boosting or repeating signal range

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superman

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#35538 11-Jun-2009 15:56

hiya, got wifi - router is upstairs, antenna in a position so it radiates downwards as well, having trouble with a weak/dropping signal downstairs.

router is telecom issued thomson tg585v7

wondering if a bigger antenna(easy?) or repeater downstairs(little harder?) would do the trick.

had a look on trademe for antennae(omnidirectional?) - "300% this 300% that" then read their feedback and people are giving red/blue/sometimes happy faces and saying it boosted their signal by only 10% - or two metres - or not at all.

thanks all.

richms

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#224095 11-Jun-2009 17:33

Because people dont understand antenna radiation patterns, and also seem to think that signal directly converts into the little meter in windows and the speed you will get.

Get a wire thru and another accesspoint downstairs if you can. Anywhere should be ok - there is a lot to go thru between upstairs and downstairs on an angle, so even another AP directly below the router should make a major difference. There are heaps on trademe.

Richard rich.ms

superman

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#224161 11-Jun-2009 22:00

hi, speed isn't what i'm after, just a stable connection. wiring isn't an option. AP = ?

richms

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#224175 11-Jun-2009 22:22

access point.

If you want reliable, you need a cable since there is nothing you can do when a neighbour starts to use the same channel, or turns on the wide channel mode on their 802.11n accesspoint which will crap all over your signal if it is so weak it barely works.

Is the house made of concrete or something?

Richard rich.ms

superman

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#224189 11-Jun-2009 23:22

hiya.

it's an old two storey house, has to go through a pretty thick floor and probably a wall sometimes. doubt there's much inteference, i'm in thames township. it works fine upstairs, just downstairs is a problem.

thanks :(

rscole86

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#224190 11-Jun-2009 23:31

If it is a very old house, is there still copper piping in there? that will not be helping you ar all. If you can afford wireless in Thames, im sure your neighbour can ;)
TBH wiring is your best option. Have you considered any wardrobes that are above/below eachother? That way you can run a cable between floors without too much effort or mess.

superman

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#224368 12-Jun-2009 14:32

no way at all i can do this wirelessly? the setup of this strange house makes the logistics of wiring to downstairs a nightmare.

richms

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#224402 12-Jun-2009 15:53

You can set lots of accesspoints up to act as a repeater, but that makes the thruput less then half what it would be without a repeater - look for WDS mode, and it may not be compatible with your current wireless router so may not even be a viable option.

If you can cable to a second accesspoint closer to where you need signal then that will not have a reduction in performance that a wireless repeater has. But you may still have problems with the client computer bouncing between the 2 available signals unless you give them different names.

Richard rich.ms

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rscole86

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#224408 12-Jun-2009 16:12

You can still not it wirelessly, but we still recommend that your best option is to have a wire going downstairs so you can have an AP down there. Really, without seeing the house there is only so much advise people can give.

garvani

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#224422 12-Jun-2009 16:50

One option would be this Netcomm np295 Ethernet over power.. This will get your connection downstairs past your floorboards etc, and then create a wireless network for any laptops etc down there.. They work well and are easy to setup, are somewat pricey though. You could also just get two wired units which will also solve the problem. I have 6 netcomm ethernet over power adapters running where i live, one being a wireless unit. For what they do they are awesome, connection speed is a non issue before anyone chips in about it. Rock solid over the last 3 years they have been in.

richms

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#224453 12-Jun-2009 18:58

I have been told by someone who worked on them that the reason I see crap performance on the ethernet over powerlines here is that every circuit is an RCD - on installs without them or with them grouped together on one or 2 RCD's then the perfromance should be ok, also surge protectors eat the signal and I probably have about 30 4 way powerstrips with a surge protector in them thruout the house, so just because I and some people find them pretty average, get a set from a place with a return policy and see how they go, and if they are ok I leave the ethics of returning and getting another set from a cheaper place online as an exercise for you to work out.

Richard rich.ms