Hardware Need a Cheap WiFi extender

[Deleted member 473940]

Hey
So here is the situation,
I only have 1 telephone port in my house, which is downstairs. So my wireless router can be used downstairs only. Obviously its wireless, so I can access from anywhere in my house. But I need a wired connection in my room upstairs.

I heard that there is things like WiFi extender/repeater/router? Which allows you to connect to another router and work as a extender. I want to use a wired connection connected to that extender.

First of all, is it even possible? I found a lot of google search regarding this.
Secondly, links to any CHEAP ones?


cheers

 

[pyromaniac123]

http://www.dealextreme.com/p/tp-link-703n-ultra-mini-portable-3g-802-11b-g-n-150mbps-wifi-wireless-router-light-blue-white-102903

Here's a link to a cheap one (I think it's cheap anyway.) It doesn't come in english but you can install openwrt to give it an english language interface.

 

[FAST6191]

First do check you are not sitting the same channel (or indeed a close one) with your neighbours- quite often I see people pile on 1 and 6 and leave everything else up (channels go up to 12 at least- more and it starts getting odd), make sure you do not have the "security" option low power transmission active and if you have a proper antenna on the thing try tweaking it (even a basic antenna is not directional but direction does matter- you could learn radio engineering/antenna design* but that is a very specialist field and frankly messing around with http://www.passmark.com/products/wirelessmonitor.htm and shouting up and down stairs does about as well). Equally it will see diminishing returns as the years drag on but wireless N can work (do check and make sure) in the 5MHz range which was previously 802.11A (mainly commercial use) although that changes things again.

*I can not recall which at this point but one of the big hacker conferences (American I think) had a well nice crash course on it that I saw.

Anyway that over I know you said you wanted wired connection to the second access point which has probably said most of what you want to know (get any old router and stick it on there- it might take some fiddling depending upon how you want to set things up though) but I would look to wireless instead.

You can redo an old PC to turn it into a router and access point (and firewall, network share server, other servers.....) but right I reckon the cheapest method right now is

Shake down ebay/amazon/chosen online tat merchant/a couple of mates* for a BT Homehub v2.0B (could be a 2.0A or 1.5 but those are harder- 2.0b can be done with a USB drive, a copy of windows and a wired network cable). The are going for next to nothing right now but that will probably change in the coming months.

*BT give these things out like sweets and most end up sitting in cupboards as their stock setup is awful or replaced with newer models.

Flash it with a custom firmware ( http://gbatemp.net/topic/322907-bt-homehubs-running-openwrt-some-discussion/ )

Depending upon your router you have various methods to extend the range from methods like WDS (nice but requires a given set of conditions) to various sorts of bridging ( http://wiki.openwrt.org/doc/howto/clientmode ).

I have done such silly things as run a massive ADSL (RJ12) cable or repurpose a network cable (you might see phones in offices run on network cables- same idea) to stick routers up high when phone sockets are down low and resiting the point is not an option but those are not ideal.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

http://www.dealextre...ue-white-102903

Here's a link to a cheap one (I think it's cheap anyway.) It doesn't come in english but you can install openwrt to give it an english language interface.

Aghh that is indeed very cheap. But knowing DX, I wont receive it for a month or two, I need it ASAP.

First do check you are not sitting the same channel (or indeed a close one) with your neighbours- quite often I see people pile on 1 and 6 and leave everything else up (channels go up to 12 at least- more and it starts getting odd), make sure you do not have the "security" option low power transmission active and if you have a proper antenna on the thing try tweaking it (even a basic antenna is not directional but direction does matter- you could learn radio engineering/antenna design* but that is a very specialist field and frankly messing around with http://www.passmark....lessmonitor.htm and shouting up and down stairs does about as well). Equally it will see diminishing returns as the years drag on but wireless N can work (do check and make sure) in the 5MHz range which was previously 802.11A (mainly commercial use) although that changes things again.

*I can not recall which at this point but one of the big hacker conferences (American I think) had a well nice crash course on it that I saw.

Anyway that over I know you said you wanted wired connection to the second access point which has probably said most of what you want to know (get any old router and stick it on there- it might take some fiddling depending upon how you want to set things up though) but I would look to wireless instead.

You can redo an old PC to turn it into a router and access point (and firewall, network share server, other servers.....) but right I reckon the cheapest method right now is

Shake down ebay/amazon/chosen online tat merchant/a couple of mates* for a BT Homehub v2.0B (could be a 2.0A or 1.5 but those are harder- 2.0b can be done with a USB drive, a copy of windows and a wired network cable). The are going for next to nothing right now but that will probably change in the coming months.

*BT give these things out like sweets and most end up sitting in cupboards as their stock setup is awful or replaced with newer models.

Flash it with a custom firmware ( http://gbatemp.net/t...ome-discussion/ )

Depending upon your router you have various methods to extend the range from methods like WDS (nice but requires a given set of conditions) to various sorts of bridging ( http://wiki.openwrt....owto/clientmode ).

I have done such silly things as run a massive ADSL (RJ12) cable or repurpose a network cable (you might see phones in offices run on network cables- same idea) to stick routers up high when phone sockets are down low and resiting the point is not an option but those are not ideal.

Thanks for the quality post
I am searching for a homehub right away!

 

[B-Blue]

I have this one: Alfa Awuso36nh
It's great and does the job very well.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

I found a spare router!
Its a BeBox router. Speedtouch.
Can I use it? if so, how?

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Its a Thomson Speedtouch 780 WL

 

[Pong20302000]

im looking into doing this as house larger than wifi range soon

wa looking into something like this

http://www.amazon.co...33444492&sr=8-2

cheaper ones also

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA730RE-150MBPS-Wireless-Extender/dp/B003UZFSDG/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1333444492&sr=8-5

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-WA701ND-150Mbps-Wireless-Access/dp/B002YETVVE/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1333444492&sr=8-7

 

[Deleted member 473940]

I found this, doesnt say brand or anything at all -.-
But "N" should work, right?
http://uk.webuy.com/product.php?sku=SNETHNGHW38A

 

[pyromaniac123]

I wouldn't risk buying it from cex, it has no description.

 

[FAST6191]

Edit- just for clarification this is replying to the "Its a Thomson Speedtouch 780 WL", the other stuff (and if cex are not going to give me model names they can keep it) I will leave for later.

I do not see it anywhere in http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start and probably will not find it in any other the others (DD-WRT and tomato being the big two)

http://www.cerberusnetworks.co.uk/PDF/780wl_userguide.pdf (the manual for the router) says it supports WDS but only for WEP as far as that guide is concerned (again note there are slightly differing incompatible versions of WDS and both routers need to support it)- whether the WEP only thing was addressed in an update or not is a different matter.
This probably then means you get to mess with bridging and I did not really see any proper bridging options* meaning at best you might be able to for say LAN1 to act as a WAN connection back on your old stick a wired cable into it idea but I am not sure how you might set about it with the setup as it is (I would have said give me something WRT based or a good router by this point and gone manual).
This being said the web interfaces of these devices are not good so it might have something under the telnet/SSH one and especially the hidden/secondary admin type ones (I doubt it but it might happen). Basically this is the difference between your piece of junk £40/ISP router and a £200 one (and later down the line the several grands worth of cisco nonsense) and what the likes of openWRT bridge the gap across them (indeed it quite often boils down to software) and why they are held in high regard.

*edit2- just so you know bridging is a tricky game (the links from my earlier post on the matter highlight the issues. If it is just a matter of internet access then all is good but start using windows shares, shared printers and other such things and depending on your eventual setup (read much like WDS the easy methods require compatible/nice hardware) it gets more interesting (you have to share ports on your own internal network sort of thing).

 

[xist]

Why not just opt for a Powerline set up? Max speeds and better reliability seems a good choice if Wifi is problematic.

 

[FAST6191]

Oh yeah powerline stuff- rough overview is why fiddle running wires when you have nice ones carrying all that electricity and no signals. You get a couple of (usually proprietary- think cordless phones) plugs with network ports in and plug them wherever you need. Speeds are sub network port level (80Mbps on the high end) but usually fast enough for music and decent xvid streaming and certainly fast enough for your average Virgin or ADSL connection and probably not will not add much in the way of latency either. Prices vary (and you might be able to score some old stuff somewhere) but are usually £50 to £100 for if not entry level then home user level gear.

Main problem (other than the nonsense proprietary nature of the things) is it tends to turn your house into a noise broadcast zone on HAM radio and in some cases AM frequencies and users of both groups tend to take exception to it. Equally if you have something noisy (like a lift- stair lift or otherwise) and in some cases an old washing machine or tumbledryer it can drop speeds and even lead to dropped packets (they are all essentially big motors and electric motors do love making electrical noise).

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Why not just opt for a Powerline set up? Max speeds and better reliability seems a good choice if Wifi is problematic.

Link or more info?

Edit- just for clarification this is replying to the "Its a Thomson Speedtouch 780 WL", the other stuff (and if cex are not going to give me model names they can keep it) I will leave for later.

I do not see it anywhere in http://wiki.openwrt.org/toh/start and probably will not find it in any other the others (DD-WRT and tomato being the big two)

http://www.cerberusn...l_userguide.pdf (the manual for the router) says it supports WDS but only for WEP as far as that guide is concerned (again note there are slightly differing incompatible versions of WDS and both routers need to support it)- whether the WEP only thing was addressed in an update or not is a different matter.
This probably then means you get to mess with bridging and I did not really see any proper bridging options* meaning at best you might be able to for say LAN1 to act as a WAN connection back on your old stick a wired cable into it idea but I am not sure how you might set about it with the setup as it is (I would have said give me something WRT based or a good router by this point and gone manual).
This being said the web interfaces of these devices are not good so it might have something under the telnet/SSH one and especially the hidden/secondary admin type ones (I doubt it but it might happen). Basically this is the difference between your piece of junk £40/ISP router and a £200 one (and later down the line the several grands worth of cisco nonsense) and what the likes of openWRT bridge the gap across them (indeed it quite often boils down to software) and why they are held in high regard.

*edit2- just so you know bridging is a tricky game (the links from my earlier post on the matter highlight the issues. If it is just a matter of internet access then all is good but start using windows shares, shared printers and other such things and depending on your eventual setup (read much like WDS the easy methods require compatible/nice hardware) it gets more interesting (you have to share ports on your own internal network sort of thing).

The more I look into it, the more complicated things are sounding.. aghh

 

[xist]

Amazon

You plug one in, and connect it to your router with an ethernet cable. You then plug the other one in where you need the connection, and use another cable to connect up your computer. It uses the internal electrical wiring of your home giving you a fast wired connection rather than a potentially slower wifi one.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Amazon

You plug one in, and connect it to your router with an ethernet cable. You then plug the other one in where you need the connection, and use another cable to connect up your computer. It uses the internal electrical wiring of your home giving you a fast wired connection rather than a potentially slower wifi one.

Shitttt this is the easiest method and exactly what I need. I guess I need a bit extra cash before I get it
cheeeeeers

 

[xist]

Shitttt this is the easiest method and exactly what I need. I guess I need a bit extra cash before I get it
cheeeeeers

They're alternatively called Homeplugs rather than Powerline adapters. Just check your wiring is all standard and if it is you should be ok.

 

[Deleted member 473940]

Shitttt this is the easiest method and exactly what I need. I guess I need a bit extra cash before I get it
cheeeeeers

They're alternatively called Homeplugs rather than Powerline adapters. Just check your wiring is all standard and if it is you should be ok.

All standard, meaning? lol.
So there are hooks to it. How do I check that?
Could you possibly find a cheaper twin pack?

this is just fucking awsome! I

 

[FAST6191]

Yeah networking gets very annoying very fast once you leave the DCHP and port forwarding stuff that dominates the average home and small office network.

Powerline- I do not have the greatest love for it but most of the times it would be considered I am either looking at decades old junk* (or a mish mash of new and decades old junk as well as different phases and more which is often worse) or it has been something** the electricians that are with me tend to get a worried look over, pull on gloves, tell everyone to stay still and then make a beeline for the breakers (at which point everything comes up and I get to throw around cables) not to mention the radio thing so I am probably not biased but gunshy at least.

* and ** - this is what the "wiring is standard" thing covers. Although house electrics are not terribly difficult it will quite similar to the network stuff that just made your head hurt if you do got that much further into it.

 

[Pong20302000]

was there something wrong with what i suggested?