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Technical Help & Discussion => Broadband, Networking, PC Security, Internet & ISPs => Topic started by: Clive on June 02, 2017, 21:14

Title: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 02, 2017, 21:14
My son has bought a 4 storey house which has BT fibre at 1000mbps.  Unfortunately the signal is very weak by the time it gets to the third floor and they stream most most of their tv.  Can anyone suggest a reliable WiFi extender he can use?  I can see prices range from £22 to £125.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: daveeb on June 02, 2017, 22:58
My son has bought a 4 storey house which has BT fibre at 1000mbps.  Unfortunately the signal is very weak by the time it gets to the third floor and they stream most most of their tv.  Can anyone suggest a reliable WiFi extender he can use?  I can see prices range from £22 to £125.

I thought BT boasted the best wifi range in the UK. I've no experience of wifi boosters but here at daveeb towers we use homeplugs and they work brilliantly (only works for the whole area if the entire house is on the same ring main).
Failing that when i was with O2 they offered a free extender if the signal was poor, so maybe see what BT can do, if your son isn't already in a contract with them then he's in the driving seat.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 02, 2017, 23:42
I use BT's own WiFi extender, which seems to work well for me, and is relatively inexpensive.  This isn't my exact model, but I've had mine a couple of years, so they've probably updated it:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00D84GVN0/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_wKEmzbQ671XHC
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 03, 2017, 08:42
Thanks for the ring circuit information, he has three! So that option is out.  Thanks for the BT link Simon, but do you know how it works?
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 03, 2017, 11:32
Yes, you plug it into a wall power socket, about half way between the router and the furthest point in the house that you want the WiFi to reach.  Once it's then set up with the router, it will pick up the signal and boost it to extend the range.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 03, 2017, 17:03
Trouble is that the signal is sometimes weak on the second floor too.  I can use my kindle fire on the third floor but there is no signal on the
 4th.  They only have tv sockets on the 2nd and 4th which is ridiculous.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 03, 2017, 17:59
I don't see any reason why you couldn't use multiple extenders, but there are also the Powerline plugins to consider, which somehow work by transmitting the WiFi through the electrical circuit:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015E3MU2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5PUmzbBDYBRAC

You might be better off asking the question next door, as I am sure there will be a wealth of advice forthcoming from there.   ;)
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 03, 2017, 21:45
He's sent off to Amazon for one and it should turn up tomorrow.  When I ask on the other side it's always you that answers anyway so I've cut out the middle man.  :o:
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 03, 2017, 22:28
 ;D

How many bloody floors has he got anyway?  Has he bought a tower block all to himself?   :o
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 03, 2017, 23:01
It's a four storey town house and it's a killer.  Tonight I was looking after the 3 year old in the ground floor kitchen while the 8 year old was having a bath on the 4th floor so I had to constantly run up and down all those stairs to keep an eye on them.  Mrs Clive and my son were at his old property preparing it to rent out and bringing more stuff over to the house.  Thankfully they are not that far away from each other but the children are being very naughty.  My daughter-in - law is on holiday in Thailand.   ::)
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 03, 2017, 23:18
 :laugh:
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: daveeb on June 03, 2017, 23:20
I don't see any reason why you couldn't use multiple extenders, but there are also the Powerline plugins to consider, which somehow work by transmitting the WiFi through the electrical circuit:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B015E3MU2I/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_5PUmzbBDYBRAC

You might be better off asking the question next door, as I am sure there will be a wealth of advice forthcoming from there.   ;)

Only works on a single ring main Simon. see earlier post...although i believe you can get powerline models that also provide wifi, and so work as a sort of extender.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 03, 2017, 23:21
So, the standard WiFi extenders would be the best solution, Dave?
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: daveeb on June 03, 2017, 23:26
So, the standard WiFi extenders would be the best solution, Dave?

or a powerline that also does wifi if he could get close enough to the target tv? utilising the most useful of the three ring mains. It all depends on the extent of them around the house. i.e. do they go floor by floor or is there some other spread of the cables.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 04, 2017, 09:51
The ring mains are kitchen, floor 2, and floors 3/4. He's sent off for a simple extender so let's see how that goes.  Not sure if the router can be moved as it's fibre.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: daveeb on June 04, 2017, 12:49
The ring mains are kitchen, floor 2, and floors 3/4. He's sent off for a simple extender so let's see how that goes.  Not sure if the router can be moved as it's fibre.

You could move the router yourself although i'm not sure if you'd need a crimping tool to do it plus you'd need some cat 5 or 6 cable. They would come out and do it with the obvious associated cost. As you say i'd try the extender option first.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 04, 2017, 15:57
It turned up this morning but he's constructing a new computer desk at the moment.  We should know soon how good it is.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Den on June 04, 2017, 16:32
This is wining every award going at the moment and has featured and won in every computer magazine revue.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/BT-088269-Whole-Home-Wi-Fi/dp/B01NBMMVG7/ref=sr_1_4?s=computers&ie=UTF8&qid=1496590199&sr=1-4

It is now £100 less than it was.  :D
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 04, 2017, 17:58
Thanks for that Den.  I hadn't seen that before.  The one we bought was a cheapie  WAV but things have definitely improved.  The TV buffering has stopped and we are now watching a film on the kodi box, playing a game online, using an iPad and a kindle fire.  We now have internet on the 4th floor although we haven't tested it for video.    :thumb:
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 04, 2017, 18:43
 :thumb:
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 05, 2017, 15:25
So it's not BT after all.  It's Hyperoptic which is a London based fibre system.  I've done a speed check on each floor and they work out as follows:

                Ping.               Download.                Upload

Floor 1.      41.                      26.7.                       25.5
Floor 2.      104.                    28.6.                       23.5
Floor 3.      61.                      25.8.                       14.4
Floor 4.      69.                      22.1.                       7.4

The router is on floor 1 and he is supposed to get 80 mps.  The package is called 1 Gbps which is a bit of a misnomer to me!
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Simon on June 05, 2017, 17:30
My guess is he is supposed to get up to 80 Mbps - which is their usual get out of jail free card.  ::)  But, at least the WiFi extender seems to be distributing the signal quite well to the upper floors.
Title: Re: WiFi extender
Post by: Clive on June 05, 2017, 20:06
Yes, it's quite a consistent upload speed and perfectly adequate.  Not sure the ping is top notch though.  The extender only cost £22 so it was a bargain.  We have seen no buffering at all and I've seen a lot of tv.  Same film repeated over and over but the music is good.  ;D