Which wifi range extender to buy?

Ecco

Ecco

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Hi guys,

In certain parts of my house, data transfer speeds on my wifi network is really bad, due to low signal strength. The router is in the middle of the house and the rooms where the signal is bad are two opposite ends of the hours. For now i am willing to just sort out one end of the house.

I use a TP Link TL-WDR4300 router and predominantly connect on the 2.4Ghz band (channel 2).

I want to buy one of the following devices to extend the range of the wifi:

TP-LINK 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender (TL-WA850RE)
http://www.takealot.com/tp-link-300mbps-universal-wireless-n-range-extender/PLID28719941
R359 at Takealot

Or

LINKSYS Wi-Fi Range Extender (Model: RE1000)
http://www.makro.co.za/computing-and-mobile/linksys-wi-fi-range-extender-220148EA
R599 at Makro

Any recommendation on which one is better?
I really need throughput on the network, to stream videos from my NAS to the ends of the house.

If later i want to sort out the other end of the house, can i buy i different brand to the brands above and further extend it?

Thanks
 
AdrianH said:
Can't speak for those 2 mentioned, but I tried a TrendNet TEW-736 wireless extender with limited success.

http://www.trendnet.com/products/proddetail.asp?prod=200_TEW-736RE

The issue is that trying to stream HD video (5mbps or higher) resulted in stuttering from a samba share. I ended up pulling through network cables to solve the issue.
Click to expand...

Fortunately i dont have any HD content at the moment. However probably something to consider.

I do know that both devices have an Ethernet port if there is a need to run a cable from the range extender.
 
AdrianH said:
Can't speak for those 2 mentioned, but I tried a TrendNet TEW-736 wireless extender with limited success.

http://www.trendnet.com/products/proddetail.asp?prod=200_TEW-736RE

The issue is that trying to stream HD video (5mbps or higher) resulted in stuttering from a samba share. I ended up pulling through network cables to solve the issue.
Click to expand...

I've done the same at my place and at others houses, you can't beat pulling through a cable, I've found these range extenders don't even work properly, even those expensive 2k models
 
gfmalan said:
Hi,

Look at EoP devices, WiFi included.
Click to expand...

Cant do EoP. Power is across 3 phases. As far as i know, you cant use the devices across different phases.
 
I know it sounds like a captain obvious thing but even with wifi extenders if you have a long house, don't locate it in the middle. Divide house into thirds and Place it one third of the way and the range extender at two thirds point.
 
cenredash said:
I know it sounds like a captain obvious thing but even with wifi extenders if you have a long house, don't locate it in the middle. Divide house into thirds and Place it one third of the way and the range extender at two thirds point.
Click to expand...

Great advise, especially for future home owners/buyers.

However when we bought this house many year ago, Wifi wasn't even a thing. And the previous owners put the phone line in the middle. So that's where we left it.
 
Phone line cable is cheaper than two wifi extenders, so you could move the phone line no?
 
cenredash said:
Phone line cable is cheaper than two wifi extenders, so you could move the phone line no?
Click to expand...

Moving the router will solve the problem in one end of the house, however i will still need an extender to reach the other end.

But to be fair i cant move the phone line unfortunately. Its accessible for my gran who would otherwise not be able to use it if placed elsewhere in the house (stairs and other accessibility issues)

Any people with opinions on those two extenders?
 
Range extenders are a waste of time. If there's a problem it's always the range extender. Do it properly with AP's or mini mesh with 1 hop if u not doing major video streaming
 
akescpt said:
is something like this better than an access point device?
Click to expand...

I dont know. Would be glad if somebody could explain. But can you hook up an Access point without running cable?
 
If u don't want to or can't run cables. U don't need to run cables. Just power the mesh router but only 1 hop and don't expect hd video streaming capabilities
 
I have the TP-LINK 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender (TL-WA850RE).
Easy to set up, easy to manage, unobtrusive.
But - it needs to be restarted at least once a month - connection becomes sluggish, and you can't set it to a different channel than the router. And everyone I know with one has taped over the power indicator - that blue LED is bright enough to read by.

If I can figure out how to load DD-WRT on it it would be sorted, but you get what you pay for.
 
Ecco said:
I dont know. Would be glad if somebody could explain. But can you hook up an Access point without running cable?
Click to expand...

I would prefer one that takes an Ethernet cable so that the signal is strong. my router is becoming a bit crowded. might be time for a switch soon.
 
mogwaai said:
If u don't want to or can't run cables. U don't need to run cables. Just power the mesh router but only 1 hop and don't expect hd video streaming capabilities
Click to expand...

Okay, whats a mesh router? Any links to SA online stores which sell them. My search on Takealot brings up nothing
 
Takealot won't sell them. Its not realIy consumer grade equipment. It's an 'intelligent' router that will extend wifi to places you can't cable with much better reliability and control. U can also use 2 wireless radios like ubiquiti pico's as wds repeaters which will be easier to find/buy. As long as it's the same make/brand as wds does not have standards so mixing and matching brands could also cause problems
 
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