi card so that will entail a bit more expense so I want to know if it is feasible before laying any cash out!  Or are there better ways of doing this with incurring excessive costs?

Thanks for looking.

Are you sure you TP Link Homeplugs were on the same ring main? I found them excellent in quite a large house, providing they were on the same ring main, but hopeless if one was plugged into a different ring. 

Plugging them in to a spur off the ring (or an extension / four way) reduced the speed a little but still fairly acceptable

Takedap

Thanks to all for the replies so far.  To answer a couple of points.  My old router is single band 2.4Ghz so no option to use 5Ghz.  Unfortunately, going fully wired is not an option either.  The disruption would be more than SWAMBO would put up with!   Not sure that faster homeplugs would work given that I am currently only getting<10Mbs when they are rated at 500Mbs.  I appreciate that they won't run at the full rated speed but I'm only getting less than 10% of the speed at the router.

I was really hoping that a second router (which would then be just a repeater or extender) would broadcast what would effectively be a new signal after getting wired information from the incoming router but it looks like this is not the case.

I have no experience of mesh networks so I might have to do some reading up on this.

Takedap

Undervalued said:

Are you sure you TP Link Homeplugs were on the same ring main? I found them excellent in quite a large house, providing they were on the same ring main, but hopeless if one was plugged into a different ring. 

Plugging them in to a spur off the ring (or an extension / four way) reduced the speed a little but still fairly acceptable

The sockets used are all fed from the same MCB in the consumer unit so I they will be on the same ring.  Not sure if any of them are spurs though.

alan_d

Another vote for proper wired ethernet, nothing else will match it.
Second best is mesh WiFi. I've had good experience with TP-Link Deco M5 units, with a 3-pack kit. You can always add more units later if needed.