A repeater or a better router

[rampage_]

I have a 2 Mbps ADSL connection used by upto 7 people at a time spread on two floors.The speed on the floor where the router is located is fine but on the other floor, its really poor. So,should I get a better router (like linksys wrt54g or any other?) or should I get a repeater to boost the signal ?

 

[Emerald]

what network equipment are you using right now?

 

[rampage_]

what network equipment are you using right now?

I have a 54 Mbps Beetle modem cum router provided by the network provider.

 

[eibgrad]

A repeater won't necessarily increase performance. It will definitely increase range, and one would *hope* the improved signal reliability would increase performance to some degree. But all repeaters have a significant downside -- they cut your effective bandwidth IN HALF!

The repeater and primary router are typically using the same frequency, which means the repeater can only be actively communicating w/ either the primary router or a wireless client at any given time. IOW, one or the other is always waiting for the other to complete its transmission can begin. And that results in a loss of bandwidth that's approx. HALF of what you'd normally expect. Add another repeater and it's halved again.

So I guess the answer is, maybe a repeater will improve performance, maybe not. Just depends on whether your current range is so poor (and by extension resulting performance so poor), that a repeater would still be an improvement, despite the loss of bandwidth. This is why I tell ppl that repeaters are really about improving range. Any performance improvement is questionable, and to the extent it exists, incidental.

 

[rampage_]

Best answer selected by rampage_.