Would an ac router help laptops with b/g/n adapters?

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calvin-c

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May 18, 2006
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I have several places in my home that appear to be in wifi shadows-speeds are significantly lower in these areas than on the same PC's elsewhere. In checking I found that all my laptops only have b/g/n adapters, i.e. they can't use the 5GHz band. Would upgrading to an ac router help? I've had poor experience with USB network adapters-they tend to bump into things & break, sometimes even breaking the USB port.

Assuming an ac router wouldn't help I'm thinking of setting up a wireless bridge to cover these areas. I have an old router (802.11n) but don't think it'll work that way. It's a Belkin N+ and the only info I can find on using it as a bridge specifies wiring it to the other router-not possible in my home. Therefore suggestions would be welcome. Thanks.
 
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Calculagator
You only have to run a single wire. I don't understand why that would cost so much. You don't even need to run the wire the entire distance-just crossing a single room would get you a better signal. You can run a wire through an attic or crawl space. You can run it through any vents you might have. You can even tuck it under the baseboard trim without drilling any holes.
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Calculagator

Calculagator

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Nov 18, 2014
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The WiFi ac won't help you, but a better router may help. Different routers use different antennas which will get different performance.
You could try using a different channel- since they have slightly different frequencies, they will travel through and around walls differently. Only use channels 1, 6, and 11 for best performance.
If you do need a second router to extend your range, you really do need to find a way to connect them with ethernet. It is possible to build a wireless mesh network, but the cost and difficulty almost always outweigh the advantages.

For long range wifi or wifi mesh networks, I recommend ubiquiti hardware.
http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-UniFi-Access-UAP-LR-US-Version/dp/B005H4CDF4/ref=sr_1_1?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1442875891&sr=1-1&keywords=UAP-AC-LR
 
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calvin-c

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May 18, 2006
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Thanks. It's disappointing, but thanks. Running wire just isn't worth it-estimated cost is over $1K. I can buy lots of repeaters for that.I appreciate your suggestion of the ubiquiti repeater, I'll look into it.
 
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Calculagator

Calculagator

Admirable
Nov 18, 2014
2,508
1
8,960
You only have to run a single wire. I don't understand why that would cost so much. You don't even need to run the wire the entire distance-just crossing a single room would get you a better signal. You can run a wire through an attic or crawl space. You can run it through any vents you might have. You can even tuck it under the baseboard trim without drilling any holes.
 
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