Topic: WiFi extender

[Clive]

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.

[daveeb]

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.

[Simon]

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

[Clive]

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?

[Simon]

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.

[Clive]

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.

[Simon]

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.   

[Clive]

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. 

[Simon]

 

How many bloody floors has he got anyway?  Has he bought a tower block all to himself?   

[Clive]

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.   

[Simon]

 

[daveeb]

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.

[Simon]

So, the standard WiFi extenders would be the best solution, Dave?

[daveeb]

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.

[Clive]

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.