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How can I improve the range of my Wi-Fi?

3 points by masdonte ↗ HN
Hi,

Since few weeks, my brother getting some trouble in his chamber with wifi, he cannot connect to the wifi because the walls of the house is terribly thick and heavy.

So are there any devices which improve the range of Wi-Fi. Should I get an AP, a new routeur, or something else ? I'm looking for a product with the best performance/price.

6 comments

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johnklos
1) Unplug your hardware and do a scan of wifi networks nearby and note the channel numbers and strengths of each network. Make sure you choose a channel that's neither the same nor close to what's used by the stronger networks you can see.

2) Consider turning off 5 GHz completely. 2.4 GHz has better penetration through walls and other obstacles, and the speed difference between 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz when you're closer to the access point is often irrelevant compared with the speed of your Internet connection.

3) If you buy additional equipment, do not buy a "repeater". They're usually crap and usually make things worse overall. Buy a device that can be a bridge - that is, that can act as an access point and not just as a "router" - and connect it to your primary device via ethernet, and situate that device closer to where you're having issues.

PaulHoule
I am a fan of Uniquiti’s routers which are designed to work together. In the end there is only so much range you can get out of a single router and you also get better performance out of multiple routers because they use different spectrum so your devices aren’t competing to access the same router.
gloyoyo
An extender, or run the antenna out the door.
LinuxBender
product with the best performance/price

This does not directly answer your question and it may not be an option, but if you can run an ethernet cable directly from your router to your brother then he could plug in directly or use a really cheap wifi at his end if he is not more than 100 meters away. A drill and caulking agent can get through the wall if it's not a rental or sneakily out a window/under doors/through vents if it isn't obvious to neighbors or landlords and not a tripping hazard.

madao666
I recently had issues with getting wifi up to my workshop, i considered several options like wiring up ( roughly 40-50m of cabling) I decided the easiest way ( and honestly the most ridiculous) was a full point to point antenna system, mikrotik has a very cheap solution for ap antennas For external use I would look at that if it’s applicable.
solardev
Run a mesh network with dedicated backhaul or wired connections.

Or try gigabit powerline