Wifi repeater/range extender

[scudsucker]

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.

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

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.

How do you amplify a digital signal?

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

 

[Alton Turner Blackwood]

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.

Well, your wife pretty much disqualified all your options

 

[SauRoNZA]

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.

You say that now...but in a few years you'll cry about it and wish you had just done it when you had the chance.

 

[Luke7777]

How hot does your ceiling area get? Most equipment shouldn't operate in that kind of heat environment.
I also wouldn't put equipment that can burn (PSU especially) in the ceiling area.

This ^^^ . Also had a power point installed in my tiled roof , just in case .. Tried running an extender in there... thing got so hot I thought it would melt

 

[Luke7777]

You say that now...but in a few years you'll cry about it and wish you had just done it when you had the chance.

There is no such thing as overkill when it comes to inhouse connectivity

 

[Willie Trombone]

You say that now...but in a few years you'll cry about it and wish you had just done it when you had the chance.

Yeah, IMO there's nothing worse than having to do and redo a job in a few years time.

 

[Willie Trombone]

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 the worst option if you have to go range extender and don't mind opening up your home to the rest of the world

TP-Link AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Range Extender

Item: TP-Link AC1750 Dual Band Wireless Range Extender Age: , 7.5 months Price: R1250.00 Warranty: 4.5 Months Packaging: Brand New Sealed Unit Condition: Brand new unit swapped out by TP-Link distributor Corex Location: Killarney - Johannesburg Reason: Don't need it anymore. Shipping: Yes, add...

mybroadband.co.za

Not kidding by the way. TP Link stuff is not known for it's security.

 

[momo786]

I had the same dilemma - also oldish wiring and a newer extension, so wasn't too sure how it would work..

Managed to find a D-Link Powerline for about R500 at Incredibles, so gave it a try. Works well and no reduction in speeds. I did move it around a bit - some plug points and multiplugs were slower. Current setup is with the wifi router / adapter in the newer section, and the Powerline point in the older section of the house.
The only "negative" is that the Powerline has a new network name - sometimes I have to manually connect to the new network. But otherwise it has proved to be a cost effective solution.

My next upgrade will be a mesh system though.

 

[scudsucker]

My next upgrade will be a mesh system though.

I wish!

I think I will try the power line solution, and hide the wall wart under the table on my side of the bed. I am a little nervous that it will be killed by a power surge with loadshedding, but that's the risk with any of these solutions.

Thanks all

 

[momo786]

I got the Powerline AV500 kit, but think there is a newer model. Also very easy to set up. I created the new network with the same name but just added "Ext" at the end and used the same password.

I didn't see much of a difference using surge protectors. What affected the speeds more was plugging it into a multiplug with other things connected. So currently I have a double wall socket - the adaptor is in the one socket and the multiplug with router, fiber ONT, etc is in the other - seems to be the setup with minimal impact on speeds.

The extender is a bit bulky. Was initially in the passage but luckily there was a power point behind one couch, so out of sight now.