Jump to content

WiFi Boost


mrdave85

Recommended Posts

So I need to purchase something that will boost the wifi signal in my home, as the signal is pretty naff when you get upstairs, and we're moving to a bigger home soon and I'll probably need something in place there too. 

I've done a little bit of research and the staff at 2 different PC World's just directed me toward the most expensive option. 

Does anyone have any recommendations for what is good out there?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 28
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Do you know if your upstairs is on a different ring main to the downstairs? How big is your house?

I live in an old victorian terrace with thick brick walls and my router is in the cellar - I get a decent signal two floors above that. How old is your router?

Sorry for the questions

Link to comment
Share on other sites

There are two different types of wifi extender.  One type creates a repeater node, the other creates a mesh network similar to the sort you get in workplaces.  I have tried both.  Do not buy a repeater/booster/extender type of system. Performance is horribly slow and glitchy.

If you want a wifi solution, get a mesh router. 

Alternative may be a system that uses your house electrical cables to broadcast signal.  I haven't tried these type of systems. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, StivePesley said:

Do you know if your upstairs is on a different ring main to the downstairs? How big is your house?

At the minute a 2 bed semi new build - completed Jan 2017 - and moving to a 3 bed semi built circa 1975. I'm not sure about the rings.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I bought this recently

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-System-Coverage-Network-Satellite/dp/B01KVRRSNI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512398228&sr=8-3&keywords=netgear+orbi

It's not cheap but it's absolutely transformed our Wi-Fi coverage. We a fairly large 3 story house. One unit on the top floor, the other on the bottom. Strong coverage EVERYWHERE. All the deadspots are gone. The units also have 4 ethernet ports each which means you can connect non-mobile devices (TV, XBOX/PS4 etc) directly to the system. It has a dedicated channel for backhaul so is much faster than apparently similar alternatives.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

25 minutes ago, therealhantsram said:

Alternative may be a system that uses your house electrical cables to broadcast signal.  I haven't tried these type of systems. 

That's why I ask about the ring mains. I have used a Powerline adapter solution to get a connection into the back bedroom (which has wifi connection but was no good for my eldest lad trying to play online Xbox) that works brilliantly but you have to be on the same ring main otherwise the interference from the distribution board makes it too unreliable

Easy enough to check - have a look at your fuse box and see if there is a separate fuse for each area of the house. If you can't tell, just switch one off and work out which plugs stop working. What you're looking for is a plug socket near your router that is on the same circuit as a plug socket where you want the extender

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I use powerline adapters to get a cabled connection upstairs from the main router and then a cheap TPLink wifi nano router to boost the wifi signal - though powerline adapters won't necessarily work well (if at all) if you have separate power rings as Stive has intimated

EDIT - typical that he leaps in while I'm slowly typing my reply! :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Also - on the subject of Powerline adapters, do we not have at least one resident sparky on the forums?

I heard that powerline adapters were banned in the US but I was never quite sure why. Same reason why I never understood why the most powerful nation on earth have such wimpy 110 voltage on their mains

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Red Ram said:

I bought this recently

https://www.amazon.co.uk/NETGEAR-System-Coverage-Network-Satellite/dp/B01KVRRSNI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1512398228&sr=8-3&keywords=netgear+orbi

It's not cheap but it's absolutely transformed our Wi-Fi coverage. We a fairly large 3 story house. One unit on the top floor, the other on the bottom. Strong coverage EVERYWHERE. All the deadspots are gone. The units also have 4 ethernet ports each which means you can connect non-mobile devices (TV, XBOX/PS4 etc) directly to the system. It has a dedicated channel for backhaul so is much faster than apparently similar alternatives.

We got this one in the Summer.  Similarly fixed our problems... I can now watch Netflix in the living room without dropouts :) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Check if the extender works for 2G and 5G networks. Ours only does 2G, so while the signal is now all over the house (and garden - which is the main reason I got one), it's only on the slower network in a few places. Good enough for what we need though.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

1 hour ago, therealhantsram said:

We got this one in the Summer.  Similarly fixed our problems... I can now watch Netflix in the living room without dropouts :) 

Looked at that too. Gets very good reviews as does the Linksys one. I specifically wanted the 4 ethernet ports and the dedicated backhaul but depending on mrdave's requirements they're probably more or less equivalent

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Im no expert but i was having some issues awhile ago, so i downloaded an app which scanned what wifi channels were mostly in use by neighbours, and i altered mine to one less used. I saw a very good improvement in my wifi after that all across the house.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 months later...

I think I need an extender/booster, the router in the living room, and the wifi speed is slow in my attic, On my phone the wifi is either 3 or 2 bars on strength but the speed is slow, Downstairs the speed is over 100mb/s but the attic dips down to 1-7 mb/s. If I get an extender do I get one which is dual band but double the price? I won't be used for gaming maybe just streaming amazon prime video etc.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, Hucknall Ram said:

I think I need an extender/booster, the router in the living room, and the wifi speed is slow in my attic, On my phone the wifi is either 3 or 2 bars on strength but the speed is slow, Downstairs the speed is over 100mb/s but the attic dips down to 1-7 mb/s. If I get an extender do I get one which is dual band but double the price? I won't be used for gaming maybe just streaming amazon prime video etc.  

Have you considered powerline? I’ve found extenders and boosters very patchy in my experience. I prefer to use Powerline next to the router then the other plug wherever I want Ethernet output. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, Hucknall Ram said:

I think I need an extender/booster, the router in the living room, and the wifi speed is slow in my attic, On my phone the wifi is either 3 or 2 bars on strength but the speed is slow, Downstairs the speed is over 100mb/s but the attic dips down to 1-7 mb/s. If I get an extender do I get one which is dual band but double the price? I won't be used for gaming maybe just streaming amazon prime video etc.  

I would say so. I've got an extender for wifi access in the garden etc that's only 2G and while coverage is good, the speed is less than the 2G network direct from the hub.

For HD content via Amazon, you'll need about 10mbit minimum, I would say.

I'm about to buy a new dual band extender for this very reason, so I can share recordings between Virgin boxes in our bedroom & the living room without losing HD.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, ThePrisoner said:

Have you considered powerline? I’ve found extenders and boosters very patchy in my experience. I prefer to use Powerline next to the router then the other plug wherever I want Ethernet output. 

I don't really know a lot about them tbh. can the second adapter became a wifi signal from where it plugged in? or are these just for ethernet devices. Everything I want in the attic is connected via wifi

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...