Do I want a repeater or wireless access point?

bennfine · Jan 25, 2016

Hi-trying to figure out what hardware to purchase......

Comcast wireless router on first floor; second floor wireless speed just above it around 51Mbps according to speedtest. Other side of hall and third floor way slower.

Do I want to get a repeater , range extender, or access point device to boost the signal? I would like to have one ssid for the entire house-is that possible? I see hardward called all sorts of things and not sure what I need to purchase.

thanks!

Petrossa · Jan 26, 2016

The simplest way to go would be to use a range extender. It will then lock onto the other signal you do have and just repeat what is there.
If you want to use an access point, you will have to run a cable from your router to where the ap will be located. You will be able to set it up using the same ssid as well.

bill001g · Jan 26, 2016

There really is no such thing as a range extender. You get either a AP which connects to the router via a cable and provide remote wireless or you use a repeater with talks to the main router via wireless. The AP is your best option this is how enterprise wireless is done but of course you need a wire.

Almost every repeater you can buy as a consumer product is a piece of crap. They transmit and receive with the same radio which means they greatly degrade the signal. You may get more signal levels but the quality tends to be worse because of the interference introduced by the repeater itself. In your case sine you can actually get a signal from the main router in the remote location it may actually be slower. You normally use repeaters where the area you are trying to get signal to has no signal or a unusable signal. The theory is even a crappy signal from a repeater is better than none.

You may want to look at powerline networks. These act as a ethernet cable using your house wiring. If you need wireless on the remote end you can put a AP in off the powerline. There are some powerline units that contain a AP but I don't know how well they work.

Petrossa · Jan 27, 2016

bill001g :

There really is no such thing as a range extender. You get either a AP which connects to the router via a cable and provide remote wireless or you use a repeater with talks to the main router via wireless. The AP is your best option this is how enterprise wireless is done but of course you need a wire.

Almost every repeater you can buy as a consumer product is a piece of crap. They transmit and receive with the same radio which means they greatly degrade the signal. You may get more signal levels but the quality tends to be worse because of the interference introduced by the repeater itself. In your case sine you can actually get a signal from the main router in the remote location it may actually be slower. You normally use repeaters where the area you are trying to get signal to has no signal or a unusable signal. The theory is even a crappy signal from a repeater is better than none.

You may want to look at powerline networks. These act as a ethernet cable using your house wiring. If you need wireless on the remote end you can put a AP in off the powerline. There are some powerline units that contain a AP but I don't know how well they work.

Range extender and wireless repeater are used interchangeably.
Correctly, yes, it is a wireless repeater.

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Do I want a repeater or wireless access point?

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