Anyone use a Wifi extender??

[EatMyShorts]

In my new apartment, I'm getting my neighbours wifi - but it only works in certain parts of the apartment - which is a real pain.

I know some wifi extenders work on the principle of being on the same electrical circuit which - with my neighbour - I'm obviously not.
Different apartments.

But can some just pick up the signal - then rebroadcast it??

 

[jefferz]

You sound poor

 

[EatMyShorts]

You sound poor

I'm poor regarding my knowledge of wifi extenders.

 

[SammyPops]

I rely on several extenders, but not for wifi.

 

[John Wang]

In my new apartment, I'm getting my neighbours wifi - but it only works in certain parts of the apartment - which is a real pain.

I know some wifi extenders work on the principle of being on the same electrical circuit which - with my neighbour - I'm obviously not.
Different apartments.

But can some just pick up the signal - then rebroadcast it??

Just get your own wifi bunny

 

[EatMyShorts]

Just get your own wifi bunny

what is a wifi bunny?

 

[John Wang]

what is a wifi bunny?

Just get your own wifi, bunny!*

sorry

 

[Doughbelly]

No. A wireless wifi extender is just a signal repeater.

 

[Organic Damage]

Misread title as Wife extender.

Kind of wish the thread was about that...

 

[P0NYBOY]

Added latency will suck the life out of any gaming.

You are also exposing your computer to possible intrusion.

 

[thetruth2709]

Yes they exist TS, I didnt know about it either, but my mom has one (that my brother bought for her) because she rents an apartment next to a big house, the owner of the house told her that she can use the wifi as part of the rent but since the modem is inside the house the signal is weak when it reaches my moms apartment.

They actually work pretty good, I mean Im not there all the time and my mom doesnt play games or stuff that would require a strong signal but for simple stuff, like watching youtube videos for example, it works. I didnt know they must be under the same electrical circuit, how would it recognize that its the same electrical circuit to begin with? Like I said Im not there all the time so I wouldnt know how "realiable" it is, but for what I have seen, it works

 

[God_Emperor_Of_Mankind]

In my new apartment, I'm getting my neighbours wifi - but it only works in certain parts of the apartment - which is a real pain.

I know some wifi extenders work on the principle of being on the same electrical circuit which - with my neighbour - I'm obviously not.
Different apartments.

But can some just pick up the signal - then rebroadcast it??

I bought the,
TP-LINK AC1750 Wi-Fi Range Extender (RE450)

I recommend it highly, it broadcasts both 5ghz and 2.4gh bands simultaneously if you need it. If your router supports only one band, that's fine too.
Excellent speeds, no drops in connectivity in my home.
Configuration takes a few seconds, you'll get a manual with it, it's very simple and frankly a lifesaver for me.

 

[CatchOmega]

Yes they exist TS, I didnt know about it either, but my mom has one (that my brother bought for her) because she rents an apartment next to a big house, the owner of the house told her that she can use the wifi as part of the rent but since the modem is inside the house the signal is weak when it reaches my moms apartment.

They actually work pretty good, I mean Im not there all the time and my mom doesnt play games or stuff that would require a strong signal but for simple stuff, like watching youtube videos for example, it works. I didnt know they must be under the same electrical circuit, how would it recognize that its the same electrical circuit to begin with? Like I said Im not there all the time so I wouldnt know how "realiable" it is, but for what I have seen, it works

Op is referring to a power line Ethernet adapter. Basically ethernet over power. It's hardwired from your modem/router to an electrical outlet, then the signal is passed via your electrical wiring to a secondary adapter that gets plugged into a power outlet in another room. Thus allowing you to hardwire your internet to another room without running any new lines.

They're hit or miss and sometimes require both adapters to be connected to the same electrical circut.

Conversely, a WiFi range extender will act as a repeater. Picking up a WiFi signal and amplifying it further. They're also hit or miss.

Hard wired ap's are the way to go, but easier said than done. It'll require you to run some cat5/6 but it is the absolute best solution for distributing wifi over large areas.

 

[EatMyShorts]

Op is referring to a power line Ethernet adapter. Basically ethernet over power. It's hardwired from your modem/router to an electrical outlet, then the signal is passed via your electrical wiring to a secondary adapter that gets plugged into a power outlet in another room. Thus allowing you to hardwire your internet to another room without running any new lines.

They're hit or miss and sometimes require both adapters to be connected to the same electrical circut.

Conversely, a WiFi range extender will act as a repeater. Picking up a WiFi signal and amplifying it further. They're also hit or miss.

Hard wired ap's are the way to go, but easier said than done. It'll require you to run some cat5/6 but it is the absolute best solution for distributing wifi over large areas.

The latter is what I'm after.

I don't want the powerline one - impractical.

Same boat as the dude above - nearby apartment, using their wifi, but it's range is short.

Cheap is good also.

The one quoted above looks ace but - it's $$$$

 

[n...not crazy]

It'll work better if you break into his place and run a patch cable.

 

[CatchOmega]

The signal would have to be good enough to extend it further, so if it only works in certain parts of your apartment idk how reliable it would be. Back home, my brother stays in the furthest room from the router and he was getting a really bad signal so I told him to get an extender. He tried putting it in his room so it would pick up the weak signal and amplify it but it wasn't really making a difference. I put it in the next room over with a better signal and he hasn't had any issues since. Sounds pretty similar to your situation, I'd say if you're going to get one, make sure it's of high caliber.

Yeah, if you don't have much signal to begin with, you're just amplifying garbage. Your devices will appear to have a strong wifi connection (full bars), because you're within sufficient range of your extender, but you won't actually have good connectivity because your extender is too far away from your router/modem.

You ideally want an extender in between where the router/modem is and where you want to range to be improved. That way it actually has sufficient connectivity to push forward.

 

[CatchOmega]

The latter is what I'm after.

I don't want the powerline one - impractical.

Same boat as the dude above - nearby apartment, using their wifi, but it's range is short.

Cheap is good also.

The one quoted above looks ace but - it's $$$$

You might be able to put an extender in their apartment on the wall closest to your suite. Assuming they've got good range in their place, that might be enough to push it forward and improve the range in your apartment.

Otherwise, putting the extender in your place when the signal is already shit might not really improve anything.

 

[EatMyShorts]

From what I understand - get a dual band?

I want to save money - so, cheapest dual band?

I'm assuming it will do the trick.... (?)

 

[rj144]

Get a cheap router than can install Tomato... and setup a wireless repeater/bridge. Problem solved.

Get your own internet though, man.

 

[rj144]

Yeah, if you don't have much signal to begin with, you're just amplifying garbage. Your devices will appear to have a strong wifi connection (full bars), because you're within sufficient range of your extender, but you won't actually have good connectivity because your extender is too far away from your router/modem.

You ideally want an extender in between where the router/modem is and where you want to range to be improved. That way it actually has sufficient connectivity to push forward.

If he puts at a location with a decent signal though, he's good. You can't just put it in a random spot.