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| party monkey Member Since: 31 Dec 2010 Location: Oxon. Posts: 1311   
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A sense check request from the IT gurus on here please.
At home, I have a BT home hub 3 that provides both wireless and ethernet internet connectivity (via Cat5e cabling, not those plug in adapter jobbies) around the house. The problem I have is that in some areas of the house, both downstairs and upstairs, there is a Wireless blackspot. Two of the wifi limited kids bedrooms are wired for ethernet connections If wanted to extend the wireless network to cover these blackspots..... a) I assume given I have proper ethernet cabling to the bedrooms, a wireless access point located in one of them is a better solution than one of the wifi signal boosters that just seem to sling shot the existing signal from the home hub? b) If my assumption to a) is correct, is this the type of thing I should go for? http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA901ND...b_title_ce Somebody once told me that some broadband modem/routers can be configured to run as an access point. Any truth in this (I only ask as I have a reasonably modern spare modem/router, which could possibly be reconfigured and could save me the cost of the new AP) c) If I set up this 'hotspot' upstairs, am I right in thinking that I'll have two wifi signals in the house (original home hub + hotspot) or is the hoptspot simply an extension of home hub? If two signals, presumably I need to set different broadcast channels? d) Am I just massively over-complicating things and there is a more simple answer? If so, what is it please ? I hope that makes sense. Would welcome your views. Many thanks Jon - 110 td5 [sold]. Currently Defenderless. |
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18th Jan 2014 12:25am |
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| Cheshire110 Member Since: 26 Jul 2013 Location: London Posts: 2788 
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Apple airport express are really good
Can create new network or extend, either from Ethernet or from existing wifi signal Sure there are other brands similar, but in general I've learned that apple are usually just best. Cheers, David Land Rovers of all shapes S3 onwards… Daily is a 110 V8. |
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18th Jan 2014 12:30am |
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| JWL Member Since: 26 Oct 2011 Location: Hereford Posts: 3443 
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I wonder what are the possibilities of the house wiring type thing being able to extend via the wiring to my garage as it is all "conneceted" at the consumer box. That would certainly extend the range of my BT home hub to where it would be usefull
Knowing me with my understanding of this computrickery, I'll be trying to plug my USB bits into the mains wall sockets  |
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18th Jan 2014 1:15am |
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| danridge Member Since: 28 May 2013 Location: Bath Posts: 438 
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That's what I use and would recommend. Called Homeplugs they use your existing electrical sockets/circuit as an ethernet network. They work really well.
I have my Broadband router one end of my house and I extent my network to the back of the house where my office with these. I have another wifi homeplug which acts as a wifi access point that I plug in the attic if guests come to stay or into a socket near the garden in the summer to extends the wifi wherever I want it. As long as you have a plug socket handy its very flexible. Here's what I have: #1 I have this one http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline-500av-piggy.htm (cable from my router goes into this one). Its a piggy back one so so you dont lose a socket. #2 Then this one http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline-500av-4pe.htm in my office as it has 4 ethernet ports like a little hub/switch so good for PC's, xbox etc #3 Then this wifi one http://www.solwise.co.uk/net-powerline-av-pew-n.htm that can be moved around wherever I need it. Couple of things. 1) You need a pair of homeplugs to start with (one next to your broadband router and one elsewhere were you need it. You can then add more as required. 2) I think there are issues with these if the electricity ring where you put the 2nd/3rd etc homeplugs is different to the ring the 1st one is on. Example and extension or similar. Any Q's just shout  |
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18th Jan 2014 1:33am |
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| diesel_jim Member Since: 13 Oct 2008 Location: hiding Posts: 6199 
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We use the homeplug things at work sometimes on some of the digi jukeboxes that have slave units or update over the inteweb.
They work really well. Eventhough in the paperwork they say the transmitter & receiver should be on the same ringmain, we've had them working between buildings! And we've had the receiver then plugged into a wireless router, that worked OK. |
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18th Jan 2014 7:33am |
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| couplands Member Since: 31 Aug 2011 Location: Peak District & Cornwall Posts: 1830 
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Yes, you can run a wireless broadband router as a repeater. I use an old Netgear router in exactly this way with my BT Homehub3. If you're reasonably tech savvy it's not too hard.
Like you, I have Cat5 to most rooms in the house, so it's easy then to add the router to the wired network. I have both routers use the same SSID, so my devices just move seamlessly between the two hotspots. If you're interested I could find the How-to guides...I got them off the web via a Google search. Cheers Simon |
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18th Jan 2014 7:54am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11327
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Another thumbs up for Solwise Homeplugs. I used a pair in my previous house to provide internet in my workshop that was about 25m away and powered via a separate circuit on the house dis. board. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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18th Jan 2014 8:45am |
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| party monkey Member Since: 31 Dec 2010 Location: Oxon. Posts: 1311
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Thanks for the replies folks
Couplands - it sounds to me like you have the set up that I'm trying to get to. I'll have a go at re configuring the old router and will set the SSIDs the same. Will have a google for the how-to guides ... Cheers 
On the homeplugs.... for sure that concept would be great for rooms where I don't have a wired connection but my logic was that I already have wired ethernet points in two bedrooms where I have no wifi. That said though, like JWL, putting internet access in the the garage using these plug in adapters could be rather handy... Jon - 110 td5 [sold]. Currently Defenderless. |
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18th Jan 2014 9:14am |
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| LandRoverAnorak Member Since: 17 Jul 2011 Location: Surrey Posts: 11327
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Sorry, should have explained a bit more: the Homeplugs also extend the wireless coverage. You plug one end into the router and the other end (or ends) have built in wireless transmitters as well as fixed ethernet points. Darren
110 USW BUILD THREAD - EXPEDITION TRAILER - 200tdi 90 BUILD THREAD - SANKEY TRAILER - IG@landroveranorak "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought!" - Princess Leia |
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18th Jan 2014 9:23am |
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| danridge Member Since: 28 May 2013 Location: Bath Posts: 438
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The benefit of using the home plug Wi-Fi adapter over the wifi router config'd as an access point really is the size and the space it consumes. The home plug is a neat little package that simply plugs into the socket whereas the Router needs plugging in cable somewhere to put the Router.
If you do have an old Wi-Fi Router that you can configure as an access point and you've got ethernet in the room is already in that certainly would be the cheapest way to do this
Good to hear the Solwise plugs have been tested ok a cross different ring mains. |
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18th Jan 2014 9:34am |
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| Macpaul Member Since: 26 Mar 2013 Location: SW Surrey Posts: 439 
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I've got three Devolo powerline adaptors around the house and they're great.
Speed is very good (no probs downloading from iPlayer and to Sky box) despite having both 40 year old and new wiring in the house. For domestic purposes, I think these things render cabling redundant. Unless you've already got it.... 2003 Td5 110 Hardtop Now a 2013 110 USW too. |
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18th Jan 2014 9:39am |
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| me@td5.org Member Since: 16 Jan 2011 Location: Warwick Posts: 856 
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Your existing cabling is best. Powerline carriers are great where you don't have cabling. Re-using your old router as a WAP should work fine with the work you describe however why try to match the SSID when your computer will remember as. Many networks as you might want to see. That should remove any confusion if you are somewhere in the house where both are available. www.td5.org
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18th Jan 2014 9:44am |
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| AWOL Member Since: 31 Oct 2013 Location: UK Posts: 222 |
That's what I do... speed isn't great (around 1/6 of what they claim) when doing that. It's about a 25m run that goes via the consumer unit. Have it hooked up to a wireless access point so that I have wifi in the garage. For the OP, a wireless access point on your ethernet would be the way I'd go. The homeplug things just can't compete with ethernet for speed and stability. |
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18th Jan 2014 9:44am |
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| Mean Green Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: South Ayrshire Posts: 280 
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Can you mix brands of mains boxes on the same ring? I have a pair of comtrend powerline adapters set up and working well, but like many others fancy wifi in the garage. If I bought a single adpter like the wifi one in the link above would it detect the signal from the comtrend at my router?
I dont might spending £25 quid but am too tight to justify £75 just for access in the garage. |
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18th Jan 2014 10:18am |
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