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WiFi Dead Spots.... Extenders vs Access Points
Installed the NetGear R6300V2 router, in hopes of getting wifi throiughout the house. Main floor, upstairs, full basement. Surprise, surprise....signal is non-existent in the basement and spotty upstairs. So much for the wonder router solution...........
Plan B: extenders or access points. @#$%^&**(?? What is the difference and how do they differ? The main signal source to the modem and router is in the office, which is in the far corner of the main floor. Not really feasable to relocate them. Do the extenders have to be be connected to the device with an Ethernet cable? Or, are they truly wireless? Does one of the units have to be connected to the router? If thats the case, then I'd need 2 other extenders......1 for upstairs and 1 for the basement?
An extender will communicate with the base station and client devices wirelessly, it relays wireless communication between remote client devices and the base station. Newer model extenders are dual band and can use one band to communicate with the base station, and the other band for client devices, this improves throughput. Extenders can be difficult to set in the optimal position such that the communication with the base station is strong and also the communication with remote clients is strong. This compromise can be difficult to achieve and is often skewed by the physical layout of the house (e.g. the optimum location could be half way up the stairs).
Access Points use a wired connection back to the base station. Running a cable can be an issue, but if it’s possible then APs are often easier to set up, and offer better throughput / reliability than extenders.
A good alternative could be to use Powerline products; there are a variety of types. Some offer just an Ethernet connection at each end and this would be useful if you already own an AP (or some routers / extenders can be set up as APs). One end connected by Ethernet to the base station, the remote end connects to the AP, communication between the two devices is over the house mains wiring. There are also models of Powerline adaptors which provide a WiFi Access Point at the remote end, e.g.
http://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/networking/powerline/XWNB5201.aspx
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An extender will communicate with the base station and client devices wirelessly, it relays wireless communication between remote client devices and the base station. Newer model extenders are dual band and can use one band to communicate with the base station, and the other band for client devices, this improves throughput. Extenders can be difficult to set in the optimal position such that the communication with the base station is strong and also the communication with remote clients is strong. This compromise can be difficult to achieve and is often skewed by the physical layout of the house (e.g. the optimum location could be half way up the stairs).
Access Points use a wired connection back to the base station. Running a cable can be an issue, but if it’s possible then APs are often easier to set up, and offer better throughput / reliability than extenders.
A good alternative could be to use Powerline products; there are a variety of types. Some offer just an Ethernet connection at each end and this would be useful if you already own an AP (or some routers / extenders can be set up as APs). One end connected by Ethernet to the base station, the remote end connects to the AP, communication between the two devices is over the house mains wiring. There are also models of Powerline adaptors which provide a WiFi Access Point at the remote end, e.g.
http://www.netgear.co.uk/home/products/networking/powerline/XWNB5201.aspx