Need help with extending wireless signal from my modem/router.

[AaronPaulina]

My cable modem has built in wifi, but isn't great in the range department. I have a Netgear n600 router plugged directly into that and turned off the wifi on the modem. The signal is a little better but my PC is on the other side of the house and drops signal often. What i'd like to do is place my Netgear between my PC and the modem, turn the wifi back on from the modem, and use the Netgear as a wireless extender. Ideas?

 

[TheManFromUncle]

Unless you have such an option on the router it won't be possible. What you could do is run a cable to where you want more signal and place the router there. Access point would be that option. Computer would not be on the same network though.

 

[AaronPaulina]

Unless you have such an option on the router it won't be possible. What you could do is run a cable to where you want more signal and place the router there. Access point would be that option. Computer would not be on the same network though.

The netgear has an option that says "Wireless repeating function" but i'm guessing i'd have to have that plugged into the modem to work?

 

[pete y testing]

What i'd like to do is place my Netgear between my PC and the modem, turn the wifi back on from the modem, and use the Netgear as a wireless extender. Ideas?

there may be a way to achieve what you are after if both devices support WDS and you are willing to use WEP for wireless security but i would not recommend that course of action

as suggested above if you can run ethernet to the location you want the netgear located and then run the netgear in what i call wan bypass mode

see the SMB details on how to do this below

How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/basi...onvert-a-wireless-router-into-an-access-point

when setup this way everything will be on the same subnet as the cable modem will be doing the routing


if ethernet is not possible look at EOP type adapters ( aka powerline or homeplug adapters ) , you can even get power line adapters with wifi and this would do away with the need for the netgear

imho any type of repeating / extending via wifi is the last solution you should look at as its never a great solution and is usually for that black spot where no other solution will work

pete

 

[jegesq]

If the Netgear has "repeater mode" it's quite simple. And you don't have to have it "plugged in" to the cable co's "modem/wifi router". In fact plugging it in to a LAN port (via an Ethernet Cat5e or 6 cable) would just allow you to use the Netgear as a true AP (access point). This is actually the preferred method of extending your network, i.e., by using a separate wifi router as an AP. But if laying down Ethernet cabling over a long distance or between floors and multiple walls throughout your home isn't possible or practical, you can use some wifi routers as wireless repeaters.

This does NOT require you to plug anything into your cable co modem/wifi router. Instead, you set the operating mode (of your Netgear in this example) to run in "Repeater Mode" and then just pick which SSID of your cable co router/wifi you want the Netgear to connect to so that it will repeat that signal, give the Netgear your SSID's password, and it will connect and then repeat the channel, thus extending your wifi coverage to more remote locations in your home, providing for broader coverage.

You do need to be mindful to locate your repeater in a location where it will be getting a strong signal from your cable co modem/wifi router, because you will lose throughput by repeating the signal. A repeater roughly halves the connection rate and throughput, so that client devices connecting to the repeater will get about half the speed they would otherwise if they were connecting directly to the cable co wifi router (but again, this also will extend your range to areas where you presently have no coverage at all). Depending on the speed you are receiving from your ISP, using a repeater may or may not be a deal-breaker. If your initial speed from the ISP is already very low, it will be even lower for those devices connected to the "repeater/extender". But if you have good speeds from your ISP (e.g., I'd say above 100 Mbps, but certainly above 50 Mbps if you intend to do any media streaming), you may not notice much difference, if any. In terms of internal media streaming, it all depends what you're trying to achieve and your particular environmental variables, which are unknown and thus none of us can truly predict what sorts of performance you will get in the real world.

And while you didn't ask, in addition to a wired remote AP, or a wireless extender, you might also want to look at using either Powerline (which uses the wiring in your home instead of Ethernet cabling...this can be hit or miss depending on how your home is wired, and it will also add costs because you need two Powerline adapters, one near your current router and the other where you want to place your AP), or MOCA adapters (MOCA uses the same coaxial cables that you may already also be using for your cable television....again, this can be costly and is also tricky to set up for many people...it's never quite caught on, but if you know what you're doing, it can be a terrific way to extend your network and internet connectivity to other areas of your home.).

 

[jegesq]

there may be a way to achieve what you are after if both devices support WDS and you are willing to use WEP for wireless security but i would not recommend that course of action

as suggested above if you can run ethernet to the location you want the netgear located and then run the netgear in what i call wan bypass mode

see the SMB details on how to do this below

How To Convert a Wireless Router into an Access Point
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/basi...onvert-a-wireless-router-into-an-access-point

when setup this way everything will be on the same subnet as the cable modem will be doing the routing


if ethernet is not possible look at EOP type adapters ( aka powerline or homeplug adapters ) , you can even get power line adapters with wifi and this would do away with the need for the netgear

imho any type of repeating / extending via wifi is the last solution you should look at as its never a great solution and is usually for that black spot where no other solution will work

pete

Most consumer wireless routers that have "Repeater Mode" do not require using WDS at all. None of the Asus routers that have "Repeater Mode" require this at all. One simply sets the operating mode as "Repeater Mode", picks the SSID of the main router that one wants to repeat, gives the repeater the SSID password, and you're good to go. Easy peasy.

 

[AaronPaulina]

If the Netgear has "repeater mode" it's quite simple. And you don't have to have it "plugged in" to the cable co's "modem/wifi router". In fact plugging it in to a LAN port (via an Ethernet Cat5e or 6 cable) would just allow you to use the Netgear as a true AP (access point). This is actually the preferred method of extending your network, i.e., by using a separate wifi router as an AP. But if laying down Ethernet cabling over a long distance or between floors and multiple walls throughout your home isn't possible or practical, you can use some wifi routers as wireless repeaters.

This does NOT require you to plug anything into your cable co modem/wifi router. Instead, you set the operating mode (of your Netgear in this example) to run in "Repeater Mode" and then just pick which SSID of your cable co router/wifi you want the Netgear to connect to so that it will repeat that signal, give the Netgear your SSID's password, and it will connect and then repeat the channel, thus extending your wifi coverage to more remote locations in your home, providing for broader coverage.

You do need to be mindful to locate your repeater in a location where it will be getting a strong signal from your cable co modem/wifi router, because you will lose throughput by repeating the signal. A repeater roughly halves the connection rate and throughput, so that client devices connecting to the repeater will get about half the speed they would otherwise if they were connecting directly to the cable co wifi router (but again, this also will extend your range to areas where you presently have no coverage at all). Depending on the speed you are receiving from your ISP, using a repeater may or may not be a deal-breaker. If your initial speed from the ISP is already very low, it will be even lower for those devices connected to the "repeater/extender". But if you have good speeds from your ISP (e.g., I'd say above 100 Mbps, but certainly above 50 Mbps if you intend to do any media streaming), you may not notice much difference, if any. In terms of internal media streaming, it all depends what you're trying to achieve and your particular environmental variables, which are unknown and thus none of us can truly predict what sorts of performance you will get in the real world.

And while you didn't ask, in addition to a wired remote AP, or a wireless extender, you might also want to look at using either Powerline (which uses the wiring in your home instead of Ethernet cabling...this can be hit or miss depending on how your home is wired, and it will also add costs because you need two Powerline adapters, one near your current router and the other where you want to place your AP), or MOCA adapters (MOCA uses the same coaxial cables that you may already also be using for your cable television....again, this can be costly and is also tricky to set up for many people...it's never quite caught on, but if you know what you're doing, it can be a terrific way to extend your network and internet connectivity to other areas of your home.).

Thank you for the detailed answer. I'll try this out tomorrow and let you know the results.

 

[pete y testing]

Most consumer wireless routers that have "Repeater Mode"

i would say some not most and as i have already said repeaters are the last thing i would consider using

 

[RogerSC]

You know, I was just using my RT-AC68P in repeater mode for about a week, and saw well over the 1/2 speed from my main router that I expected to see. My download speed from my ISP is 150/10 nominally, provisioned at 180/12. Nearly always see speeds over 150Mbps on download on the main router. With the RT-AC68P in repeater mode, I was seeing about 120Mbps (sometimes higher than that) on the repeater on 5GHz., which surprised me. I think that the repeater mode must be using both bands. I do very little with the 2.4GHz. band, I don't think that the 2.4GHz. band on the repeater has anything connecting to it, so lots of excess capacity (an extra radio) there. And yes, I'm sure that I was connecting to the repeater's wireless when testing the speed of it. That was the first thing that occurred to me as well *smile*.

I've researched this and haven't found much, either from Asus on what speed to expect from this router when used as a repeater, or what other people are getting on the RT-AC68P when used as a repeater. I'm curious how the two radios are actually used in repeater mode...from my experience they must both be in use for 5GHz. speed to be that high.

 

[Klueless]

I was seeing about 120Mbps

That is awesome. The comparison might be just a bit uh flawed but the repeater was delivering what you needed/wanted and that is what's important.

It's great that you're getting 120 but 120 compared to what? The 150 is a pinch. My ISP is only 15. My wired computers get 15 and going through my range extender I still get 15 ergo my range extender is as fast as Gigabit Ethernet? (I wish : -)

I banged my head into a wall for about a week before I truly understood what they meant when they say, "Speeds are halved" (because that is not what my benchmarks were showing either).

What they are saying is you send something to your range extender. Then you cannot send something to your range extender. You cannot send something to your range extender because the range extender is using the same radio to resend your stuff to the router. Only when the range extender is done sending can you send again. Maybe. Maybe not. The guy at the next desk might be sending something (twice : -)

You don't always catch it in benchmarks because you often fix a few other things when you implement a range extender thus you've offset the penalty some.

If you're really curious and like running tests try something like this:

Anchor something on Gigabit Ethernet.

1. Put a laptop on Gigabit and run some transfers. You should see something like 700 Mbps.
2. Try the laptop on wireless. Run the same tests. Maybe you want a better case wireless for reference or maybe you want a not so good case to see how much you fix it. Maybe both.
3. Try the laptop wireless to a wired access point.
4. Reconfigure the wired AP into a wireless repeater and run tests. Compare to previous test (test 3). This is only a kinda apples to apples comparison. Were speeds halved?
5. For fun direct connect the laptop to the wireless repeater. Are speeds closer to test 3, the wired AP?
6. For even more fun reconfigure your wireless repeater.
   • Set one radio such that it talks only to your router.
   • Set the other radio to talk with your clients.
   • Are speeds closer to test 3 (the wired AP)?
   • This would be the best apples to apples comparison for test 4.

It's a lotta work (or fun, depending on your point of view) but should be enlightening.

In any case, your point is very well taken. Properly implemented and applied a range extender is not evil : -)

 

[pete y testing]

In any case, your point is very well taken. Properly implemented and applied a range extender is not evil : -)

but certainly the last choice i would make and only if Ethernetand an AP or powerline adapters cant be used as we all know wifi is full of voodoo ( as a mate calls it ) and repeaters / extenders just add to that voodoo