Wi fi boosting

Cacran

 In the dining room we have Virgin broadband. It is set up so that we get the extra channels, You tube, catch up , apps.  etc.This is the only TV we can benefit from Virgin.

We have a tv in our sitting room.. The Wifi signal is very patchy  in there. ( wi fi router is in the dining room) 



We are not able to get wi fi signal in our kitchen and one of the bedrooms. We can't even get internet on our phone in these rooms.

I spoke to Virgin  but they were going to charge me an extra amount each month to get a wi fi booster from them. We don't use it in these other rooms enough to warrant paying monthly for it. 

The Virgin rep said we could just buy a  plug in wifi booster form anywhere.

I am not sure what to get, to make everything working right. Could any of you good people advise me, please?

oldernonethewiser

Are you eligible for WifiMax with the package you are on?

https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max

Possibly not if they want to charge you extra for it.

You could buy MESH system would would do the job.

QrizB

The mesh network systems mentioned by the previous poster are probably the best answer.

Personally, though, I'm old-school. I've run network cables from my router to a couple of other places in the house, and have attached access points to them. (They're not dedicated access points but reconfigured routers from previous ISPs.) Works for me but I don't know if you want network cables running through your house!

flashg67

My router is at the front of the house and I struggled to get wi-fi at the rear/upstairs, to the point my work vpn & some smart devices were cutting out regularly. Not wanting to invest too much, I went for these - https://www.mymemory.co.uk/strong-wi-fi-atria-meshkit-1200-2-pack.html

So far, they've been great  - smart devices and my vpn have been vastly improved, with only the odd minor blip in connection. I left the wi fi on my router on, and configured the new units to match my current wi fi SSID and password - all works seamlessly so far.

jefaz07

I have virgin too. As does my mother. Both WiFi signals are very very poor. I have bought the Deco mesh system and now it’s great. 

QrizB

flashg67 said:

My router is at the front of the house and I struggled to get wi-fi at the rear/upstairs, to the point my work vpn & some smart devices were cutting out regularly. Not wanting to invest too much, I went for these - https://www.mymemory.co.uk/strong-wi-fi-atria-meshkit-1200-2-pack.html

So far, they've been great  - smart devices and my vpn have been vastly improved, with only the odd minor blip in connection. I left the wi fi on my router on, and configured the new units to match my current wi fi SSID and password - all works seamlessly so far.

Wow, I hadn't realised that mesh networking kit had got so cheap!

Cacran

oldernonethewiser said:

Are you eligible for WifiMax with the package you are on?

https://www.virginmedia.com/wifi-max

Possibly not if they want to charge you extra for it.

You could buy MESH system would would do the job.

Thanks for your reply. No I don't have Max. It would cost me £8 a month more. Not worth it for me. I will have a look at the Mesh System. 

QrizB

flashg67 said:

My router is at the front of the house and I struggled to get wi-fi at the rear/upstairs, to the point my work vpn & some smart devices were cutting out regularly. Not wanting to invest too much, I went for these - https://www.mymemory.co.uk/strong-wi-fi-atria-meshkit-1200-2-pack.html

So far, they've been great  - smart devices and my vpn have been vastly improved, with only the odd minor blip in connection. I left the wi fi on my router on, and configured the new units to match my current wi fi SSID and password - all works seamlessly so far.

I ordered a pair of those. They arrived today and appear to work well.

(I say "appear" - currently they're only extending my wifi from one side of my lounge to the other. I'm going to move the remote one to my bottom-of-the-garden shed and see if it'll reach as far as there.)

dander

Installed a Mesh system from Argos in my parent's house about 18 months ago. It's done absolute wonders. 

EnPointe

QrizB said:

The mesh network systems mentioned by the previous poster are probably the best answer.

Personally, though, I'm old-school. I've run network cables from my router to a couple of other places in the house, and have attached access points to them. (They're not dedicated access points but reconfigured routers from previous ISPs.) Works for me but I don't know if you want network cables running through your house!

in  a house which struggles with WIfi attenuation   hardwiring ( or powerline adaptor) to  additional APs or a mesh system are the best solutions ... 

in a money no object house build  i'd spec it  like  commercial premises with a couple of  cat 5e/ cat 6  to each room as well as  APs to meet a reasonable standard of wifi field  strength 

 but like anything it;s  how long is a piece of string and how much 'hard'  works  are you willing to do to get the coverage  vs  possible compromises with mesh or  powerline adaptors

jbrassy

As others have said, mesh networks are the way forward. I would personally recommend the eero 6 by Amazon: https://amzn.eu/d/4UwME4U

You'll need to get the router plus an extender (or 2 extenders depending on how big your house is). It's really easy to set up and works like a dream. The only thing you'll need to do is set the Virgin router to 'modem mode' when you plug the eero router into it.