extending/improving wifi range.

Taz

Taz

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Still have a few dead spots around the house and as I have added speakers to my Denon Heos I'm finding the the signal cuts out intermittently.

I believe the router is good enough (TP LINK Archer VR2600) so am considering as a cheap fix upgrading the antenna.
Does anyone think this would work and if not what else could I think about doing.

The position of the router is pretty much fixed due to the DSL input and proximity to the TV and other gadgets !!

Ta.
 
Have you played with the wifi channels? is it 2.4 or 5ghz? Download InSSIDer and it will show up which channels have the least noise/interference. After this, maybe look at moving it slightly if you can, maybe get some longer cables.. No idea on the antenna upgrade, but next step would be powerline or wifi repeaters. Sawtooth will be along soon, this is his cuppa tea!
 
I've played with channels to reduce interference and can't really move it much from where its unfortunately.

Just seem to be dead spots where I want to put the additional speakers.

In the good old days would just run cable under the carpet :)
 
Have you tried a wifi extender? Installed one for my parents a few months back and has significantly improved the range of their wifi. Another option is a powerline adapter if it's specific devices you want signal to that have ethernet ports!
 
Worth a go for free, found this online: Antenna position also affects the TP-LINK router's range. Tilt the antennas completely sideways, parallel to the floor, or angle them up at 45 degrees for optimal coverage. Test both positions to see which seems to offer a broader range. The manufacturer does not recommend leaving the antennas on the router vertical at a 90-degree angle to the floor.

Using INSSIDER will help you here...
 
Rooter said:
Worth a go for free, found this online: Antenna position also affects the TP-LINK router's range. Tilt the antennas completely sideways, parallel to the floor, or angle them up at 45 degrees for optimal coverage. Test both positions to see which seems to offer a broader range. The manufacturer does not recommend leaving the antennas on the router vertical at a 90-degree angle to the floor.

Using INSSIDER will help you here...
Click to expand...

This is how mine are !!
 
This one
TP-Link RE350 AC1200 Dual Band WiFi Range Extender
I got it after reading reviews. I wanted one that was pretty fast and would work with my dual band router. It was a doddle to set up too.
Some are faster than others and with this I don't see a drop in speed when running off the extender. Also it can mimic the name of the router so no more questions from the other half asking "which one is best to connect to down/up here?"
 
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I have a terrible house for Wifi :(

I purchased the BT Mini hub kit (power line system) from PCWorld last weekend, install was very simple..

I now have wifi all over. The ONLY issue is they do not have the same SSID as the main BT Hub, so occasionally, on my Phone, i have to change the wifi over. As most of my wifi enabled things are fixed positions its minor inconvenience though
 
Lwatson-jones said:
I have a terrible house for Wifi :(

I purchased the BT Mini hub kit (power line system) from PCWorld last weekend, install was very simple..

I now have wifi all over. The ONLY issue is they do not have the same SSID as the main BT Hub, so occasionally, on my Phone, i have to change the wifi over. As most of my wifi enabled things are fixed positions its minor inconvenience though
Click to expand...

Change the SSID and password to match.
 
Lwatson-jones said:
Will that work? I would have thought you could only have one SSID? Would they not clash (not a WIFI person as you an tell!!!)
Click to expand...

It’s fine - you can have the same SSID broadcasting from as many places as you want
 
Lwatson-jones said:
Well butter my muffin, thanks very much Liverpoolphil and ScienceBoy

A happier family here will be sorted when I mess about with the settings tomorrow!! :D
Click to expand...

It’s not as obvious as it seems, i tried it at my in laws when we wanted better coverage at the back of the house many many years ago before extenders were a common cheap alternative. Doubted it would work at the time but it’s still in place till this day:
 
Lwatson-jones said:
Will that work? I would have thought you could only have one SSID? Would they not clash (not a WIFI person as you an tell!!!)
Click to expand...

It will work but don’t expect to roam between the 2 routers/AP’s if they are from 2 different manufacturers. Even amongst the same manufacturer you sometimes will have roam issues if they are different models/OS.

What this means to you is that you will stay connected to the first AP for dear life, even if you move closer to the second AP. Therefore it’s highly likely that you will still have performance issues because you may only be connected at a low data rate (because the signal is weak from the first AP when you move away from it).

Roaming is less important for laptops and other portables because you typically turn them off/on when you move from one location to another. So you should connect to the AP with the best signal most of the time doing that.

However, tablets and phones are mobile devices and their WiFi adapters are usually always on. Therefore connect to say an AP upstairs, you will still be connected to the same AP when you go downstairs.

If in any doubt just turn off WiFi ior disconnect from the network each time you move to help ensure that you connect to the AP with the best signal.
 
As most of you know, I am pretty dim in regards to tech, so before I waste money, the router/hub I have is from sky, will any of these plug in adapters work or do I need a specific one?

Cheers

Midnight...
 
sawtooth said:
It will work but don’t expect to roam between the 2 routers/AP’s if they are from 2 different manufacturers. Even amongst the same manufacturer you sometimes will have roam issues if they are different models/OS.

What this means to you is that you will stay connected to the first AP for dear life, even if you move closer to the second AP. Therefore it’s highly likely that you will still have performance issues because you may only be connected at a low data rate (because the signal is weak from the first AP when you move away from it).

Roaming is less important for laptops and other portables because you typically turn them off/on when you move from one location to another. So you should connect to the AP with the best signal most of the time doing that.

However, tablets and phones are mobile devices and their WiFi adapters are usually always on. Therefore connect to say an AP upstairs, you will still be connected to the same AP when you go downstairs.

If in any doubt just turn off WiFi ior disconnect from the network each time you move to help ensure that you connect to the AP with the best signal.
Click to expand...

Thanks for that

With any luck it will all work seamlessly !
I have the BT Hub6 (latest one) and
the BT Mini Hub AC(mains) triple kit

Fortunately, my house is rubbish enough (in the right way) that I can leave my lounge where the main router is, walk 10 yards to my bedroom (bungalow) and lose the WIFi connection. but now with the AC kit, I have full WIFI at that end of the house!

Going to have a play with the SSID and settings tomorrow to see if I can make life simpler
 
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