WIFI extender?

UffDa

UffDa

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My WIFI router is at one end of the house and the master bedroom and garage are on the other end. It's about 50 feet from the router and there are 3 walls in between. Sometimes I try to use my laptop or mini iPad in the bed room or garage, but the WIFI reception is poor. I was thinking of getting a more powerful router, but an extender is a lot cheaper. Any suggestions?
 
Extenders are made for this and should work. I just setup a separate router in my home. Ask someone in a store to explain you how it works.
 
Unless you game and ping times are important, you should be fine with an extender. Otherwise the mesh router systems are getting really good.
 
I set up a wrt54g as a wireless access point in my shop and it works outstanding. If you can run a network line from it to your main router, it might be the answer for you.
 
I have a Netgear wall plug in extender in my shop. I moved from an inside the house desk and a workshop to an all in the workshop setup. The WiFi router in the house would reach the shop with the door open but in winter the metal shop and metal door blocked too much of the signal.

I talked to some industrial WifI folks who pooh-poohed the whole idea of the extender and instead tried to sell me on bigger antennas to plug into the router at 3x the price. I didn't listen and tried out the extender and it's been trouble free. It plugs into the wall and picks up and rebroadcasts the signal. All you have to do is put an extra password into your devices once and they you can go between buildings seamlessly. I can even plug in the router for my VOIP phone via a cable with no issues.
 
I ordred a TP-LINK TL-WA855RE. It will work or it won't. If it doesn't work, I can send it back. It's only $20.

I'm sure that there are better ones. There always is, but I don't want to spend $100 and up.
 
put your router in a better place. say above or below the three rooms and aim the antennas accordingly. you may have to try a few different places to see whats best.
 
Mo2 said:
put your router in a better place. say above or below the three rooms and aim the antennas accordingly. you may have to try a few different places to see whats best.
Click to expand...

I tried that within the limitations of the way the house is built.
 
Another option for $100 or less is to use a wall plug Ethernet bridge to move your router where you want it. You plug one bridge into the outlet next to your cable modem and run a patch cable to it, and the other into a wall outlet where you want your router with another patch cable.
 
50 feet and 3 walls isn't very much, even if they're older plaster lathe. Do you know the model of the router you're using? Extenders are fine for most people, but if you router is a bit of a dog it might be money better spent on an upgrade.
 
I used an extender years ago (Apple router w/ Apple extender... Long story since I usually don't buy Apple).

It worked fine for internet browsing and other limited stuff. If your router is provided with your carrier, it might be worth it just so that you don't have to spend the extra money or setup... Plus the carrier will often replace repair their router when there are problems.
 
Hope the TPLink worked out for you. I had one of their routers and it degraded over time (quickly). I'm an Apple user so I just broke down and bought an AirPort Extreme and use that as my primary router. I have one AirPort Express I use as an extender and these give me great coverage (tested with a heat map) all over my property. I can even leave my house with my phone and get well down the road before I lose WiFi. I do have them mounted up pretty high in my house though.
 
While it looks like OP has this sorted depending on the router I usually try to upgrade the antennas first it is inexpensive, less than $30 for 3, and very easy you just unscrew the old and screw on the new. These will usually work to get that extra distance and improve WiFi quality for devices inside but on the edge of the current range. Please make sure your WiFi is secure so many risks if you have an open WiFi.
 
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