Wifi at both ends of a cat6 network - how??!

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PMCL

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Jun 12, 2014
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We have moved into a renovated (by us) house, which has a poor ISP-issue wireless router in one corner.

We also installed a network of cat6 cable throughout the house.

Is it possible to extend coverage of the existing wifi network to the "other end" of the house using a device that sits at the other end of the cat6 network and imitates the existing wifi network? (Best option, IMHO)

Or would the wifi network at the other end of the house need to be a different network from the existing wifi network? (2nd best option, IMHO)

I want to avoid extending the existing wifi network by boosting/repeating wirelessly, as it strikes me that there must be a better cat6 option out there...

Thanks a lot
Pete
 
Solution
kanewolf
You want a wireless access point. It bridges from WIFI to wired ethernet. If you have an old router it probably can function as an AP. You could buy a new inexpensive router (especially one that supports alternate firmware such as DD-WRT or Tomato) and use it as an AP. Used routers on e-bay are another good source of APs. Most network manufacturers make dedicated AP hardware also.
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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You want a wireless access point. It bridges from WIFI to wired ethernet. If you have an old router it probably can function as an AP. You could buy a new inexpensive router (especially one that supports alternate firmware such as DD-WRT or Tomato) and use it as an AP. Used routers on e-bay are another good source of APs. Most network manufacturers make dedicated AP hardware also.
 
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Solution
P

PMCL

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Thanks!

And can the AP be set up to have the same SSID etc as the existing wifi network? If so, does this cause a problem when devices are moving from the AP zone to the existing wifi zone?
 
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kanewolf

kanewolf

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Roaming as it is called is hit or miss with SOHO network equipment. Some people (some devices) have no problems. Other people assign a discrete SSID to each AP and then manually associate with the nearest one. Try it and see. You might be not have any problems. If you do, you would have fall back to the unique SSID/manual association. With multiple APs you should choose a unique wireless channel for each (2.4ghz that means 1, 6, 11 ONLY). You may have to get something like WIFI Analyzer -- https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.farproc.wifi.analyzer for your Android and see if there are competing signals. Pick your channels for minimum interference.
 
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PMCL

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Jun 12, 2014
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Thanks again. By my standards that sounds like a major project. I'll see how it goes!
 
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