I got very excited when the powerline adaptors I'd bought to increase the coverage of the wifi in our thick walled cottage arrived. Soon after I'd plugged them in I realised I'd messed up and bought adaptors that I could cable out of, but which weren't in themselves giving off a new wifi signal.
I spent Friday night trying to make an old BT router work as a slave router. Despite following a couple of online article, my technical skills weren't up to it.
What should I have bought? Anything particularly recommended?
You won't get a BT router to work as an access point.
You need to plug a wireless access point into the power line, look on amazon.
I've got several whatever Netgear access point was current at the time, most 5y+ old and faultless.
I tried a cheap TP link and it was bobbins. I'd go net gear.
Edimax get good reviews too.
something like [url= http://www.ctc.org.uk/cyclists-library/components/transmission-gears/derailleur-gears/shimergo ]this[/url] - or posher versions if you want potentially faster transfer (I doubt you do for wifi but I'm no expert)
(I use solwise wired ones and had v few problems and that seller is pretty cheap and been quick to deliver when I've used them)
Ive used a few brands and they havent all been perfect.
So I recently went for the BT branded ones. They seem just a bit more reliable although they do seem to take a few seconds longer to reconnect with the laptop waking from sleep. Good solid speed and connection though.
Quick tip though, if you want to set the SSID to the same as your main wifi router (and of course give it a different channel number) then you need to log in to the device by addressing it's IP address. But that means going through sequential addresses until you find it. There is an application BT produce to do it for you, but its hard to find on their website. PM me if you go for BT and I can send you the sofwtare
err, that link of mine should've been [url= http://www.faculty-x.net/PLV-200AV-PEWN_MK2%20Homeplugkit.htm ]this[/url] 😳
OP you should have bought slightly different Powerline kit, the cheaper ones (£25) provide an ethernet connection in the new room. To get Wifi you need the more expensive kits (£75) which have the same unit at the BT router end but a fresh wifi point at the far end (which will have a new network name). You could try and switch with the retailer?
This is the sort you need, you'll see the BT router end is the simple plug and the Wifi unit is the larger one
[url= http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=2244&model=TL-WPA281KIT ]link[/url]
You won't get a BT router to work as an access point
True for the newer black hubs, but possible with the old white ones (WEP only though)...
[url= http://www.filesaveas.com/jarviser/repeaterhubs.html ]How to[/url]
I recently got these:
TP-Link TL-WPA4226KIT AV500 Powerline 300M Wi-Fi Extender/Wi-Fi Booster/Hotspot with AC Pass Through, Two Ethernet Ports, Starter Kit/Twin Pack
[url= http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00LIZ0HPO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ]TP Powerline Link[/url]
Works really well im garage which is 15M from the house.
Thanks all. Now I have to make a choice!
.You won't get a BT router to work as an access point
I have BT Homehub2 acting as access point to my Homehub4 - lots of articles online to show you how.
I tried 3rd party wifi extenders but they mostly create a new wifi network (even if it has the same name as the existing) which is an utter PITA as your device may well not smoothly change networks as you move about the house.
I eventually ditched the whole lot, switched off the wifi on my Netgear router (so it was just a modem) and bought 2 Apple Airport Extremes [£50 each] to handle all the wifi.
This now works perfectly as the AE work together to create a single large network with no device issues.