Solved Wifi problem

[ICIT2LOL]

I don't think I have asked already but I have shifted my main laptop to my living room and am having problems getting a signal. Now the problem is that the room is made of 10 inch thick solid brick walls and just one door into it from the modem direction.
I have also tried an extender but still have a very intermittent reception on 2.4Ghz with or without the extender.

But I can rig a second modem in my computer room which I have ordered a 2.4/5Ghz model and it would be very easy to run the old modem through from where the ADSL cable/line comes in to the old modem (placing it in the same room as the laptop) making it hopefully better for the laptop to pick up the signal.

Now does anyone know if I a going to run into difficulties doing that eg the modems conflicting? or is the new modem going to be the only thing to use?

 

[Barman58]

As long as you set the SSID to different names and set the working Channel far enough apart ( 1 and 13/14 ) you should have no issues

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Thanks Nigel hopefully it won't come to that but so I shall give it a go.

 

[Callender]

You might want to research "Powerline Network Adapters" aka "HomePlug"

You buy the kit which consists of a couple of adapters. You connect your router to one adapter via ethernet cable then plug in the other adapter in the room where you need the signal. Then you connect your device to the adapter via another ethernet cable. The signal travels via mains cable (the electrical wiring in your house) from the main adapter connected to your router to any other adapters that you've plugged into wall sockets.

My mother has this system as her router is too far away from other rooms in her house.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok Callender mate I have already tried doing that but only with the one adaptor - shall have to get another to plug into the room where the machine is then.

 

[Callender]

Sounds like you are using a wifi extender to boost the signal but that's not the same thing.

Here's an example of the homeplug (or powerline adapter) system.

XWNB5201 | Powerline | Networking | Home | NETGEAR

One unit plugs into the mains and your router. The other unit just plugs in anywhere in the room where you need a signal and you connect that unit to your device. The signal travels via electrical mains cable (the wiring in your house)

Some of the units can also output a wifi signal direct from the unit in the room where it is located so no need of an ethernet cable for wireless devices.

 

[PooMan UK]

This should solve all your problems AV500 Powerline Wi-Fi Kit - TP-Link

 

[Layback Bear]

I like Callender and PooMan UK idea.

I don't know why more people don't use them if needed.
I don't need such a things so I haven't ever tried them.

Such things have been on the market for years.

 

[ICIT2LOL]

That is really strange because I was just looking at that site from Callender and it stuck me that I am only using one extender so am thinking of getting a second one to compliment the Edimax one I have tried hooking up in both the room I have the machine and my computer room. I shall probably get this Netgear EX3700 AC750 WiFi Range Extender EX3700-100AUS | shopping express online as it has small aerials too. I am thinking the one with aerials mightbe better in the room where my machine is unless soemone reckons otherwise.
Now I also will think about doing what Pooman has sent too if this doesn't work.
For illustrating my scheme in my simple pic is the set up I have at my place - not to scale and some text I tried to get in the snip but it was too big

To go with pic
The black diamond is the ADSL line in, the red cross is my modem router, the small yellow circle is the machine I am trying to hook up via wifi.
The top area is the main building – thick wooden walls and the very bottom area is constructed of 10 inch thick brick. The area between was an open space before it was modified by covering in and making into a bathroom one side and a kitchen the other side – where the ADSL line comes in
The double [ ] symbols are doorways the top one into my computer room the next one opens downwards and towards a doorway into the lower part of the house - the next the doorway into the solid brick building.
The drawing is not to scale and the distance from the modem router to the machine in the brick building is around 10 metres

 

[chitownbob]

You don't need another "modem". You need a WAP or wireless access point. Sometimes its cheapest to buy a router and configure it as an access point, which means dhcp assigned by originating router. The trick is that WAP has to wired to router.

 

[TrustMe]

Hi ICIT2LO,

I believe you are still confusing wifi extenders with power line adapters. Wifi extenders (just one) are usually placed half way between your router and the room where you want to use your computer. What they do is extend the signal of your router. It may be possible to use 2 wifi extenders but I never heard of it.

Think of a power line adapter as a network cable running from your router to the room with your computer. It's like you ran a physical network cable but they use the power lines in your house. You should do a YouTube search on Power Line adapters and their installation.

If you used a power line adapter, you could just use a network cable from the adapter in the computer room to your laptop. If you still want to use wifi, like chitownbob said, I think you need a access point. I've never used a access point so I'm not sure how they work but again I would do a YouTube search.

 

[chitownbob]

Yes its possible to run multiple extenders.

 

[chitownbob]

Yes its possible to run multiple extenders.
wireless networking - Is it possible to have multiple repeaters in a network with just 1 uniform SSID? - Super User
But a few points.
First, most extenders are inexpensive and have one radio to send and receive. If you have multiple extenders this could add significant latency. A way around this would be by purchasing more expensive dual band extenders (aka boosters), with two radios capable of sending while receiving.
My preference is still to add a WAP if possible, but sometimes cabling cat5e or cat 6 ethernet to your required location is impossible.
Powerline is a viable option although I have heard speed can be unreliable if your wiring is poor. But its cheap enough to take a chance on.

 

[Layback Bear]

John I would suggest that using a outlet tester first. The outlet needs to be correct.

Some examples:

Amazon.com: outlet receptacle tester

 

[torchwood]

just bought a really cheap extender on Ebay.


Roy

 

[ICIT2LOL]

John I would suggest that using a outlet tester first. The outlet needs to be correct.

Some examples:

Amazon.com: outlet receptacle tester

Ok Jack mate I have one of those testers knocking around somewhere and yes the house wiring is - well complicated at best because over the years the old place (125 years old) has had numerous additions to the electrical setup some I have done (via guidance from my ex brother in law's instructions) but while I have done exactly as he has said to do there are things I find that have been done well before my alterations that would not be something I would even contemplate, and even have had to correct myself.
I know for a fact that there are three separate wiring systems throughout the old place and the circuits I have not put in personally I have found to run wherever some lunatic has decided to put them.

Now the power circuit to the room where the machine is - is run off a different circuit breaker than the circuit breaker for the computer room but I am guessing if these systems are essentially connected together if taken back to the power company's main power board the signal I want to run via the power lines should in theory work - of course I stand to be corrected though.

What I have learnt though from the feedback (much appreciated to all of you folks) is that what I thought was going to be just a simple matter of putting in extenders in fact turns out to be one can use one of three different methods of doing what I want to happen.

I believe you are still confusing wifi extenders with power line adapters.

Yes I thought they were one and the same as mentioned above

I would rather use the power line method as first choice because of the less need to run extra cables.

Well better get looking around for those now, and thanks to you all for the heads up.
John

 

[ICIT2LOL]

just bought a really cheap extender on Ebay.


Roy

Yes have seen that one and all in nice Lego plastic:roflmao:

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Ok had a look around and it seems to me that there are a lot of things that will affect the powerline method not least the state of the wiring in the house.

I see there are the kits that have an Ethernet cable at each end which is an option but not exactly what I would like. Another is one adaptor that connects to the router and the other that will use a wifi function - more what I would like.

The only thing that I am concerned about now is that one has to plug the adaptors into unprotected outlets as I am thinking what would happen if they got hit with a power surge is that going to backtrack to my modem router and the system as such and / or fry the adaptors??

 

[Layback Bear]

With a old house with questionable wiring I understand your concern.
How far away will the cable have to be to hard wire your extended computer?
That very well might be your best option.

Jack

 

[ICIT2LOL]

Yes Jack well mate it would be at least 30 - 40 metres and it would entail draping the cable through doorways and across walls etc it certainly would not be pretty if not pretty unpractical. I could even run the cable through the roof space I suppose but not being young and fit anymore it would be quite an undertaking for me.

I shall keep trying different solutions and hopefully the new modem router when it gets here will have a decent signal strength it is one with three aerials ( hopefully high gain ones) as the one I currently use only has one and that I only have had installed for the last few months. The current modem is also really quite old now and I have used it with just Ethernet cabling up to now.

Now I suspect in what you did in your career you might have some experience with aerials and could offer some tips. As it is I have built yagi and phase array aerials (for TV reception) in the past and have a little knowledge of wave frequencies and working out the element measurements for those sort of aerials. I did think of maybe I could even build a reflector system to direct the wifi signal if I could work out dish dimensions and the like. It too would not be pretty but less so than draping cable through the house.
Anyway I shall research that line of attack to see what I can come up with.

As of now I think my options are the two adaptors one being wifi and installing the old modem in that room because it only entails boring through the wall from the line access point as in my pic then hopefully given no hiccups it would fill the room with wifi - plus I was thinking maybe it could be hooked to the TV as well by cable.