Wifi repeater/range extender

scudsucker

scudsucker

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I have a Victorian era house with extremely thick walls. The fibre connection goes to the lounge where the D-Link router does a fine job of supplying wifi to the back of the house, which we gutted and made open plan.

But connectivity in the front is poor, due to the thick walls, and that includes my bedroom - and crucially, the en-suite. I have to use 4G when I am attending to my morning poo.

I have downloaded an app which tells me the wifi connectivity in my roof is 93%. That point is close enough to my bedroom and the loo, so should solve the problem. I also have an electrical power point in the roof.

I'd ideally like something that can extend the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands that my router supplies, and preferably the same network username/password so I don't need to swap wifi connections (I assume this is a standard feature...?)

Looking online, prices range from R300 to R1500. I have no idea how to compare them or even if they meet my needs. What is the best option?
 
Not an expert on Wi-Fi extenders but I have this for a couple of years now

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Should serve your needs
Although it was like less than half the price when I got one.

Good luck
 
scudsucker said:
I have a Victorian era house with extremely thick walls. The fibre connection goes to the lounge where the D-Link router does a fine job of supplying wifi to the back of the house, which we gutted and made open plan.

But connectivity in the front is poor, due to the thick walls, and that includes my bedroom - and crucially, the en-suite. I have to use 4G when I am attending to my morning poo.

I have downloaded an app which tells me the wifi connectivity in my roof is 93%. That point is close enough to my bedroom and the loo, so should solve the problem. I also have an electrical power point in the roof.

I'd ideally like something that can extend the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands that my router supplies, and preferably the same network username/password so I don't need to swap wifi connections (I assume this is a standard feature...?)

Looking online, prices range from R300 to R1500. I have no idea how to compare them or even if they meet my needs. What is the best option?
Click to expand...
personally not a fan of wireless repeaters, rather run cables and connect access points (routers in AP mode) or get power line extenders
 
scudsucker said:
I'd ideally like something that can extend the 2.4Ghz or 5Ghz bands
Click to expand...
That's Wireless AC category.
IssiAmd said:
Not an expert on Wi-Fi extenders but I have this for a couple of years now

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South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
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Should serve your needs
Click to expand...
That's Wireless N category.

If you buy an AP device that is Wireless AC certified, you get more value for money.

Likewise, if you buy a device that is Wireless AC 1250 certified as opposed to one that is Wireless AC 750 certified, you get more amplification.

Many of the AP's that are certified for Wireless AC 1250 (and above) sell for less than R1500, which would put it within your specified budget.
 
isie said:
personally not a fan of wireless repeaters, rather run cables and connect access points (routers in AP mode) or get power line extenders
Click to expand...
I could do but...

- run cable: wife says no, unless it is buried in the wall. This would be my preferred solution, because I have at least basic knowledge of routers
- power line extenders: it is an old house, the electricals are extremely dodgy (despite CoC when we moved in, there are several issues). Also... my wife says they are ugly.

It's not like I need the best connectivity in the world to post on MyBB while I poo anyway.
 
"D" said:
If you buy an AP device that is Wireless AC certified, you get more value for money.

Likewise, if you buy a device that is Wireless AC 1250 certified as opposed to one that is Wireless AC 750 certified, you get more amplification.

Many of the AP's that are certified for Wireless AC 1250 (and above) sell for less than R1500, which would put it within your specified budget.
Click to expand...
Ok, this is what I need to know. Thanks very much.

Do you have any suggestions for a device I can get online in SA?
 
scudsucker said:
I could do but...

- run cable: wife says no, unless it is buried in the wall. This would be my preferred solution, because I have at least basic knowledge of routers
- power line extenders: it is an old house, the electricals are extremely dodgy (despite CoC when we moved in, there are several issues). Also... my wife says they are ugly.

It's not like I need the best connectivity in the world to post on MyBB while I poo anyway.
Click to expand...
Ugly? they look the same as repeaters?
a little over weight repeater but tell her dont be a judgemental :)
if i were you i would get em from takealot, if they dont work just send em back they will take it, and go back to regular repeater
 
isie said:
Ugly? they look the same as repeaters?
a little over weight repeater but tell her dont be a judgemental :)
if i were you i would get em from takealot, if they dont work just send em back they will take it, and go back to regular repeater
Click to expand...
It is going into the roof, she'll never see it!
 
I dont know. It gets hot, of course, hotter than the house does but I've never tested the temperature.

The space between roof and ceiling is huge, easily over 2m at its highest and covering the whole house. I would not store wine up there but I think standard equipment would be OK.

The fire risk is something I had not thought about.
 
Daruk said:
2.4 is better for range, 5 is faster. 750 Vs 1200 Vs 1900 and higher AC routers refer to the bandwidth, not amplification.
Click to expand...
But it concerns both the bandwidth and the amplification.

I was referring to the increased number of radios built into the AC1200 (and better) devices. Also, some of these devices are supplied with 5dB antennas instead of 3dB antennas. (Some devices even have detachable antenna options.)

Also, another problematic limitation with the sub-AC1000 certified devices is the following.

WiFi AC models can be also categorized according to the number of frequency bands they support. Here are some examples below:

  • Models up to AC1000 : They use 1 band at 2.4Ghz frequency.
  • Models up to AC2900: They use 2 bands usually (one at 2.4Ghz and one at 5Ghz).
  • Models of AC3000 and above: They use 3 bands (one at 2.4Ghz and two at 5Ghz).
Click to expand...
 
Nein.

Don’t waste your money on what is ultimately a compromised and half arsed solution.

Go buy yourself a couple of Ubiquiti Unifi Lites and decouple your wireless from your router and never get stuck in that loop again.

It’s also actually made to go in your roof so will be perfect for your application with no need to leave a power brick in the roof since it’s all PoE.

You can also easily extend it in future are required.
 
Last edited:
"D" said:
Likewise, if you buy a device that is Wireless AC 1250 certified as opposed to one that is Wireless AC 750 certified, you get more amplification.
.
Click to expand...

Amplification?

No they are all legally limited to the same signal strength.

What you get is wider/more channels and very rarely the full capacity of their wider bands and therefore rarely the performance.

Also on 5ghz that performance only ever really works in the very same room or maybe the next one over.

2.4ghz always wins on range, which is why you need as many AP’s as necessary for your coverage area if you want/need 5ghz and anything near the rated speeds.

Don’t fall for the marketing that bigger numbers are better, in reality they very rarely perform.
 
SauRoNZA said:
Amplification?

No they are all legally limited to the same signal strength.
Click to expand...
Add the numbers of radios as well as stronger antenna types to that and what do you get? Yep, you guessed it: An amplification. (Whether that should rather be called an amplification in cover range/density is the question that springs to mind - or perhaps there are other specific technical terms for it?)
SauRoNZA said:
Go buy yourself a couple of Ubiquiti Unifi Lites
Click to expand...
That is ideal ... but OP's budget is R1500 total.
 
"D" said:
Add the numbers of radios as well as stronger antenna types to that and what do you get? Yep, you guessed it: An amplification. (Whether that should rather be called an amplification in cover range/density is the question that springs to mind - or perhaps there are other specific technical terms for it?)
That is ideal ... but OP's budget is R1500 total.
Click to expand...

I’m sorry but I fear you have no idea what you are talking about.

Amplification isn’t a word that applies to wireless in any way shape or form.

More antennas don’t add more range. They can offer more reliability and a wider bandwidth but ultimately the moment you go past one the returns are really diminishing.

Antenna design is also far more important than peak output which is why all these little baby consumer things suck ass.

Also most of that punted speed is utterly pointless as it doesn’t happen in the real world but more so very little to almost no normal clients ever support it so why spend all the money on the fancy ultra ninja router only to never made use of it?

A reliable wireless network is far more important than one that has peak (marketed) speeds and almost never delivers which is why OP’s budget is wrong and will only see him spending much more down the line.

Pricing for the Lite is so silly right now you might as well just start here OP.

Takealot.com: Online Shopping | SA's leading online store

South Africa's leading online store. Fast, reliable delivery to your door. Many ways to pay. Shop anything you can imagine: TVs, laptops, cellphones, kitchen appliances, toys, books, beauty & more. Shop the mobile app anytime, anywhere.
www.takealot.com www.takealot.com
 
scudsucker said:
I could do but...

- run cable: wife says no, unless it is buried in the wall. This would be my preferred solution, because I have at least basic knowledge of routers
- power line extenders: it is an old house, the electricals are extremely dodgy (despite CoC when we moved in, there are several issues). Also... my wife says they are ugly.

It's not like I need the best connectivity in the world to post on MyBB while I poo anyway.
Click to expand...
Maybe sort out the wife first.
 
The bedroom & en suite are about 25 sq m in total

I don't need a commercial quality solution - Ubiquity is overkill. I just need better browsing. The "home office" at the back of the house is where I want speed and reliability and that is covered.
 
"D" said:
Add the numbers of radios as well as stronger antenna types to that and what do you get? Yep, you guessed it: An amplification. (Whether that should rather be called an amplification in cover range/density is the question that springs to mind - or perhaps there are other specific technical terms for it?)
That is ideal ... but OP's budget is R1500 total.
Click to expand...
How do you amplify a digital signal?

Use the correct terminology. You have to repeat the signal.
 
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