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Forum Discussion
Looking For Wifi Extender Recommendation To Replace WN2500RP
currently using a Netgear WN2500RP to extend wifi in my home and it does a pretty good job. but because of the design and layout of the house the farthest room from the router and extender has minimal/spotty coverage. i have configured the extender to use the same SSID as the router to keep things simple.
the 2500 uses an internal antenna and i'm wondering if i were to replace it with an extender with external antennas would make for better coverage in that room. a requirement is that i can set the SSID to the same used by the router.
recommendations?
7 Replies
What router (manufacturer and model) are you using? If you have a newer dual-band router with 802.11ac, it would make sense to get an extender with similar capability/speed.
A model with external antennas might have more reach, but you might need to go with multiple extenders. One of the "mesh extender" models would make sense then, since it is intended for that. One caveat is that the mesh extender features are pretty new, and there are issues being reported here with the current firmware. Though I believe Netgear will resolve those (hopefully soon).
One option (though more expensive than adding or replacing an extender) is to use an Orbi system to get whole-house coverage.
StephenB wrote:
What router (manufacturer and model) are you using? If you have a newer dual-band router with 802.11ac, it would make sense to get an extender with similar capability/speed.
A model with external antennas might have more reach, but you might need to go with multiple extenders. One of the "mesh extender" models would make sense then, since it is intended for that. One caveat is that the mesh extender features are pretty new, and there are issues being reported here with the current firmware. Though I believe Netgear will resolve those (hopefully soon).
One option (though more expensive than adding or replacing an extender) is to use an Orbi system to get whole-house coverage.
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good morning, stephen. the router here is a MediaAccess TV8305C (Comcast). docs say it is an 802.11 b/g/n. don't want to replace the current modem/router if at all possible. our "landline" phone service is also provided by Comcast. my first thought was to add a second extender but i'm thinking to just replace the current 2500RP and see if that helps.
rk911 wrote:
the router here is a MediaAccess TC8305C (Comcast). docs say it is an 802.11 b/g/n. don't want to replace the current modem/router if at all possible.That is an older router model that is 2.4 Ghz only. Using an Orbi as an access point would give you whole house coverage and better wifi - you'd still keep your current router, all you'd do is turn off it's WiFi.
If you want to stick with extenders, then an N300 or N600 is the right speed grade. I don't think any of those models will give you more reach over what you already have.
So I am thinking that you should add a PLPW1000. That would extend your network over your house's electrical wiring. There are two modules - you'd put one at your router (connecting it with ethernet), and then plug in the WiFi module in the room that has poor coverage. Cost is somewhat higher than an extender, but I think powerline is more likely to solve your problem.
