Wifi Extender

ChadKay

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 14, 2013
Messages
157
Reaction score
2
Location
Johannesburg
Hi guys,
I just moved houses and i'm having a bit of problem extending the wifi.
Basically when we renovated the builders cut some of the existing Telkom wires so we had to run a new cable, we only found this out 2 weeks before we moved and decided to run it into one room because we'll hopefully be getting fibre within 6-12months time.
We ran it from outside into our studio, we've got a Netgear WLS range extender from our previous home and brought it with us. Now the main router is on the one side of the house, downstairs. I have put the extender just outside that room and i'm getting weak signal upstairs in the bedroom at the other end of the house.
What is the best solution to extend the wifi across the house both upstairs and downstairs?
Would running another wifi-extender be of any use if I connect it to the other wifi-extender? Or will speeds still be weak?
The main router is a Zyxel router which we used for VDSL at our old premises.
Any help will be greatly appreciated, thanks in advnce.
 
Your first problem is your Zyxel router. Sorry, but I've had FAR too many issues with Zyxel products.

I fact, every single Zyxel product I've ever bought, I've returned to the merchant I purchased it from. It's a really bad brand IMHO.

That being said, it could be that your router or range extender got hurt during your renovations / moving of houses.

I personally run 2 range extenders in my house because of the size of it.

My router is in my living room.
My first range extender is about a room-and-a-half away from the router and connects directly to it.
My second range extender is on the opposite side of the house and it gets its signal from my first range extender. The signal on the second range extender is usually on bar 3 of 4 and I always get full speed when connecting to either device.

I'd start by troubleshooting my devices :)

Hope this helps. Good luck
 
Can your ranger extender use a Ethernet cable for back haul? Perhaps move the extender to an area upstairs and ran a cable from the extender down to the router. You would then have full speed via the cable for connectivity and the extender should be able to service your upstairs area.

Keep in mind that if you want to just purchase another wfi extender that creating a daisy chain of extenders that will be passing data up and down to the router will impact the speed of the service.
 
@GrammatonCleric, I don't question your experience with the Zyxel, but a client had the modem for about two years without having a problem, only the WiFi switches off occasionally. @ChadKay, I installed a powerline network in a guesthouse with 16 rooms, both up and downstairs and it works very well. In addition, I also added a booster antenna on the second floor that provides a very good signal to the garden outside, up to 100m. The first of the two extenders is installed on a mid-staircase windowsill, covering the outside rooms in the back of the stand. The other extender is encased under the roof on the other side of the house, with a 50m cable running to the nearest power point. I haven't tested the internal network speed, since the main purpose of the network is to deliver Internet connectivity. I suggest that you use a powerline extender instead of a wifi extender, which should work much better in your case. I used this TP-Link kit
 
Extend home WiFi coverage

I have read the posts in this thread, but am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I don't understand most of the content

I need to extend my current wi-fi signal range.

My ADSL router (Mecer) is in my study, which is at one end of our large, single-level house, and all our mobile devices (2 x Android phones plus 2 x Android Tablets) connect to the Wifi perfectly in the study, and also in the adjacent lounge.

My wi-fi connectivity problems are in the bedrooms, which are at the opposite end of our home to the study, and the wi-fi signal is a bit weak.

Running cabling is not an option for us, so I would like to try one of the many available wi-fi boosters / repeaters, to up the wifi signal strength in the bedroom areas.
But which wifi booster / repeater would be the best to buy?

I would prefer not to use the solution of "powerline adaptors" as I have no clue about what power outlet is connected to which circuit breaker (the CB's are located in an outside storeroom attached to my garage)

Any input / advise would be welcomed by this non-Tech-Head guy with poor wi-fi signal.
 
@atomcrusher All the power line adaptors do is send data through the coper power lines in the house, they work fine unless you are in an old building. Both TP-Link and Netgear make wifi extenders and are normally pretty simple to set up. You could also change the wifi aerial on your ADSL router with a bigger one to through the signal further, that is if your model allows you to remove the aerial.
 
I have read the posts in this thread, but am somewhat embarrassed to admit that I don't understand most of the content

I need to extend my current wi-fi signal range.

My ADSL router (Mecer) is in my study, which is at one end of our large, single-level house, and all our mobile devices (2 x Android phones plus 2 x Android Tablets) connect to the Wifi perfectly in the study, and also in the adjacent lounge.

My wi-fi connectivity problems are in the bedrooms, which are at the opposite end of our home to the study, and the wi-fi signal is a bit weak.

Running cabling is not an option for us, so I would like to try one of the many available wi-fi boosters / repeaters, to up the wifi signal strength in the bedroom areas.
But which wifi booster / repeater would be the best to buy?

I would prefer not to use the solution of "powerline adaptors" as I have no clue about what power outlet is connected to which circuit breaker (the CB's are located in an outside storeroom attached to my garage)

Any input / advise would be welcomed by this non-Tech-Head guy with poor wi-fi signal.

I had the same issue as you OP. Got me one of these. Issue sorted.
http://www.bidorbuy.co.za/item/228634953/TPLINK_AC750_WIFI_RANGE_EXTENDER_PLUG.html
 
Thanks for the help guys, ended up buying a TP link power line adapter and a toto link n300r router to supply wifi at the other end of the house where the one TP link is since the power line adapter I bought is not wireless.
Works perfectly and speeds are the same as my main router downstairs.
 
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X