Will this expand my wireless range?

mazooni · Aug 9, 2014

Hi, I am trying to figure out how to expand my wireless range so that the whole house can enjoy good speeds. I don't want to setup access points or anything. I want one solid modem. I currently have this motorola modem.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16825122014&cm_re=motorola_sbg6580-_-25-122-014-_-Product
I have no experience at all in networking but it looks like this might help.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833320091&nm_mc=EMC-EXPRESS080914&cm_mmc=EMC-EXPRESS080914-_-EMC-080914-Index-_-WirelessRouters-_-33320091-L01A
I want to significantly expand wireless range from what that motorola modem is giving me. Is there any way to do that?

Thanks

.

byza · Aug 9, 2014

It would extend the range but not all that significantly I don't think. You're probably better off with a dual band repeater.

mazooni · Aug 9, 2014

byza :

Whats a dual band repeater? Are they hard to configure?

legend001523 · Aug 9, 2014

You can get a wifi signal booster? And put them all around the house

mazooni · Aug 9, 2014

I can't do anything to expensive. I have a $100 budget.

legend001523 · Aug 9, 2014

mazooni :

They're like 50-80 dollars..

byza · Aug 9, 2014

legend001523 :

Signal booster, ranger extender, repeater, they are all the same thing.

They are pretty easy to configure. You just connect to the extender using it's IP address, then it will search for wireless networks in range. Select your network, it will ask for the password, put it in, it'll reset and it's good to go.
Maybe 5 minutes to set up and it'll have instructions that explain it all for the specific repeater you get.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833389034&cm_re=dual_band_repeater-_-33-389-034-_-Product

mazooni · Aug 9, 2014

byza :

The one you posted really interests me.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833389034&cm_re=dual_band_repeater-_-33-389-034-_-Product
If I plug it in to an area with very low signal and configure it there would it simply start to boost the signal? Will the difference be noticeable? Can I have more than one configured to the same network?

legend001523 · Aug 9, 2014

mazooni :

byza :

The one you posted really interests me.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833389034&cm_re=dual_band_repeater-_-33-389-034-_-Product
If I plug it in to an area with very low signal and configure it there would it simply start to boost the signal? Will the difference be noticeable? Can I have more than one configured to the same network?

i think it acts like a modem and just increases the signal or restores it again, so it gives it a boost if you will

byza · Aug 9, 2014

legend001523 :

mazooni :

i think it acts like a modem and just increases the signal or restores it again, so it gives it a boost if you will

Yes, you want to put it where the wifi strength is petering off but not flakey. Note, make sure there is not a microwave between the router and the repeater, or it'll be cut off every time someone heats up some food.

legend001523 · Aug 9, 2014

byza :

legend001523 :

Yes, you want to put it where the wifi strength is petering off but not flakey. Note, make sure there is not a microwave between the router and the repeater, or it'll be cut off every time someone heats up some food.

so many troll situations can be born that way, so funny

byza · Aug 9, 2014

As far as the difference goes, it is like having a second router, so if you stand next to it, you'll get full signal.

byza · Aug 9, 2014

legend001523 :

byza :

legend001523 :

Yes, you want to put it where the wifi strength is petering off but not flakey. Note, make sure there is not a microwave between the router and the repeater, or it'll be cut off every time someone heats up some food.

so many troll situations can be born that way, so funny

Trust me, it can be incredibly annoying. Also elevators are a pain in the ass.

legend001523 · Aug 9, 2014

byza :

legend001523 :

byza :

so many troll situations can be born that way, so funny

Trust me, it can be incredibly annoying. Also elevators are a pain in the ass.

AHAAHAHAHAHAHAHA OMG :') yes, elevators are very common in American houses :'), I laughed so hard when i thought of elevators lmfao

mazooni · Aug 10, 2014

I have never seen an elevator in a house lol

. We do have a microwave. If we use the microwave how long would it take for the signal to restore itself?

byza · Aug 10, 2014

As soon as the microwave shuts off it will work again. It really depends where the microwave is in relation to the router and repeater, It's not an issue for most people, but I used to live in an apartment and the kitchen was directly in-beween the router and the repeater, and I couldn't move the repeater or it wouldn't reach the area I needed it to cover. If it's not in the direct line, it shouldn't be a problem, more the point is make sure that the repeater is not in a spot where the signal will be disrupted by something.

mazooni · Aug 10, 2014

byza :

Ok. Thanks for all the help

.

bill001g · Aug 10, 2014

Be aware a repeater is not some magic box that solves all your problems. There is a huge downside to using these device. Almost every device that does this function retransmits the signal directly over the top of the signal it just received. At the very best you will lose 1/2 your speed and that is 1/2 of whatever you get at the location you place the repeater not 1/2 the max so it is in most cases much more than 1/2. In addition it causes interference for devices that are connecting to the main router so it also degrades their speed.

You are trading coverage for throughput there is no free lunch when it comes to wireless.

The only way to expand your wireless without this penalty is to use a cable to connect to second wireless device that is providing coverage for the areas of the house that were not covered by the main router. Of course this assumes you can get a ethernet cable run in the first place which is why many people use repeaters.

As long as you set your expectations correctly repeaters work well.....at least when the alternative is no connectivity at all.

mazooni · Aug 10, 2014

Thanks for letting me know. If I lose more speed what's the point of more coverage?

byza · Aug 10, 2014

bill001g :

This is a good point, I always give my repeaters a different ID and only select the repeater 's signal if I cannot get the original signal. If you want to set up a second wireless, you could use Powerline Adaptors rather than run an ethernet cable to the second location. Again you will lose some speed, but probably not as much as a repeater, but it will also be more expensive.

byza · Aug 10, 2014

mazooni :

The point is to get internet in places where it doesn't already reach. It also reduces dropouts if you are in a really spotty area of the house. Also, I should make it more clear that a repeater effectually halves the bandwidth, not the internet speed. So your current router has a bandwidth of 300Mbps, so a repeater will give out a bandwidth of 150Mbps if it is placed right next to the router. The further away it is placed the bandwidth will be lower. Now, a common misconception is that getting higher Mbps routers=faster internet, but this is not true (in most cases) as your internet is likely no higher than 20Mbps, so higher bandwidth is really only useful for transferring data between computers on the network, not using the internet. Using a repeater will still slow your internet somewhat, as adding any device will do this, but it will not half the speed, just the bandwidth.

mazooni · Aug 10, 2014

I will give the repeater a try. If it doesn't work then I will try other options. I will update this thread.

Thanks for the help

.

byza · Aug 10, 2014

It gets confusing because in most situations bandwidth and speed are synonyms. I should probably say throughput and bandwidth. Think of bandwidth like a pipe. The wider the pipe, the more data it can get through at one time, but speed/throughput is the time it takes to get from one end of the pipe to the other. Since your internet connection is already a small pipe going to a large pipe, halving the pipe again is just making the pipe smaller again, but your throughput is going to be affected by a device in the middle.

USAFRet · Aug 10, 2014

mazooni :

"Some" signal vs "no" signal.

mazooni · Aug 10, 2014

Thanks. The pipe reference really helped.

Will this expand my wireless range?

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