Increase wifi router range - which option?

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spankmon

spankmon

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Dec 31, 2011
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I plan to put a PC in my daughter's room, and it's just a bit too far away from the router (by about 10 feet) for a decent wifi signal. After some research, I'm not sure which option would be best.

1. Add a repeater to boost the signal.

2. Add a new wireless "n" router and disable the gateway wireless "g" (Uverse 3801 HGV modem/router)... which will cost the same as adding a repeater.

3. Install a wifi adapter in the computer with a hi-gain anntenna... the least expensive option... and continue using the gateway's "g" wireless broadcast.

My gut feeling is to use a new router, maybe even AC rather than "n" for upgradeability. But if a hi-gain antenna is sufficient enough with the "g" signal to negate the 10 foot boundary... I'd love to save the money for other things.

EDIT: I should probably have said "obtain a stronger signal" rather than "increase wireless range"
 
Solution
fyrye
Option 2 should be sufficient. Ensure you use 2.4ghz for the range if using it as an access point.
A repeater will cause more headache for you with uverse IMO.
Suggest getting a router that supports repeater and access point modes so you can do either if just access point doesn't work.
Like this one: http://www.asus.com/Networking/EAN66/
There is a cheaper USB model that will not function how you need however, it functions more like an adapter.
It can optionally take a wireless signal and make it wired as well if you want that functionality (like an RJ45 based wireless adapter).

The U-Verse gateway functions more like a router than a modem, so you will need to configure the access point to obtain it's IP address automatically prior to...
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fyrye

fyrye

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Jul 1, 2013
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Option 2 should be sufficient. Ensure you use 2.4ghz for the range if using it as an access point.
A repeater will cause more headache for you with uverse IMO.
Suggest getting a router that supports repeater and access point modes so you can do either if just access point doesn't work.
Like this one: http://www.asus.com/Networking/EAN66/
There is a cheaper USB model that will not function how you need however, it functions more like an adapter.
It can optionally take a wireless signal and make it wired as well if you want that functionality (like an RJ45 based wireless adapter).

The U-Verse gateway functions more like a router than a modem, so you will need to configure the access point to obtain it's IP address automatically prior to hooking it up to the gateway, then set the gateway's firewall to DMZ the access point.
 
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Solution
spankmon

spankmon

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Dec 31, 2011
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Thanks for the reply fyrye. Took your advice and ordered this ASUS router which seems to have mostly positive reviews. I've also read a few how-to threads for setting it up with Uverse and think it should be fairly smooth sailing (fingers crossed). If I blunder the setup, I'll be back to plead for help.
 
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