A second router?

[Valley_]

I've been toying with the idea of using a powerline adapter which leads upstairs where my internet connection is poor, and I was wondering if I could plug in a second router on the other end of the powerline adapter so give upstairs good wifi connection (sorry I am shit at explaining)

[Oshino Shinobu]

What you're looking for is an access point, not a whole router, which has an access point built in. 

 

Have a look at Ubiquiti's UAP line of access points, they're very good. 

[Valley_]

4 minutes ago, Oshino Shinobu said:

What you're looking for is an access point, not a whole router, which has an access point built in. 

 

Have a look at Ubiquiti's UAP line of access points, they're very good. 

My friend mentioned that I should just plug a WiFi extender in using the powerline adapter, which does make sense to me. Would that work? Sounds easier 

 

edit:ty for responding

[Oshino Shinobu]

8 minutes ago, GlynDavies said:

My friend mentioned that I should just plug a WiFi extender in using the powerline adapter, which does make sense to me. Would that work? Sounds easier 

WiFi extenders with ethernet ports are normally designed to operate as a wireless bridge rather than providing a WiFi signal while connected to the network through ethernet. 

 

Just so you know, if it is connected to the network via ethernet and then providing a wireless signal, it's acting as an access point, not a WiFi extender, which takes a WiFi signal and "boosts" it. An access point connects to the network via ethernet and then provides a WiFi signal for devices to connect to. 

 

Setting up an access point (AP) and a WiFi extender (which would basically be acting as an access point by the sounds of things) is pretty much the same process. You just connect the AP via ethernet, go into its settings and set the SSID and password (basically the network name and password) and you're done. Many have additional options if you want to tweak things, but in order to get it up and running, that's all you need to do. 

 

Better to get a dedicated access point rather than a device that happens to be able to act as one as a side function. Also, WiFi extenders are generally pretty bad, partly due to how they operate and partly due to manufacturers skimping on hardware because they know it's what people who don't know networking are going to buy. There's quite a lot of misleading advertising on consumer grade networking equipment, such as powerline adaptors advertising 500Mbps bandwidth but only using 100Mbps ports. 

[The_Askinator]

5 minutes ago, GlynDavies said:

My friend mentioned that I should just plug a WiFi extender in using the powerline adapter, which does make sense to me. Would that work? Sounds easier 

 

edit:ty for responding

Should be, just make sure it supports dual band AC wifi.

[jnic]

if you have a spare router you can connect one of the LAN ports on it (not WAN or sometimes labeled as internet) through and ethernet cable to the powerline adapter, and just by disabling DHCP on the router it becomes a access point.

[jnic]

here is a good tutorial if you need it