boost wireless signal strength?

Basically, this is my GF's parents house, and without spending a ton of money, I'm trying to make it wireless for them. The current router and modem are on the first floor in (effectively) the southeast corner of the house, a wireless desktop has been setup in (effectively) the northeast corner of the house. The signal strength is weak, at best in the northeast corner of the house. Therefore, I'd like to improve that signal (or reception of that signal) in the northeast corner of the house.

I installed this Buffalo Technology Wireless-G High Speed Router Model # WHRG125,[=http//www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Buffalo-Technology-Wireless-G-High-Speed-Router-WHR-G125/sem/rpsm/oid/184832/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?linkid=j13459594k3787&affiliateid=k3787&mid=FW5vvgsq]Buffalo Technology Wireless-G High Speed Router Model # WHRG125, on comcast HSI. I'm getting a weak signal on the other side of the house, and I can't really move the router I already installed, nor, do I want to use dd-wrt in this case. I thought an access point/repeater would be the easiest fix.

I don't want to run cat5 up there, nor can I really move the modem and router from where they are now, so I thought that a repeater / AP or a antenna booster type thing would be a simple solution to increasing the strength of the signal.

[i4e07be1f4a]yes, I've combined several posts to make this thread make more sense.[/i4e07be1f4a]

Saw this[=http//www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344149&cmid=dsr&ref=dsr&cm_ven=Performics&cm_cat=liliSlick%20Dealslili&cm_pla=General&cm_ite=generic%20120gb]this on SD for $4AR but it might be a piece of crap although the reviews seem to hover around 4/5.

[quoteba8a111ba0="hehehhehe"]Saw this[=http//www.compusa.com/products/product_info.asp?product_code=344149&cmid=dsr&ref=dsr&cm_ven=Performics&cm_cat=liliSlick%20Dealslili&cm_pla=General&cm_ite=generic%20120gb]this on SD for $4AR but it might be a piece of crap although the reviews seem to hover around 4/5.[/quoteba8a111ba0]

that router cannot function as an access point/repeater, I am pretty sure.

Ah, my bad then.

Also saw this[=http//www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=3176989&Sku=L48-2415&SRCCODE=SHOPPINGDF&CMP=OTC-SHOPPING]this for $30 recertified, it will act as an AP but it doesn't take dd-wrt.

The first one can too. I have a similar wireless router that I use. You just need to plug your internet connection into one of the 4 ports of the switch; not the internet port. Then your ip if you use dhcp will just be passed through. The first one would work no problem.

hehehhehe, that's actually exactly the one I was looking at.

I installed this Buffalo Technology Wireless-G High Speed Router Model # WHRG125,[=http//www.circuitcity.com/ssm/Buffalo-Technology-Wireless-G-High-Speed-Router-WHR-G125/sem/rpsm/oid/184832/rpem/ccd/productDetail.do?linkid=j13459594k3787&affiliateid=k3787&mid=FW5vvgsq]Buffalo Technology Wireless-G High Speed Router Model # WHRG125, on comcast HSI.I'm getting a weak signal on the other side of the house, and I can't really move the router I already installed, nor, do I want to use dd-wrt in this case. I thought an access point/repeater would be the easiest fix.

I don't use wireless routers, my router is a Linux box. I use AP's exclusively for wifi. Dedicated AP's (bridges) perform better than routers and simplify network architecture by eliminating the extra subnet and routing. They also typically have better radios with increased range. That's also why AP's are typically more expensive than routers, despite the fact that a router would seem to be a technically more complex device. The one wifi router I do own (a Buffalo Hi-Power WHR-HP-G54) has a hard switch that switches it between router and AP/bridge mode, and that's how I use it.

[quoted7a3d7ee55="ILoveToys"]The first one can too. I have a similar wireless router that I use. You just need to plug your internet connection into one of the 4 ports of the switch; not the internet port. Then your ip if you use dhcp will just be passed through. The first one would work no problem.[/quoted7a3d7ee55]
Huh? I'm not sure I follow, but if I get what you're saying, I'm certain that won't work in every case. There are different types of internet connections, and some require things like routing and PPPoE negotiation to be handled, which is typically the job of a router and happens only on the WAN interface -- not the LAN switch/hub ports. Any sort of connection between a local LAN subnet and a public internet subnet is going to require routing SOMEWHERE, not just a switch/hub connection.

I realize that, but I took it he already had a router that was taking care of his ISP. I simply use the switch side of my wireless router to work as an AP that is connected to my wired router. I have vonage, and they gave me a wired router so I dealt w/ what I had.

Gotcha. That makes more sense, then.

hrm, I'm confused now. Will a a second wireless router not serve my purpose as an access point/repeater?

[quote102ae7cc93="doylnea"]hrm, I'm confused now. Will a a second wireless router not serve my purpose as an access point/repeater?[/quote102ae7cc93]
That $4 will work as an AP if you plug the cable going to the ISP in one of the 4 switch ports (actually kind of clever), but only if the ISP is setup to allow that. In any case, that won't apply to your situation unless you can draw a cable from your main router to the second one, in which case the $4 one should work as an AP.

I read up on the $30 one from TD and I don't think it would work for you either, sorry (again). It doesn't do WDS. I brought up dd-wrt since it would allow you to use the router as a repeater. My first thought was that you could get a cheap fonera off ebay and flash it with dd-wrt, but they aren't as cheap as they used to be.

Basically, this is my GF's parents house, and without spending a ton of money, I'm trying to make it wireless for them. The current router and modem are on the first floor in (effectively) the southeast corner of the house, a wireless desktop has been setup in (effectively) the northeast corner of the house. The signal strength is weak, at best in the northeast corner of the house. Therefore, I'd like to improve that signal (or reception of that signal) in the northeast corner of the house.

I don't want to run cat5 up there, nor can I really move the modem and router from where they are now, so I thought that a repeater / AP would be a simple solution to increasing the strength of the signal.

I have a new Fonera sitting around, and I was about to put it up on eBay actually. Given what I've written above, could I use the Fonera as is, or with a flash to DD-WRT to boost the signal strength to the northeast corner of the house?

Oh, if you already had an unused fonera I would definitely try it out. Like I said, that was the first thing I thought of so I should've mentioned it earlier lol.

Yes, you can use it as a repeater for your situation if you flash it to dd-wrt from what I've read[=http//www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=21975&sid=94172d3b528bf3cc4f41974b67169e6b]from what I've read. I don't know about using it as is though.

Sounds like you want a wireless bridge/range extender. Most AP's can be configured that way, but I'm not sure which wifi routers will work like that, as I don't deal with them. But you seem to be getting some sound advice on that from others. Since you have an unused Fonera lying around I'd certainly try that approach first.

Could someone point me a forum, or place where I can read up about flashing the F0nera to ddwrt and using it as a repeater?

For a repeater & access point, (for D-Link products), I use the DWL-G800AP. It works. For the router across the street...D

I followed this guide for flashing
http//uselesshacks.com/?p=23[]http//uselesshacks.com/?p=23

It was given in our fonera thread and thought it was the easiest to follow (a lot of pics).

There's the dd-wrt forum, where there seems to be a windows GUI tool to flash (a lot easier) but you'll have to see if it matches your fonera kernel version.
http//www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=89286[]http//www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?p=89286
You could probably lurk around there to find what you need.

So I've given up on flashing the fonera.

To extend the range of a router, would it be better to buy a powered antenna for the router, or a repeater to install midway between the router and the computer I'm trying to connect?

I'm looking at something like those sold here http//microcenter.com/search_results_e.phtml?coordinate_group=JB7N&new_search=TRUE

Thanks in advance.

DD-WRT is where it is at. Only problem with boosting the signal with DD-WRT is the signal gets a little muddy depending on how much you boost it. If you want to play around, you can try making extenders. I've made a few of these and find they work better than you'd expect when extending wifi.

http//www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/index.html

http//www.instructables.com/id/DIY-WIFI-Antenna-Reception-Booster/

thanks for popping in Fugger. I might try one of those paper directional antennas to see if they work.

D

Paper? Nah, you've gotta wrap them in foil to make them work properly, paper won't reflect the signal enough to get a real boost.

I use this method. My office is also at the other side of my house.


http//cgi.ebay.com/Networking-Solution-READY-TO-USE-Linksys-router-WRT54_W0QQitemZ150203542910QQihZ005QQcategoryZ11175QQtcZphotoQQcmdZViewItem#ebayphotohosting

I feed 3 more friends my Linux Server access. One of them is about 3 miles away..

good luck