Wifi booster

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 21, 2013

Has anyone got suggestions for getting a useable wifi signal from the end of the garden (my laptop) to the house (the EE router)? I've just ordered something called Netgear "WN3000RP Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender' but I really can't tell from the product description that this will really work. I have my laptop set up in a garden shed/studio, quite a distance from the house. The Internet is so slow on it that I can click something on a web page (for example, the scroll bar) and literally make a cup of coffee waiting for it to move. If I bring the laptop into the house, it works fine so I don't think the laptop is malfunctioning. If I work offline, it's fine....but I really NEED to go online occasionally.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Please..... I'm desperate. Thanks.

Codegerm · Oct 21, 2013

First I would try moving your wireless router if possible. Sometimes a slight change in where it is located can work wonders, and is free. If you need a powered extender still, I suggest one of these. I have one.

Linksys N300 DualBand Wireless Range Extender RE2000 - Best Buy

It works quite well and also has an Ethernet port on it to connect hard wire stuff. It is simple to setup and once setup, you can just plug it in somewhere that falls between your router and where you want to extend the signal to.

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 21, 2013

Codegerm said:
First I would try moving your wireless router if possible. Sometimes a slight change in where it is located can work wonders, and is free. If you need a powered extender still, I suggest one of these. I have one.

Linksys N300 DualBand Wireless Range Extender RE2000 - Best Buy

It works quite well and also has an Ethernet port on it to connect hard wire stuff. It is simple to setup and once setup, you can just plug it in somewhere that falls between your router and where you want to extend the signal to.

Thanks for the link but I'm in England and our Best Buy just packed up and left!! Looking at the specs, however, it seems similar to the one I ordered so here's hoping it will do the job. I ordered it from the BIG box company so it should be here tomorrow.

Unfortunately I can't really move the router, so .... but it's really a straight shot down the garden to the cabin where my laptop sits. Big windows on both ends and no obvious obstructions. I haven't measured it, but would guess it's about 150 feet, maybe slightly more. Ahhh... why is it that on TV and in the movies, their wireless devices ALWAYS work, no matter where they are????

Codegerm · Oct 21, 2013

No worries, I am sure the one you ordered should work for you if the specs are similar to what you read on the one I linked to. For location of where to plug it in, I would take your laptop and bring it as far from the router as you can toward where you plan to use it, with it still having good signal, then plug in the extender near there.

That's TV and the movies for you. Wireless fluctuates in performance and is affected by things like weather, building structures, and even things like trees.

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 21, 2013

Codegerm said:
No worries, I am sure the one you ordered should work for you if the specs are similar to what you read on the one I linked to. For location of where to plug it in, I would take your laptop and bring it as far from the router as you can toward where you plan to use it, with it still having good signal, then plug in the extender near there.

That's TV and the movies for you. Wireless fluctuates in performance and is affected by things like weather, building structures, and even things like trees.

Thanks. I'll post an update when I get it.

Slug · Oct 22, 2013

Does your wireless router have removable antennae? If so you may be able to swap them for high-gain alternatives to increase the range.

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 23, 2013

Slug said:
Does your wireless router have removable antennae? If so you may be able to swap them for high-gain alternatives to increase the range.

Well, I don't know yet. I ordered it for next-day delivery, which should have arrived yesterday. Still no sign of it.......... grrrrr! I'll post an update when/IF it ever arrives!!!!

general eclect · Oct 24, 2013

I thought about various options for extending the Wi-Fi signal from the house out into the garden flat I moved into a couple of months ago and realised it would be cheaper and more efficient to simply run a cable, which I did. Works a charm.

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 24, 2013

general eclect said:
I thought about various options for extending the Wi-Fi signal from the house out into the garden flat I moved into a couple of months ago and realised it would be cheaper and more efficient to simply run a cable, which I did. Works a charm.

Thanks for your reply. Unfortunately, I'm trying to connect wirelessly so want to avoid cables if possible. Just out of curiosity, what kind of cable did you use and how long was it? The wifi booster I've ordered (and should get the replacement tomorrow...fingers crossed) was only

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 25, 2013

Update: finally got the Netgear Wifi Range Extender WN3000RP today and have attempted to install it. Unsuccessfully for my laptop, but strangely enough, it works fine with my Samsung Galaxy S4 phone! It shows, as does my laptop, a very good strong signal from the Extender, but the laptop won't connect. With the Galaxy, it was almost automatic!!

I've sent an email to tech support so, if you're interested, watch this space. If I hadn't seen that the Extender has such a good signal, I'd be tempted to give up....but not yet.

Codegerm · Oct 26, 2013

I have seen Windows laptops give problems like that before. I wiped out all the wireless connection info on the laptop and started fresh to get it running.

GalaxyS2Kent · Oct 26, 2013

Codegerm said:
I have seen Windows laptops give problems like that before. I wiped out all the wireless connection info on the laptop and started fresh to get it running.

Well, I've also connected my tablet (Asus TF801) and it connected just fine, like the smartphone. Both show a good strong signal (better than the PC in the house in fact) so I'm sure the wifi extender is working just fine. It's just my laptop. I've tried fooling with all the settings, deleting the connection to the router in the house, etc. but no joy.

Could it be I need a new wireless adapter? I wouldn't know how to replace it myself, but it's the only thing I can think of that would be the problem.

Codegerm · Oct 26, 2013

You could also try reinstalling the driver for it. If you replace the internal wireless adapter, it will depend on the laptop as to how difficult of a task that is going to be (some a more of a pain than others). Another option is to just use an external adapter that plugs into a USB port (USB 2.0 at least for wireless G and higher).

Unforgiven · Oct 27, 2013

I hope no minds, I slid this into the Computers & IT forum.

Rukbat · Nov 6, 2013

The extender has to be placed where it gets a good strong signal from both the wireless router AND the devices (laptop and S4) you want to connect. The speed at the extender will be about half that at the router itself - which normally isn't a problem, since the wireless signal is usually 54mb/s or more.

As far as wire (the best solution), hang a hook at each end, as high as possible. The type you hang a clothes-line pulley on. Using thimbles, hang a 1/4" (or metric equivalent) stainless aircraft cable between the hooks. Hang a CAT5 cable from that wire. (We use a single strand stainless steel wire wrapped around both.) Connect the house end to an Ethernet connector on the router. At the shed end, connect the cable to an Ethernet connector on a wireless router. (Not the "modem" connector, one of the "computer" connectors.) Set up the wireless at the shed on a different channel, with a different SSID, than the one at the house. You now have a solid wifi signal with full speed at the shed.

BTW, the longest wifi path I've heard of, IIRC, was on the order of 40km. Standard wifi routers, but huge antennas at each end. And, of course, it was line-of-sight. So 150 feet should be trivial.

GalaxyS2Kent · Nov 14, 2013

Just as a follow-up: first, thanks for all the suggestions. Second, what worked for me was the "Netgear WN3000RP Universal Wi-Fi Range Extender" (whew, that's a long name!). I plugged it into the socket in my cabin and it *almost* automatically set up for my tablet, my Galaxy S4, and my laptop. My laptop had a hiccup but it was MY fault as I'd used the wrong network key when trying to connect. I discovered it when I deleted the connection and started again. Doh!

And it only cost

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