Wireless Range Extender

CuteChocobo on 04/01/2011 - 22:35
Last edited 04/01/2011 - 22:39

I am looking for a Range Extender for our wireless at home since we just expanded our property. Looking through all the various offerings I felt like a noob.

So just wondering if there are any Tech Savvy OzBargain-ers who can recommend which ones to get and also the best bargain ones!

One of the Dick Smith advertisment that just arrived suggested.
Netgear - Universal Range Extender for $99

Any good?

Thanks in advance!

EDIT: Or is it better just to buy a new and more powerful modem?
Mine is Billion MyGuard 7202(G) at the moment.
Recommend good modem too? =D

Find Me A Bargain

Comments

  • fungi79 on 04/01/2011 - 22:42
    +1

    Look into using DD-WRT, an alternative firmware for a range of routers which can turn them into wireless repeaters, amongst other functions.

    This works as an N-repeater http://umart.com.au/newindex2.phtml?bid=2, at 23 bucks.

  • Davo1111 on 04/01/2011 - 22:46
    +1

    To be honest, for reliability, you cant beat stringing a 30m lan cord between your router, and a cheap one at the other end of the house.

    You can buy a G router these days for $20-40… (cotd has one atm). And a lan cord ($10? from msy)

    • CuteChocobo on 04/01/2011 - 22:57

      Haha awesome suggestion Davo. Haven't thought of that!! =)
      Maybe that way it's more efficient too!
      Cheers~

    • llama on 04/01/2011 - 23:17
      +2

      Yep - and you will almost certainly get more speed too, because the bandwidth of the 2nd zone is not hanging of the (already very limited) bandwidth of the first zone.

      Furthermore, due to the distance the 2nd wireless zone will not have full speed capacity anyway. In my house, the front rooms can only connect at about 1/2 speed, due to all the walls and door blocking the signal…

      MUCH better to a LAN cable plugged into the router, then hang a separate wireless network off the end. Note that you might have to use different wireless channels at each end (I am not sure about that)

      • Davo1111 on 04/01/2011 - 23:46
        +1

        thanks :) as per what llama said. Its so much faster, and much easier to configure.

        I have heard lots of issues with wireless repeating, but meh, your choice if you go down that road.

        Just make sure you have good passwords for both wireless routers, and if you need to keep the kids out of the admin console - change both default passwords. Otherwise they will just walk to the other end of the house, and log in with the default password.

  • v1c on 04/01/2011 - 22:53
    +1

    Since your current modem/router is only wireless "G", you might get more range if you change to wireless "N", especially if your laptop and other clients support it.

    $75 for a new modem with wireless N http://www.staticice.com.au/cgi-bin/search.cgi?q=TD-W8960N&s…

    • CuteChocobo on 04/01/2011 - 23:14

      Yup all my laptop and desktop and other entertainment systems all support 'N'.
      Didn't know what G and N means so went for the cheaper option! haha

      So N gives more range?
      Would be awesome if it is just $75.

      Maybe can combine Davo's idea with this modem =)

      • llama on 04/01/2011 - 23:19
        +2

        Buy the N for the "main area" and then use a long cable and hang the old G off then end. Great plan!

        • CuteChocobo on 04/01/2011 - 23:26

          I was thinking that, but since I don't know much about it so I scrapped the idea.
          But wow, you just nailed it! I think I might go with that. It's like the combination of all the suggestions here =)

          You guys are champs!

  • Davo1111 on 04/01/2011 - 23:55
    +1

    Also, check what devices you currently own have. If all your laptops are G, there isnt much point getting N, unless you want to "future proof" your network. N is backwards compatible with G, but G devices arent going to operate at N speeds*.

    Regarding range extenders, they're good and bad. Remember both ends - your laptop and your wireless access point need to be able to reach each other to transmit data. If you use one of these "extenders", your laptop will be able to see the network, but it wont be able to send data. This is particularly applicable to small netbooks — my eeepc has half the distance of my gaming laptop.

    • CuteChocobo on 05/01/2011 - 00:04

      Noted =)
      Better check it out before buying then!!
      I am sure it's all 'N's but better be 110% certain!

  • CuteChocobo on 05/01/2011 - 00:06

    Hey guys have you heard of EDIMAX AR-7266WNA
    Is that one any good? $77 got someone recommend this on Whirlpool forum. But the reviews are mixed!

    v1c's recommendation TP-LINK TD-W8960N is quite good as far as I read! Hard to first configure though. =P

  • Davo1111 on 05/01/2011 - 00:36
    +1

    Well, everyone has their preferences in brands…. just like cars or hard drives really lol.

    I like: netgear, asus, cisco/linksys
    I avoid. Tp link, Dlink, etc

    but saying that, there are people who completely disagree. :P

  • muzzamo on 05/01/2011 - 09:17
    +1

    Have you also looked into ethernet over power?

    I use the np201av to reach locations on the property that wireless really struggles with.

  • Domingo on 05/01/2011 - 12:51
    +1

    I have a network cable under my floor with a Dlink 4100 non wireless router as my main gateway/DHCP, with a Linksys WRT54GL connected to one port running a wireless G network and another Linksys wireless router upstairs (can't remember the model number) with the same SSID but different channel.

    This means I can walk around my house and my devices connect to whichever channel gives the strongest connection. I have been using this solution for a while and rarely have any issues.

    Having the non wireless router is handy for my PC which is wired in, meaning on the odd occasion that my wireless does need to be rebooted it doesn't affect my net access :D

    • Davo1111 on 05/01/2011 - 13:47
      +1

      Thats actually not a bad idea - particularly if you're in a single story house.

      • can run the cables end to end (of house), without needing a licensed cabler.
      • Under the house is cool and dry (usually)
      • when people ask where your wireless router is, you can respond with 'magic' or 'what wireless router?'

      EDIT: thinking about it more, its a very good idea, particularly if you have a power point in the garage. Just plug in an extenstion cord (and router a), then run the extenstion cord and lan cable under the house to the other end. Sit it somewhere where it cant get knocked over/damaged/wet = problem solved.

    • llama on 05/01/2011 - 23:19
      +2

      My setup is almost identical to Domingo's, but even more hard-wired…

      Optus cable modem into a WRT54GL (with DD_WRT firmware) handling all routing and DCHP, then 1 port into a 24-port Netgear switch. Then have LAN cables running under the floor… 4 runs to the TV area (Wii, MediaPlayer, TV and a spare), 2 to each bedroom, etc… cables all over the place. There are 3 NAS boxes hanging off, plus the printers in various locations too.

      The wireless is only used for "casual" use of my work laptop, the 2 x iPhones, and the new Netbook I just bought.

      People ask "why wired?"… because a significant amount of my network usage is transferring large files about the place. Just try transferring a 4.3GB Wii ISO image across wireless and then try to use the network for anything else like web surfing! I am continually downloading torrents using the NAS, and another machine is downloading continuously, then transferring the unRAR'd files back onto another NAS storage box for distribution to the TV area.

      By using wired, I can do all those things and traffic between 2 devices makes absolutely NO difference to the speed of comms on any other device.

      If you use wireless, then all your devices share a tiny little 50-ish Mbit/sec connection. Your wireless modem chokes, no way you can stream HD movies, etc. So you want to minimise that, and only use wireless for portable devices like phones. If you want wireless in a remote location, then get the data out there via cable and then go wireless (like Domingo says) - that way your new WiFi Network will not affect the speed of your existing one.

      • CuteChocobo on 05/01/2011 - 23:54

        Great advice!
        Got to note them down =)

      • llama on 06/01/2011 - 09:12
        +2

        I think that people are scared of wired networks because they think they are "difficult" to set up. But they aren't… there is ZERO setup, you just plug then in and they work. Most switches (hubs) don't even have the ability to log in or configure!

        For a simple wired network you can use the 4 spare wired ports that most wireless routers have on the back. Of course, with a concrete slab house it's nowhere near as easy to run the cables at ground level, but getting one "upstairs" shouldn't present much of a challenge to even the most technically un-savvy person. :-)

      • Domingo on 06/01/2011 - 09:33
        +1

        Interesting. Do you run ftpii on your Wii or some such for transferring the ISO images across?

        I have a few previously unmentioned LAN ports around for other computers and such, but nothing as grand as your 24. Respect :)

        • llama on 06/01/2011 - 15:42

          Gave up on FTPii, seemed to be too clunky. Now running a cheap NAS box there… switch to LAN mode for transferring, then to USB mode for playing. It's a D-Link DNS-313, bloody thing can only do one or the other (there's are sliding door thingy that prevents 2 plugs at once).

          http://files.dlink.com.au/Products/DNS-313/Datasheet/DNS-313…

          I have a Buffalo LiveStation I scored from Malaysia for about $45 that I am gunna test next, see if it can do both at once - that would be awesome.

          I think there might be a firmware or hardware hack for the DNS313 and/or Buffalo to make them able to output USB on a second port, but I honestly couldn't be bothered fiddling with it. I looked into it a few months ago and then lost concentration LOL

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