Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)
  • can I plug in a second router in my house to boost the WiFi signal?
  • Lesanita2
    Free Member

    I’ll need to get it in a second telephone point put in, but that’s okay if it means we can have it better coverage of wifi in the house. We already have 1 of those things you plug in to the 240 volt ring man in the house but we can only use 1 of them

    I’ve just changed broadband providers from orange to talk talk so I’ve just received a second router in the posttoday.

    any ideas?

    woody2000
    Full Member

    If one of the routers can be used in “repeater” mode, then you can stick it wherever you like (as long as it can pick up the existing wi-fi network) and it will act as wireless extender. No need for a second line etc

    I use one of these for just that purpose

    bigyinn
    Free Member

    You’d need to turn off various bits of functionality and turn DHCP off at least. Theres probably more stuff you’ll need to do which is probably more of a ball aches than its worth.

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    RooleyMoor
    Free Member

    you could try one of these?

    dave_rudabar
    Free Member

    I use 2 routers, on the same power wiring ring in my place.
    One is the master broadband one, with an ethernet powerline connected to it.
    The other powerline is connected to the 2nd router (an old DLink talk-talk one), which has been given a static IP address and has DHCP turned off.
    This works brill!

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    I bought a second edimax router and configured to just be a wireless access point – connected to the network with a cable though. If you give it the same SID then your devices will just connect to which ever has the strongest signal.
    Usually best to give the second router a fixed IP (one that you remember / write down) so that you can still get to the conifguration screen as it won’t have the default one anymore once you set it up as a WAP.

    Lesanita2
    Free Member

    Thanks all. 3 fab bits of advice at least. I owe you a pint.

    Woody2000 – that’s a wifi booster is it. It picks up a wifi signal and boosts it.

    RooleyMoor – can i just plug that in to the 240v circuit to send wifi in that area and continue using my comtrend 240v thing (that I plug a LAN wire into for this PC in a remote part of teh house). Or will I need to get a compatible 240v thingy to get a compatible signal into the 240v circuit.

    samunderwood – 3 aerials! is it safe! could I do that with this new router if it has the settings?

    ti_pin_man
    Free Member

    i use powerline repeaters as I found the second router set in a repeat mode kept being flaky.

    Cougar
    Full Member

    Incidentally, you said:

    I’ll need to get it in a second telephone point put in

    I might be misreading this, but you don’t need a second phone point to install a second router. The broadband gets to it via your network rather than over the phone line.

    messiah
    Free Member

    I’ve got a BT home hub set to repeat plugged into a powerline adapter… I had all the above stuff kicking about from BT upgrades and a quick google showed me how to set it up this way.

    sam_underhill
    Full Member

    3 aerials! is it safe! could I do that with this new router if it has the settings

    Safe? I really don’t know. Buy my main router has 3 even bigger aerials! For a cheap router, the performance seems pretty damn good (ie, I get good wireless coverage / throughput with it and I’ve never had to reboot it in > 6 months). The UI is a bit crappy, but as you don’t use it very often it does the job.

    Mounty_73
    Full Member

    I have BB in the most awkward of rooms using a router which is connected to an ethernet adaptor.

    Then using an ethernet adaptor in another room which plugs in to another router which gives me wireless, switching off DHCP etc.

    Works great and never have any problems with connectivity or speeds.

    supersessions9-2
    Free Member

    Sorry for the Hijack, I need to do something similar sounding to above.

    I have an extension room where I have a weak wireless signal – not enough for the fancy TV to pick up to stream Iplayer. How can I boost this signal or get the tv connected. Don’t want to run a phone line into the extension (not very viable).

    Can I do this without spending a fortune? and can someone explain this without using techy acronyms which I don’t understand?

    cheers!

    robdixon
    Free Member

    these Huawei wifi repeaters work pretty well – about £30:

    web link to wifi router

    gravity-slave
    Free Member

    My Dad has a similar problem and ordered something like this:

    http://www.tp-link.com/en/products/details/?categoryid=2244&model=TL-WPA281KIT

    Plug one in to the wall (not an extension) near the router and connect them with a cable.

    Plug the other in to the wall where you need to boost the signal and use WiFi or a cable (or both).

    If you set up the WiFi bit on the same SSID and password as the main router, the connection should be seamless.

    Hope it works as I’ve just ordered one too.

    andyl
    Free Member

    Supersession: the easiest way would be to pick up a mains network kit.

    Like this: http://www.ebuyer.com/322016-tp-link-wpa281-200mbps-wireless-n-powerline-extender-wpa281?utm_source=google&utm_medium=products

    you plug an ethernet one into the socket next to your router connected to the router with a cable and then plug a wifi one into a socket where you want the network extended to.

    You can get other things like wifi repeaters or like the OP wants to do run an ethernet cable to a 2nd router with the DHCP turned off and use it as an access point. I do the latter with an old Netgear router plugged into a BT home hub.

    clubber
    Free Member

    There are loads of Wifi repeaters or APs (Access Points) – mine was £30 and plugs into nothing except the mains for power. It’s very easy to connect up.

    Lesanita2
    Free Member

    so…. robdixon, it looks like yours is the best option. I didn’t realise boosting a wifi signal was possible.

    I’ll have a QUICK GOOGLE SEARCH TO see if my existing Belkin F5D8633-4 n-wIRELESS router can be set to become a repeater. That is sure to end in misery. Any tips appreciated. I got left behind at the zx spectrum 48k!

    Everyday is a schoolday!

    Thanks all.

    sadexpunk
    Full Member

    bit of a thread resurrection, found it googling for advice…..

    moved house and are receiving b/b from a bt router. unfortunately it doesnt reach all parts of the house, so want to try and boost it. connecting with a cable isnt possible, so id like to receive the signal wirelessly to boost it.
    ive got an old edimax ‘wireless-G broadband router’ and also for the moment, a virgin media superhub (until they ask for it back maybe).
    is it possible to achieve my goal with either of these bits of kit? can one of them be plugged in upstairs and just receive the signal and boost it on?

    thanks for any advice

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    Our system:
    Switch off the wifi on the BT router, get an Apple Airport Extreme to do the main wifi and then you can extend the wifi seamlessly with one or more airport express units.
    It’s a single click setup and gives you a single SSID throughout the house and also allows your to plug stereos in the airport express for wireless streaming as well as wireless printing to USB printers and if you plug one or more USB drives into the AirPort Extreme they become a NAS.

    johndoh
    Free Member

    I’ve just changed to Virgin and got one of their dual frequency super hubs – gone from dropping connections as little as 10ft away in another room (Sky router) to great coverage everywhere in the house and garden.

    tonyg2003
    Full Member

    Strangely I was just reading a review for extending my wifi and came across this thread. The review strongly recommended the best way to extend your wifi range was to use mains electrical wifi adapters and I’m looking to buy Trendnet 500Mbps Nano Powerline Ethernet Adapter.

    bigdean
    Full Member

    Boosted our wifi signal using the windsurfer template. Looks completley daft but works

    sadexpunk
    Full Member

    thanks chaps. i spose the favourite out of the above would be the mains adapter booster, but theyre £20 or £30. really im just after knowing if i can use equipment ive already got lying around.

    anyone know if either of the above can be configured wirelessly to boost it?

    thanks 🙂

    weeksy
    Full Member

    Thanks to all for the thread. Most useful.

    sharkbait
    Free Member

    The review strongly recommended the best way to extend your wifi range was to use mains electrical wifi adapters and I’m looking to buy Trendnet 500Mbps Nano Powerline Ethernet Adapter.

    Tony as far as I can tell that is a standard powerline ethernet solution that you connect devices to via ethernet cable – it’s not going to extend your wireless signal.
    You can get wireless powerline adapters but they usually create a new wireless network, which means that as you move around the house your device has to disconnect from one network and connect to the other. Even if you give both networks the same SSID and password a lot of devices do not seamlessly change networks (iPads/iPhones for example). This means that you still have to change networks manually sometimes. I started off with this system and fairly quickly got fed up with it and went down the Apple Extreme and Airport Express route which really does work seamlessly and give you a number of other useful functions.
    Costs more though (I paid £50 for the Airport Extreme and you can get v1 Airport Express for about £25-£30).

    If you set up the WiFi bit on the same SSID and password as the main router, the connection should might be seamless (but don’t hold your breath).

    FTFY

Viewing 27 posts - 1 through 27 (of 27 total)

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