Router or Repeater?

[broadbucket776]

Hello Everyone,

I have currently got a new ISP Connection and they gave me an ADSL Modem with Wifi. The problem is that the WIFI has really bad signal and barely covers a few rooms in my house. Anyway i have either two options. One would be to get a TP Link router that has a high range with 3 antennas and connect it to the current modem/wifi via Ethernet cable and keep it next to it to cover my house or i could get two Wifi repeaters and install them in different places in my house. What would be more efficient, easier to set up and give me a better connection and speed?

Thank you for your recommendations.

[Ken]

If you want "better connection and speed " get something like this:
http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/pa...:c|adp:1o5

I have one similar and use the socket behind my chair and connect direct to my laptop using an ethernet cable. I get full download speed without the usual losses that wireless usually gives.

Hope this helps.

[dan]

The WiFi repeaters/extenders are a better option.

Wireless signals are affected by many factors, including distance, dense walls, electrical interference such as microwave ovens, etc.

All of these factors will affect your actual wireless range. As wireless connection quality varies the connection speeds are renegotiated. The WLAN connection may start at 150 Mbps and end up at less than 20 Mbps or drop entirely.

Even a high gain router will have problem areas (dead spots) due to the WiFi limitations discussed above.

I have a high-end router and still use a Amped wireless access point to extend the wireless range.

Technically, a wireless access point requires a Ethernet connection, however a wireless range extender doesn't. True wireless access points connect to the router via Ethernet and then broadcast a wireless signal. However you have to check the specs carefully because many times wireless extenders are misrepresented as wireless access points.

WiFi Extenders plug in and regenerate WiFi signals to increase the wireless range of your router. The TP-LINK TL-WA850RE is the least expensive at around $30. http://isp1.us/reviews/tp-link-tl-wa850r...-extender/

They are easy to install and set-up, just locate them between the router and the area that needs a better WiFi signal.

As far as speed goes, any wireless connection will be somewhat slower than a wired Ethernet connection. Many times the convenience of a WiFi connection will outway the marginal decrease in speed. I still manage around a 65 Mbps Internet connection via a wireless connection from a wireless access point that I have added to my router.

I don't get much faster using a direct Ethernet connected computer.

That being said,

If you are a serious gamer WiFi latency and interference can cause your online interactive game to lag., you'll want a direct Ethernet connection or if that is not possible, use the powerline Ethernet adapters. Here is a overview of how they work. http://isp1.us/reviews/netgear-xavb2101-...e-adapter/ For gaming low, stable latency (ping time) and decent upload speed is more important than high download speed.

Good Luck.

[Richard]

Go for Powerline networking (see Ken's answer). One Powerline adapter plugs in to a power outlet near your router (I suspect your modem is actually a router with an integrated modem). The other adapter plugs in wherever it is needed, and can provide Ethernet or WiFi connections. There are different models (and makes) of Powerline system and you can add extra adapters as necessary (upto a total of around 7 adapters).

WiFi repeaters slow down the connection you can achieve. A repeater is a store and forward device. It receives a packet from the router, and then transmits the packet to the computer. The same happens in the reverse direction. If the computer does not receive any signal directly from the router, then there will be times when both the computer and the router transmit together. When this happens, the repeater will receive corrupt information as the packets collide. Both the computer and the router will each wait a random time and then repeat the transmissions. This will further slow down the WiFi connection.

I hope this helps.