Cheapest Wifi Extender.

[AlanAlan]

What is the cheapest wifi extender I can buy?

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

What is the cheapest wifi extender I can buy?

Personally I don't recommend them since they all tend to halve speed of the original when repeated, a better option may be to get an AP (access point).

[dalekphalm]

1 minute ago, W-L said:

Personally I don't recommend them since they all tend to halve speed of the original when repeated, a better option may be to get an AP (access point).

I agree. @AlanAlan if you can run an ethernet cable or even Powerline Ethernet to the second location, put an AP there and hardline the connection in. You can even just use a spare or cheap Router with the router features disabled (Many routers have an "AP" mode even), that would also work.

[tewynkoop]

I agree with whats been mentioned above. Running an ethernet cable would be the best solution but if you need something to give you better signal I would go with an AP from ubiquiti. 

 

[AlanAlan]

2 hours ago, tewynkoop said:

I agree with whats been mentioned above. Running an ethernet cable would be the best solution but if you need something to give you better signal I would go with an AP from ubiquiti. 

 

 

2 hours ago, dalekphalm said:

I agree. @AlanAlan if you can run an ethernet cable or even Powerline Ethernet to the second location, put an AP there and hardline the connection in. You can even just use a spare or cheap Router with the router features disabled (Many routers have an "AP" mode even), that would also work.

 

2 hours ago, W-L said:

Personally I don't recommend them since they all tend to halve speed of the original when repeated, a better option may be to get an AP (access point).

I know that running a ethernet with an AP would be the best, but the downstairs of my house has no way I can wire an ethernet cable with an AP.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, AlanAlan said:

I know that running a ethernet with an AP would be the best, but the downstairs of my house has no way I can wire an ethernet cable with an AP.

If you don't want to run a cable you could try powerline ethernet it uses the wiring in the home to pass data through.

[dalekphalm]

4 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

 

 

I know that running a ethernet with an AP would be the best, but the downstairs of my house has no way I can wire an ethernet cable with an AP.

 

2 minutes ago, W-L said:

If you don't want to run a cable you could try powerline ethernet it uses the wiring in the home to pass data through.

Agreed. @AlanAlan if you cannot run ethernet, run Powerline instead. You can buy Powerline kits from places like Best Buy or Amazon, which you can return the product at no charge (and no restocking fee) if it does not work well enough.

 

Trust us, WIFI Repeaters will SEVERELY HAMPER your overall WIFI performance. Not just on the repeater, but on the entire wireless network.

[AlanAlan]

3 minutes ago, W-L said:

If you don't want to run a cable you could try powerline ethernet it uses the wiring in the home to pass data through.

 I know that doing everything wireless I will lose alot of speed. In my case the strength of the connection is more important.

[W-L]

1 minute ago, AlanAlan said:

 I know that doing everything wireless I will lose alot of speed. In my case the strength of the connection is more important.

Powerline would be a more reliable connection over a repeater and in most cases give a faster connection without running a cable all it is, is two wall unit you plug in, as long as the wiring the home isn't terribly old and the run super long it will work quite well for most situations. 

[AlanAlan]

3 minutes ago, dalekphalm said:

 

Agreed. @AlanAlan if you cannot run ethernet, run Powerline instead. You can buy Powerline kits from places like Best Buy or Amazon, which you can return the product at no charge (and no restocking fee) if it does not work well enough.

 

Trust us, WIFI Repeaters will SEVERELY HAMPER your overall WIFI performance. Not just on the repeater, but on the entire wireless network.

By hamper you mean it will slow down the whole internet connection?

[AlanAlan]

By hamper you mean it will slow down the whole network connection.

[AlanAlan]

Will these work?

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-TL-WA855RE/dp/B0195Y0A42/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466122687&sr=1-8&keywords=Wifi+extender

 

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-TL-WA850RE/dp/B00E98O7GC/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466122687&sr=1-2&keywords=Wifi+extender

[W-L]

2 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Will these work?

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-TL-WA855RE/dp/B0195Y0A42/ref=sr_1_8?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466122687&sr=1-8&keywords=Wifi+extender

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-TL-WA850RE/dp/B00E98O7GC/ref=sr_1_2?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466122687&sr=1-2&keywords=Wifi+extender

Here something like this is what I would recommend it uses powerline so no cable runs but works as an AP and also wired ethernet. I honestly don't suggest repeaters due to that halving of performance and at times poor reliability. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WPA4220KIT-ADVANCED-Powerline-Extender/dp/B00HSQAIQU/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466123050&sr=1-9

[AlanAlan]

10 minutes ago, W-L said:

Here something like this is what I would recommend it uses powerline so no cable runs but works as an AP and also wired ethernet. I honestly don't suggest repeaters due to that halving of performance and at times poor reliability. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WPA4220KIT-ADVANCED-Powerline-Extender/dp/B00HSQAIQU/ref=sr_1_9?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1466123050&sr=1-9

Ok thanks

When dalekphalm said that it will hamper with your overall performance does he mean that it will slow down the whole network connection wifi/ethernet?

[W-L]

3 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Ok thanks

When dalekphalm said that it will hamper with your overall performance does he mean that it will slow down the whole network connection wifi/ethernet?

I don't think it will hamper the whole network per say but does put a bit more load on the main wireless network since the repeater is using that signal by taking it and re transmitting it.

[AlanAlan]

10 minutes ago, W-L said:

I don't think it will hamper the whole network per say but does put a bit more load on the main wireless network since the repeater is using that signal by taking it and re transmitting it.

So it would slow the network down like a device using the internet?

 

Whereas a powerline is the transmitted ethernet connection?

I used to have a EDIMAX EW-7288APC 11AC but it was only for 5GHZ WIFI networks. So I tried out the AP function on it and over a week it slowed down my network. I thought that i could distrubte the load between my regualr router and the ap but it ended up slowing the whole network down even more. Would a powerline do that?

[W-L]

9 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

So it would slow the network down like a device using the internet?

 

Whereas a powerline is the transmitted ethernet connection?

I used to have a EDIMAX EW-7288APC 11AC but it was only for 5GHZ WIFI networks. So I tried out the AP function on it and over a week it slowed down my network. I thought that i could distrubte the load between my regualr router and the ap but it ended up slowing the whole network down even more. Would a powerline do that?

Your network if your hammering it hard will slow down like any another but adding that unit and having more data heavy devices connected through that will add more load. I'm assuming this unit here:

http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/au/home_access_points_ac450/ew-7288apc/

[dalekphalm]

1 hour ago, AlanAlan said:

By hamper you mean it will slow down the whole internet connection?

I specifically said it would severely hamper WIFI performance. So no, not your whole internet connection. WIFI Extenders/Repeaters will hamper any WIFI connections though. Anything connected directly to your Router via Ethernet will perform just as good as normal.

1 hour ago, AlanAlan said:

Ok thanks

When dalekphalm said that it will hamper with your overall performance does he mean that it will slow down the whole network connection wifi/ethernet?

Just WIFI. Using a Powerline AP or Powerline Ethernet Adapter + a regular AP will have significantly better overall WIFI performance.

 

Note that any and all performance degradation will be via WIFI only.

[AlanAlan]

40 minutes ago, W-L said:

Your network if your hammering it hard will slow down like any another but adding that unit and having more data heavy devices connected through that will add more load. I'm assuming this unit here:

http://www.edimax.com/edimax/merchandise/merchandise_detail/data/edimax/au/home_access_points_ac450/ew-7288apc/

Its a pretty even load mostly I have my old ipad my router and my iphone 6s plus on the AP. I am experiencing situations where my network is unbearably slow. When I turned off the AP just the two devices on my regular router it is decent.

[W-L]

4 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

Its a pretty even load mostly I have my old ipad my router and my iphone 6s plus on the AP. I am experiencing situations where my network is unbearably slow. When I turned off the AP just the two devices on my regular router it is decent.

Are you really far away when on that AP since it's 5.0Ghz it's range isn't as far compared to regular 2.4Ghz which may explain why. You should be able to get close if not full speed on the AP though. 

[AlanAlan]

19 minutes ago, W-L said:

Are you really far away when on that AP since it's 5.0Ghz it's range isn't as far compared to regular 2.4Ghz which may explain why. You should be able to get close if not full speed on the AP though. 

I am experriencing slow downs on my regular router. 

[W-L]

17 minutes ago, AlanAlan said:

I am experriencing slow downs on my regular router. 

Through the 2.4GHz connection? It shouldn't affect things that much unless your saturating your ISP connection.

[AlanAlan]

12 hours ago, W-L said:

Through the 2.4GHz connection? It shouldn't affect things that much unless your saturating your ISP connection.

I tried to put it in wireless bridge but i realized my network is only 2.4ghz not 5ghz and no wireless ac so it didn't work.

 

so i have the  EDIMAX EW-7288APC 11AC  in AP mode connected to my 2.4ghz router through Ethernet, connected to my internet. So having it like that will give my network an Access Point with 5GHZ and wireless ac. For my older wifi devices like my ipad 3 and my computer is connected to my regular router and my newer devices like my iphone 6 plus to the AP. Usually, I have my ipad on the 2.4ghz connection and my iphone on the 5ghz connection. I am experiencing a little slow down. Even when only one of my devices is on the internet it is slow. So i took off the AP and the internet was significantly faster. Even with two devices using the internet simultaneously. What do you think is the problem? sorry if it is confusing.

[W-L]

4 hours ago, AlanAlan said:

I tried to put it in wireless bridge but i realized my network is only 2.4ghz not 5ghz and no wireless ac so it didn't work.

 

so i have the  EDIMAX EW-7288APC 11AC  in AP mode connected to my 2.4ghz router through Ethernet, connected to my internet. So having it like that will give my network an Access Point with 5GHZ and wireless ac. For my older wifi devices like my ipad 3 and my computer is connected to my regular router and my newer devices like my iphone 6 plus to the AP. Usually, I have my ipad on the 2.4ghz connection and my iphone on the 5ghz connection. I am experiencing a little slow down. Even when only one of my devices is on the internet it is slow. So i took off the AP and the internet was significantly faster. Even with two devices using the internet simultaneously. What do you think is the problem? sorry if it is confusing.

No I got what you meant, and tbh not sure why that really would be the case the AP shouldn't slow things down on the main router that significantly.