Wi-Fi Extender

Shunpike

Shunpike

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Have a 3 story home and a basement. Router is on the first floor. Need suggestions for a good Wi-Fi Extender. Anybody can make any suggestions? Since these are under $100 I am not too concerned with price. I need a strong device.

My internet service provider is Verizon FIOS and I have the 1 Gigabit plan. Thanks in advance for help :)
 
Buy really long ethernet cables. If you dont want to run them through the wall, ignore them until you don't see them on the ground anymore, or run them out the windows.

WiFi sucks
 
Shunpike said:
Have a 3 story home and a basement. Router is on the first floor. Need suggestions for a good Wi-Fi Extender. Anybody can make any suggestions? Since these are under $100 I am not too concerned with price. I need a strong device.

My internet service provider is Verizon FIOS and I have the 1 Gigabit plan. Thanks in advance for help :)
Click to expand...
Maybe try looking them up on Amazon and check the reviews? I don't know if they even sell them there, but that's about the best I can come up with, short of buying a Consumer's Digest subscription.
 
Runwildboys said:
Maybe try looking them up on Amazon and check the reviews? I don't know if they even sell them there, but that's about the best I can come up with, short of buying a Consumer's Digest subscription.
Click to expand...
I did. Spent a lot of time researching it but some of the Amazon reviews are fabricated in favor of the sellers so I thought I could get some advice here. I will go with something from Amazon I guess.
 
We had a one installed in our office and it really didn't make that big of a difference - at least I didn't think so. I'm not sure on the brand it was.
A mesh network set up might work for you, but its a little more expensive than just adding an extender.
 
I also have the Verizon 1 gig service. I tried an extender in my house because I have wireless security cameras in the garage and outside and I needed a strong signal to penetrate stucco walls. It worked okay, but I replaced it with a TP-Link AC1900 dual band wireless router and the signal strength is much better than I got with the extender.

I wired my entire house CAT-5 years ago and recently upgraded the longer runs to CAT-6. The wireless is for security cameras, phones, iPads and occasionally laptops. Desktops and TVs use the ethernet connections. Because the house is wired I could move the wireless router to the best spot to get a strong even signal everywhere including the outside walls where the cameras are mounted.

I don't have any experience with mesh routers but they are supposed to resolve the problem of weak signals in certain areas of the house. But they can get pricey.
 
When it comes to routers always find one with high Ram capacity ( not just ROM)
most manufactures hide this information.
1-flash an extra router you have with OpenWRT and use it as a repeater it works magic
2-and If you want a total control you can build a beefy own router with (a new or old PC )using free software like OpenWRT or pfsense
 
Shunpike said:
Have a 3 story home and a basement. Router is on the first floor. Need suggestions for a good Wi-Fi Extender. Anybody can make any suggestions? Since these are under $100 I am not too concerned with price. I need a strong device.

My internet service provider is Verizon FIOS and I have the 1 Gigabit plan. Thanks in advance for help :)
Click to expand...
...get a couple of $20 ones on Amazon. Put one on each floor preferably towards middle. Point the antennas towards the open area going to router. Not to router. Your access point will be something -EXT your router name.

You can leave it or change. I changed mine to EXT. Since Telly is downstairs.

This is what I purchased. Was cheaper before.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0195Y0A42/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1
 
Can you put the router on the 2nd floor? I assume not if you have FIOS as the main line is probably only routed to 1 location.

Are you using a router/modem combo? If so, I would look at getting a dedicated router. In my experience, every combo unit I have ever had has been piss poor in terms of WiFi. If you have a dedicated router, how old is it? Does it have dual or tri-band? If so, set one channel to 2.4GHz and another to 5GHz. 2.4GHz (based on my understanding) is better for long range but has slower speeds. 5GHz sacrifices range in exchange for higher speeds.

I would also look at how many networks are nearby and try to select a lesser-used channel. I can probably see 12 networks in my area (not sure how as it's a single-family home) but I have adjusted the WiFi channel to really only overlap with 1 or 2. I can't remember what program I was using for that, but they're out there. Some are free on the app stores for mobile.

Also, some routers can have their transmission level upped if you login to the UI of the router.

tWyS7TK.jpg
 
I would highly recommend a mesh system. My house is old and made of solid concrete to survive hurricanes. Getting decent Wi-FI coverage in another room from the router was hit or miss, even with an extender. It also slowed the signal down. The signal could not get through the walls.
 
Thanks all. Looking into mesh system. I am a total noob when it comes to technology. Will Verizon service guys be able to set it up for me or can I do it myself? Again cost isn't an issue as much as I need strong wifi for 2 high school students and myself
 
Shunpike said:
Thanks all. Looking into mesh system. I am a total noob when it comes to technology. Will Verizon service guys be able to set it up for me or can I do it myself? Again cost isn't an issue as much as I need strong wifi for 2 high school students and myself
Click to expand...

Setting up an Eero is very easy. Just need to connect the head unit to your internet router, give it a name, then connect the others to AC power throughout your house to link them. There's a phone app to assist.
 
Shunpike said:
Have a 3 story home and a basement. Router is on the first floor. Need suggestions for a good Wi-Fi Extender. Anybody can make any suggestions? Since these are under $100 I am not too concerned with price. I need a strong device.

My internet service provider is Verizon FIOS and I have the 1 Gigabit plan. Thanks in advance for help :)
Click to expand...
Hah you sound just like me. I bought a NetGear Mesh extender. Plug in. Very happy with it. Bit of a pain when you have to unplug it and move it. One I figured out how to deal with setting it up again it has been awesome. We have a nice deck that was far away from the router so wanted a better signal on that side of the house. It does the job perfectly.
 
Might want to look into a mesh network. You will get a couple of access points to place through out your house which will make it easier for devices to pick up the signal.
 
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