Weaker signal WITH wireless repeater.

[ashleypower]

Hey guys.

I am using a WRT3500L as my router.

I am using a WRT2000 as my repeater.

The router is in the basement.

The repeater is on the second floor.

The signal doesn't seem any better on the third floor.

It doesn't look like I'm gaining any range with the repeater...it even seems worse.

I followed a YouTube video for instructions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pw8qaomfcTg

I followed these directions, but I enabled security.

Is there something I'm missing?

Everything has stock firmware, upgraded to the latest.

 

[ashleypower]

Nobody?

 

[eibgrad]

While a repeater will work most of the time, it's not a guarantee. It all depends on the nature of the problem. A repeater typically helps, but that assumes the problem is, in fact, range. Let's take an extreme example to illustrate how that might not be the case.

Suppose a highly dense wall lies directly between your wireless client and the wireless router, something that almost no wireless signal could penetrate (maybe LEAD, just to be extreme). It isn't going to matter all that much if you use a repeater directly between the wireless client and wireless router, even if that repeater is a mere 3 ft outside that wall. Your problem isn't range, but rather the obstruction. If you're lucky, the obstruction might only exist in one direction. And by placing the repeater FARTHER away from the primary router, but in a direction that's allows the repeater’s signal to come to your wireless client in a direction AWAY from that obstruction, you might get a better signal.

Yes, it all sounds counter-intuitive. How could increasing the distance between the devices improve the signal. But again, if the problem is not range but obstructions, then what really matters is LOCATION/PLACEMENT, not distance. In that case, you use the repeater to alter WHERE the signal is coming from, even if that increases the distance the signal has to travel. Of course, the repeater still needs to be within reasonable distance no matter the location. You can only push this so far.

In your case, when floors come into the picture, you typically don’t have as many options when it comes to placement. Not unless you can find a location where perhaps the floor is thinner, or perhaps not obstructed by rafters, or perhaps near a basement window.

If all else fails, you either have to consider placing the wireless router on another floor, or else use some other technology. For example, it might be better to use power line adapters to run the signal from the router up to each floor, then drop WAPs (wireless access points) on each floor. That way, everyone gets a strong signal. IOW, you use the power lines in your home/office as a wired backbone (I’m assuming you’re unable to run Ethernet wire, but if you can, that would be even better) rather than trying to FORCE wireless to work under circumstances where that just isn’t possible.

Wireless has its limits. You can’t solve EVERY situation via wireless. Sometimes it takes a hybrid solution, like combining ethernet/powerline and wireless, as I described above.

 

[ashleypower]

Awesome, thanks for the reply!

I'm not sure if this makes any difference, but I notice that my cell signal strength seems to be lower in the basement as well.

Technically, I COULD run cables through the floors, but that would look messy; an eye sore.

I may look into those power line adapters.

How reliable are these, and what is the max speed allowed?

In regards to reliability, I mean is there anything that can "interfere" with the signal, like a wireless signal?

I have no experience with these, and am definitely intrigued.

 

[ashleypower]

Best answer selected by Ashleypower.