How can I extend my wifi coverage?

[maricom]

I have Netgear WNR1000 150N and Macbook Pro with Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0
On my home network, I have a wireless router in the basement. On the second floor, I can barely get a signal, and would like to "extend" my wifi to the second floor. I do have Ethernet running from my router to upstairs.

Can I extend my wifi signal by buying a cheap wifi router and connecting that to router #1 and using that as an access point? Or do I have to buy a specific device for this?

Any hints and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 

[paninero]

A simple change that could boost performance would be to change placement of access point.

Good placement of access points is important so I would look into doing a simple wireless survey. You can find free tools online to help with this -- I recommend NetSpot, It will let you place hotspot correctly. Also, make sure you are on a channel that is not saturated with other WIFI networks (try channel 1 or 11 for example).

 

[RealBeast]

I have Netgear WNR1000 150N and Macbook Pro with Broadcom BCM43xx 1.0
On my home network, I have a wireless router in the basement. On the second floor, I can barely get a signal, and would like to "extend" my wifi to the second floor. I do have Ethernet running from my router to upstairs.

Can I extend my wifi signal by buying a cheap wifi router and connecting that to router #1 and using that as an access point? Or do I have to buy a specific device for this?

Any hints and suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

The best way to extend your wireless range is by using a cheap router and configuring as an AP. It is best to run a CAT5e cable, but you can use a pair of powerline connectors on your electrical outlets to attach the AP to the router. Don't waste your time trying to set up a wireless repeater -- with little signal it will do no good.

To set up the new cheap router as an AP turn off the DHCP in the new router (the AP), assign the AP an IP address in the main router that is either reserved dynamic or static outside the DHCP assignment range but still in the network, use the same SSID, use the same security type and pass key, and use a different set of radio channels from the main router to avoid interference.