Home Internet signal booster

[Will L.]

So, my new to me house built in the 50's is block and brick. We use direct tv with their Internet service. I need a booster to get the signal better into 2 of the rooms, and have no clue where to start. If I am anywhere I the rest of the house signal is '4 bars' -max capable. In the 2 far bedroom it is 1 at best.

Any gurus with advice?

 

[schiker]

I tried a product called Extender and don't recommend it.

It plugs into my ATT DSL router with a network cable and into an electrical outlet. Then uses the whole wiring system to conduct to a transmitting box. You plug the transmitter box at a location the router has a weak signal and its suppose to connect to the router through house electrical wiring. Anyway mine the main router is still the better signal even though it is weak far from the router and you are nearer the transmitter box. And then a mobile device (ipad) has to switch Wifi signals and doesn't seem to do it seamlessly. Good luck let us know if you figure out a decent booster system I want one too.

Maybe the technology has changed mine is ~6 yrs old. Seems there is market for such a device.

 

[btfarm]

DTV internet is expensive. I'd recommend tying your internet to your phone it your provider has a decent signal. We have Verizon for the Android phones and a WiFi hotspot tied to the plan. Excellent high speed signal

Sent from my SCH-I535

 

[CtChevy427]

I currently use a Linksys N300.

 

[WarWagon]

I would just hard wire another wireless access point. Nothing will get very far through the slightly damp brick. If you can get to the attic run a cat 6 cable up there. Run the wires through the ceiling and mount a wireless access point in the room or hallway outside the rooms. Unless you want to put the equipment in a small fridge and run an external antenna: the equipment won't last running in hot attic where you live.

 

[Will L.]

Thanks all!

I'll avoid the "extender".

The direct tv was negotiated for free for the first 2 years, so we are stickin w/ it for now. We use Verizon for our cells as well- I agree great service but we don't pay for the unlimited use so when at the house everything goes to the dtv to save minutes/data. Going this way we are consistently at 85-95% of usage each month.

I'll check out the Linksys

I don't know 2 wireless spots could be done like that on this system- the installer said right after doing everything to get a signal booster from online that the one from them was 4 times the fair price. I just wasn't smart enough to ask him which one to use. If a 2nd point can be added that will be easy because the cable is in the rooms that need the help.

 

[WarWagon]

Wires to the room is a cakewalk. Install another wireless router and ue another network address to get it working quick:

Command prompt on an pc. Aka
CMD in the run or search menu
right click and 'run as administrator'

type in:
Ipconfig /all

In the barfed numbers: the network address will be
192.168. 1 or 0 .X
The default gateway should be:
192.168.0.1
or
192.168.1.1

A new wireless router can be installed in the trouble rooms on he unused address. It won't see shared printers, etc. if you need that it gets more complicated. So if your PC has 192.168.0.1 as the default gateway configure the new router in the spare room to use 192.168.1.1 as the default gateway. The wall plug from your 'network' will go into the internet plug on the router. Everything else on that wireless will use the 192.168.1.X range.

This is the complicated way: Use it as an access point as described in the ad heavy site:

http://www.tweaktown.com/guides/1575/using_an_old_router_as_a_diy_wireless_access_point/index.html

 

[JayTheCPA]

If you do decide to pull a cable, consider leaving room for additional cables and add a pull string to make future pulls easier.

I generally use the Linksys (now Cisco) products and the only thing that tends to stop them is a lightning hit. WW nails the scenario well by using hard-wire to the far side and installing another wireless access point (WAP). When configuring all the access points, consider forcing them to use different channels to minimize interference (Ex: Router: channel 1, WAP #1: channel 6, WAP #2: channel 11). And unless your wireless devices *must* have the SSID broadcast all the time, turn it off.