Is a Repeater what I need?

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Pollai

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Apr 14, 2013
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Hello guys!

I have been looking at the Huawei repeater from Amazon for a while.

I am not sure if it is what I need so I will list what I hope to achieve by buying one in the hope that you can tell me if I am making the right decision :)

I have a fantastic internet connection but the range is atrocious. My router is downstairs facing the front whilst I am 2 floors up facing the back.

My laptop has an SSD so it is very low on storage, therefore all, if not most of my files are stored on a NAS/Homeserver.

I wanted to know if buying a repeater would still allow me to download/edit files from the homeserver if I am connected to the internet through the repeater as opposed to my router.

I apologise for the huge post,
I look forward to hearing from you! :D
 
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Pollai

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Apr 14, 2013
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Hey, Emerald!

Thank you for the prompt reply. I have a Virgin Media Superhub and this is the repeater I am looking at.

My NAS/Homeserver will be sharing files on the home network and PS3MediaServer, will I be able to access my files if my phone/player/computer is connected to the repeater and not the original signal?

Looking forward to hearing from you! :D
 
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Emerald

Emerald

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Aug 28, 2005
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quite little device.

the problem I have with it is that it ONLY supports WEP wireless standard which is not very secure.

also if you use the WPS function you will loose all current wireless settings and connections.

Your main router is a dual band router which should have WPA2 settings and which is the most secure wireless standard
 
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Pollai

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Hmm, so what do you recommend then? :)

 
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eibgrad

eibgrad

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Feb 16, 2010
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The Huawei Wi-Fi Repeater (WS320) *does* support WPA/WPA2. Unfortunately they did a terrible job of describing their own product over at Amazon. No manufacturer in 2012 (the first release of this product) is going to produce a WEP only device, that's simply insane.

I suspect they don't come right out and mention it because of the target audience. It’s assumed they may not even know what WEP/WPA/WPA2 is, let alone to look for it in the specs, they just expect it to work. And if you check the manual's FAQ section (pg 33), you'll even see it mentions that you should be using WPA/WPA2 when possible:

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&ved=0CD4QFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fdownload-c.huawei.com%2Ftcpsdownload%2FdownLoadCenter%3Fcategory%3D%26flay%3Ddocument%26downloadID%3DNDMyNDE%3D&ei=ysFwUYnVOJCi4AODpYGYDA&usg=AFQjCNFJ75Mv0t3BFV3-_NZbTBd6EgfMmw&sig2=dGPAMchlt8Qpo8Kr3_MC_w&bvm=bv.45373924,d.dmg

Does the WPS function have any special requirement on the wireless encryption settings of a wireless router?
The WPS function has no special requirement on the wireless encryption settings; however, it is recommended that you use the Wi-Fi Protected Access 2–Pre-shared key (WPA2-PSK) security mode together with the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES) encryption rather than the Wired Equivalent Privacy (WEP) encryption method for accessing a wireless network. The reasons are as follows: If a wireless network is not encrypted or encrypted by using WEP, the security performance is poor. In addition, on some wireless routers, the WPS function is forcibly disabled when the WEP encryption is used for accessing a wireless network.
Click to expand...

Besides WPS, you can also configure the device using a GUI.

Now whether that particular wireless repeater is the best one, or the one I would use, is another story. I’m not passing judgment one way or the other in that regard.
 
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