I am trying to improve the wifi in my house. The house is about 110 feet long. The router is at one end, the farthest current computer is at the other. There is a weak signal and frequent drop offs at this computer. I currently have a very old linlsys router with a secondarily attached hi gain unidirectional antenna and a repeater about 80 feet away. What is the best current long distance router? Is the apple airport with repeaters a feasable solution? Any information will be most helpful. Daily users are getting testy do to the weak signal.
Have you looked into upgrading to an 802.11n router? The range is about double what a -b or -g router gives you.
I considered going that route. We have several computers and several laptops and most would need to have their current wifi cards replaced, which would be fairly costly. I am trying to work with just the antenna part of the problem.
Since the router is at one end of the house, why not put a directional antenna on it?
How tight is the pattern on the unidirectional antenna on the 2nd router? Could you use that antenna?
How about a directional antenna on the computer at the other end?
Dumb question, but is there any reason that you can’t move the router to the middle of the house?
I recently upgraded to a dual-band Netgear router, and while its G signal (2.4GHz) is noticeably stronger than that of the 802.11g router it replaced, I found the N signal (5GHz) to have considerably less range. It took some repositioning and reconfiguring for me to get a usable signal (router on top floor; laptops and Xbox one floor below). Not sure if the same applies for single-floor use.
arent most n routers backwards compatible (bgn)? i suppose you could have the older .11a equipment tho since you say its very old.
i think theres n routers that support a too tho
wouldnt you only need to exchange the card in the computer thats at the other end of the house if you get a n-router? wouldnt the other ones keep working?
Placing the router in the middle of the house would be a problem. Where it is now is a straight shot from where the cable comes in. To move it we would have to dig up the ceiling below. Also, while not the end of the world the router would then be in the living room, we prefer to have it in the study.
I have a uni-directional antenna on the router, a tall high gain antenna on the repeater.
The farthest computer is in the kitchen and is an iMAC. There is no external antenna so an additional antenna would be a problem.
For some reason I figured an n-router would be selectable to either n or a/b. Now that I think about it that would not make sense. It must transmit all three at once.
The router I bought does transmit N and G simultaneously; they have separate SSIDs and (if desired) different passphrases. It actually supports up to four SSIDs, as it’s possible to configure “guest” G and N networks (for visitors, etc.) to keep them separate from the home LAN and/or to apply greater restriction.
Is it possible to “gang” two routers? By which I mean, put a second router in the middle of the house and have it pick up and resend the signal from the first one.
I just got a new wireless N router and cards for our new place (did not want to fish cables through old walls at the moment). The signal is a little stronger than the old G, but not that big a difference. It is broadcasting in G and N right now but exclusive N doesnt seem to make much of a difference in signal strength.
Most routers can be used as a wireless repeater. Just get another router to extend the signal.
Also - can you run another cable all the way to the other end and put another router at that end too? Then the worst drop-off would be in the middle.
Also, look at what you are going through. If you are trying to make it through a filing cabinet, or a shelf full of solid books, rather than just air and gyprock walls, of course the signal will be blocked. This is why mounting on the ceiling is better - goes over a lot of the obstacles.
This is way off topic yet may be of interest.
I live on the 3rd floor of an apt complex. For a year and a half, I have piggy-backed (no value judgments here, I turn on my computer and I’m on) a local wifi network with a strong signal. Two days ago, still strong signal but all windows open to a blank page entitled Untitled. Neighbor across the has the same problem.
Hope springs eternal. This afternoon I tried again and got on.:eek:
I start to smile but in about 5 seconds a relentless siren begins to wail. I can mute it but I can see that I’m going to be doing videos on phones at the library.
So what can they be telling me I asked myself.
What I finally decided is that they were telling the parasites (I am sure I am not alone) that intruding on their bandwidth during business hrs was a nono.
Sure enough, at 5 after 5, I turned up here without a whistle in my ear. Nice folks.
My question, HTF do they do that?
Is anyone actually connecting to the repeater?
I’d recommend two Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 or Netgear WNR3500L. Install DD-WRT firmware, put the second router 60-70 feet away and run them as a WDS pair. Dump the unidirectional antenna.
An alternative is a pair of Powerline adapters with a WAP or router setup as WAP at the far end.