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Author Topic: WiFi Extenders  (Read 3521 times)
Saxondale

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« on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 14:29:34 »

Ello wise ones.

Just bought the youngest a smart TV for her room so we never  have to see her again.  Unfortunately the WIFI in her room is a bit weak.  Any recommendations of links / extenders for the wifi that I could plug into the back of the router or some such?

Dont want to spend a fortune.
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horlock07

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« Reply #1 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 14:39:32 »

Ello wise ones.

Just bought the youngest a smart TV for her room so we never  have to see her again.  Unfortunately the WIFI in her room is a bit weak.  Any recommendations of links / extenders for the wifi that I could plug into the back of the router or some such?

Dont want to spend a fortune.

There are many more IT savvy on here than me.

However on this subject we tried many options as my office is at the botom of the garden and whilst we initially buried a CAT5 cable in a duct a power surge of the mains cable in the same duct killed that!

We tried one of the cheaper ones you can get off Amazon and it didn't really work, but as e are with BT coincidentally they contacted me at the same time and offered an upgrade to Complete Wi Fi with an extender for the same price I was already paying so we went with that and its worked fine.

However I also run a VOIP phone in the office and thus needed something to plug the phone it at the other end so our IT guy suggested this https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=tp+link+deco+m5+2+pack&crid=368B6UHP5C061&sprefix=deco+tp-link+2%2Caps%2C173&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_14 has worked a treat so far, easy to set up.
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pauld
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« Reply #2 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 15:14:03 »

There are many more IT savvy on here than me.

However on this subject we tried many options as my office is at the botom of the garden and whilst we initially buried a CAT5 cable in a duct a power surge of the mains cable in the same duct killed that!

We tried one of the cheaper ones you can get off Amazon and it didn't really work, but as e are with BT coincidentally they contacted me at the same time and offered an upgrade to Complete Wi Fi with an extender for the same price I was already paying so we went with that and its worked fine.

However I also run a VOIP phone in the office and thus needed something to plug the phone it at the other end so our IT guy suggested this https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=tp+link+deco+m5+2+pack&crid=368B6UHP5C061&sprefix=deco+tp-link+2%2Caps%2C173&ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_14 has worked a treat so far, easy to set up.
I've been looking at a Mesh system. We used to use extenders but after experiments with various makes/models they all proved so ropey, we switched instead to using Powerline ethernet and then pulling an ethernet cable into an extender configured as an access point (i.e. the AP gets it's connection via Powerline ethernet effectively). That is more stable but still seems to require re-jigging every couple of weeks, which involves me running up and down stairs trying to get the damn things to resync. Not quite got to the stage where I've sufficiently lost patience with it to justify spending 100+quid on a mesh system, but very close. So for future reference, if you get the one with two thingies, do you plug one thingie in next to your router then have one where you need the extra coverage? Or do they both act as extenders from the base WIFI?
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donkey
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« Reply #3 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 15:31:17 »

Yes, it's an extender!
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horlock07

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« Reply #4 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 15:38:50 »

I've been looking at a Mesh system. We used to use extenders but after experiments with various makes/models they all proved so ropey, we switched instead to using Powerline ethernet and then pulling an ethernet cable into an extender configured as an access point (i.e. the AP gets it's connection via Powerline ethernet effectively). That is more stable but still seems to require re-jigging every couple of weeks, which involves me running up and down stairs trying to get the damn things to resync. Not quite got to the stage where I've sufficiently lost patience with it to justify spending 100+quid on a mesh system, but very close. So for future reference, if you get the one with two thingies, do you plug one thingie in next to your router then have one where you need the extra coverage? Or do they both act as extenders from the base WIFI?

When we had the house rewired when we bought it we also got the sparky to run cat5 cables from behind where the router sits to certain rooms where we thought we might need it for TV's etc.

So basically one of the thingy's is hard wired to the router through cabling in the house, with a short cat 5 plugged into the socket in the bedroom (as that is the room physically nearest the office) and sits on the bedroom window cill (they also need their own power source).

The other one sits up here on my desk in the office (again has to be plugged into power socket), connecting to the other via wi-fi, in addition my laptop connects to it here via wi-fi (signal is good enough for zoom teams etc, albeit goes a little shit if I have things like google earth running at the same time) whilst the socket in the bottom of the thingy has a short cat5 which is plugged into the phone. It also means that we have Wi-fi throughout the garden which is handy occasionally.

All sets up via an app on your phone, I am a complete luddite and I managed it.

I used Powerlines for a bit when the hard wiring packed up but they were pretty unreliable (and obvs the phone wouldn't work), I would have stuck with the BT Complete thingy as the signal with the extender you get with that was fine up here, the problem was I needed something to plug the phone into and the Deco thingy provided that capability.
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Nomoreheroes
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« Reply #5 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 15:48:01 »

Ring main adapters - Better than wifi extenders for me. Something like this:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-PA4010KIT-Powerline-Configuration-Required-UK/dp/B01BECPIMC/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=ring+main+internet+adapter&qid=1594051257&sr=8-6
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Saxondale

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« Reply #6 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 15:58:12 »

Thanks All.

So I have a TP link extender for the TV into the front room, are we saying we could probably do the same thing for the wifi  I.E - plug in a link a to the broadband router the broadband end, which should attach to another unit plugged in upstairs giving me what I need.

I really am hopeless at any form of networking.
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« Reply #7 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 17:39:49 »

Don't forget wifi extenders only broadcast the signal it can get where it is plugged in. So, if you plug it in upstairs, and it is only 1 bar then the extender will only broadcast 1 bar.
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Nomoreheroes
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« Reply #8 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 17:44:29 »

Thanks All.

So I have a TP link extender for the TV into the front room, are we saying we could probably do the same thing for the wifi  I.E - plug in a link a to the broadband router the broadband end, which should attach to another unit plugged in upstairs giving me what I need.

I really am hopeless at any form of networking.
Do you have a wire coming out of your modem into the to link thing that plugs into the wall, then another TP Link in the wall next to your TV that has a wire coming out of it and going into the TV? If so, get another TP Link thing like the one next to the TV. Put that in the room you want with a wire out of it going to what you want.
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STFC_Manc

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« Reply #9 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 18:17:41 »

I've got the bt whole home, which is a mesh and it is worth every penny.  2 units gives me a WiFi signal thoughout the house and the whole of the garden.
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Saxondale

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« Reply #10 on: Monday, July 6, 2020, 19:33:01 »

Do you have a wire coming out of your modem into the to link thing that plugs into the wall, then another TP Link in the wall next to your TV that has a wire coming out of it and going into the TV? If so, get another TP Link thing like the one next to the TV. Put that in the room you want with a wire out of it going to what you want.
Thanks NMH.  Think Ive got it sorted.  Or I will on Wednesday.  Ill let you know!
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