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WiFi Extender
Hi, I have Internet through Spectrum, and recently changed from their router to an R6700v3, as their new routers only broadcast one SSID for both bands. It gave me too many issues with smart plugs, lights etc and the Netgear did the job. Works great in the house (though I wonder about Spectrum's modem), but I'm trying to get WiFi in a 12x24 shed that has been drywalled with electric, air etc that the young bride is letting me use as my mancave!
I have an old N300, EX2700 connected out there, but often doesn't give me enough speed to stream TV, yet sometimes works fine. Question is, what is the best extender that will work well with the R6700?. Distance is about 50 feet which I know is not ideal, but if my 9 year old extender works at least sometimes, I'm hoping it's possible to at least get enough speed to watch TV! :-)
Or am I beating a dead horse? I've looked into mesh systems, but it seems as though they just use one SSID for both bands and I want them to be separate. Any suggestions on the best way to accomplish this? Thanks in advance!
Steve
You get good speed outside the building. The metal walls are blocking. Pretty normal for metal exteriors. They're great at blocking wifi.
option?
actually use 2 extenders. But mount the first one outside the building and connect an ethernet wire to it that you run inside the building. connect the 2nd extender inside the building and connect the ethernet wire to it and set it up in access point mode.
That'll allow you to have the speed the exterior device is having but hardwired to the inside. You might just want to put the exterior one in a weatherproof enclosure.
9 Replies
Try the extender at 30-40.
Any chance to run a CAT6 cable to the shed from the man house area?
Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately there is no easy way to run a cable. There is a screened in patio right behind the router, and a couple of cement slabs inbetween, one of which the shed is sitting on. Also, no place to put an extender part way as the only other electric is in the shed. I hate to get something without knowing if it will improve the signal, but thinking perhaps extenders have improved over the last nine years, just not sure which would work best with the router. But I'm an old fart so maybe something I'm not grasping! :-)
So the 2.4ghz band is the band that broadcasts the furthest and through the most materials.
Bad news is that its a slow network.
And extenders need a decent signal to function off.
So before upgrading to a different extender, I'd first take a phone/laptop and stand where the extender is.
See if you can get a decent 5ghz signal at that point and then test the speed to see what you get. (and post it back here)
A lot will depend on that speed. If its high enough, a decent dual band extender might help.
If its lower, then you might need to go to a triband extender to preserve the wireless backhaul speeds (dual/single bands drop throughput 50%)
If its to low, then you're going to need to look at a different method of getting a signal to the mancave. Whether that be powerline, using MoCa adapters, or even a point to point system.
