I live on a property with a main house, and 4 small metal sided "huts" about 100 feet away. I currently have a single NetGear N600 in the main house. It delivers a strong WiFi signal within the main house, but a weak signal to two of the huts, and no signal to the other two.
First option: Is there a single NetGear router that has a much stronger signal than the N600? The literature doesn't list signal strength for the N600, so I can't tell how much stronger a WAG102 might be. Which NetGear router has the strongest signal in the $100-200 range?
Second option: Is it possible to hardwire via a Cat-5 cable two wireless routers (one in the house, one in a hut) that could both act at WAP for laptops etc at both locations? Or could they be connected wirelessly? A single WAP in the middle of the compound is not an option because the salt air would destroy it.
plenty of hardware etc that you will need to optimized then buying home end routers
Second option: Is it possible to hardwire via a Cat-5 cable two wireless routers (one in the house, one in a hut) that could both act at WAP for laptops etc at both locations? Or could they be connected wirelessly? A single WAP in the middle of the compound is not an option because the salt air would destroy it.
OBX = Outer Banks? We are planning a visit there this fall (from the Charlotte Area).
The antenna option June suggested is good. I was looking at the Netgear ant2409 antenna, which is outdoor rated, and can be run many meters such as perhaps near the middle of the compound (although the longer the cable, the less effective power you will end up with).
No personal experience with it vs the enGenius or other brands, however.
As Bob suggested in another thread you may/will want to use 2 of them (please search on this to confirm for your setup).
The alternative you mentioned to add a second WAP via Cat5 cable will also work, but there is a bit of configuration involved to make the two WAPs work properly together.
You can also use a range extender, which repeats the signal from the "first" WAP. This works wirelessly, but some I have seen can also be wired. Wireless will cut the bandwidth down since it is repeating the signal (my VERY simple explanation...)
Another option is an upgrade kit for the N600 that is available on eBay, but looks like it involves a significant amount of work inside the guts of the WAP and drilling a few holes through the case, but ends up adding 2 - 4 external antennas. No idea if it works, how effective it would end up being, etc. Also looks like it would certainly void the warranty. And have potential to wreck the N600. So I am not recommending it; just pointing out that someone is selling it on eBay and each person should judge of they are capable of performing the mods without destroying his or her WAP.
