Need AC router + extender/bridge/repeat

[mrQQ]

Hi,

I live in a 2,5 story house with walls and stuff, and with my router living on the loft I need a repeater/extender on the ground floor.

Now, I don't know the technical differences between repeater/bridge/extender, but what would be the best pair to buy now:

R8000 + EX7000
R7000 + EX7000
RT-AC87U + EA-AC87
else??

Let's stick to wireless for connecting router to extender for now, since I don't have lan and powerline has it's own issues.

Ideas?

 

[netwrks]

On the Netgear side, IMO, the R7000 + EX7000.

 

[mrQQ]

netgear vs asus vs d-link vs linksys?

 

[stevech]

Hi,

I live in a 2,5 story house with walls and stuff, and with my router living on the loft I need a repeater/extender on the ground floor.

Now, I don't know the technical differences between repeater/bridge/extender, but what would be the best pair to buy now:

R8000 + EX7000
R7000 + EX7000
RT-AC87U + EA-AC87
else??

Let's stick to wireless for connecting router to extender for now, since I don't have lan and powerline has it's own issues.

Ideas?

Relocating the router centrally is the first step. Then...

(1) Repeater is technical name for device that receives then re-transmits (relay). Two-ways. In WiFi, a single channel is most often used. Therefore it halves the speed of WiFi and adds some delay. Often, this is tolerable.

(2) A bridge (WiFi client bridge) is a wireless client to the WiFi network. It bridges (repeats) traffic between the WiFi side and an ethernet RJ45 connection. It does not halve the speed as does a repeater ( above). These are also called Game Adapters. The ethernet side of the bridge can connect via a short cat5 cable to a PC. Or a switch and multiple PCs.

(3) Most importantly, there is an Access Point (AP). It is the opposite of the bridge, above. Your WiFi router has a built-in AP which connects internally to the router. An AP per se is located where you need better coverage and connects by some means to the WiFi router. Usually this connection is via a cat5 cable in the wall, attic, sub-floor, or flat cat5 cable under a rug or whatever. The AP solution is the usual and best way to improve coverage.

An "extender" is a marketing term for (1).

If your data speed needs are modest in the current weak signal area, then (1) or (2) will do in lieu of (3).

Many consumer WiFi routers have an option to become an AP or Bridge but not normally a Repeater. The fine print on the box or in the user manual (download from vendor's site).
Example:
http://event.asus.com/2009/networks/dummy_ui/en/Advanced_OperationMode_Content.html
in the above, click on the three mode options and read.

 

[mrQQ]

Hm, so assuming there is no cabling in the house and the only means to connect two devices are via wireless, I need a repeater? like EX7000?

 

[snb008]

If you cannot lay a cable connecting the router on the 2nd floor to whatever equipment you are going to buy for the ground floor, then you will not set up an Access Point, but using either a repeater (eg EX7000) or a bridge (eg EA-AC87). Both, sitting on your ground floor, can connect to your router on 2nd floor wirelessly.

I think (anyone corrects me if I am wrong) one determining factor to use which one is:- which signal do you want on the ground floor?

If you want only wired ethernet support on the ground floor, then an Access Point is the right equipment. It connects to devices via Cat5e lan cables.

If you want both wired ethernet and wireless support, then a repeater/extender is the right choice.

 

[mrQQ]

There are no cables at all, so I only use wireless. Which way would be faster, repeater or AP?

 

[stevech]

If there is TV coax in or near the router and in or near the area of weak coverage, then a pair of MoCA devices will do fine. Easy to install.

See forum section on MoCA, here.

 

[netwrks]

There are no cables at all, so I only use wireless. Which way would be faster, repeater or AP?

The EX7000 can be configured as an AP (using ethernet - faster), or, as an extender (all bets are off - not as fast as an AP)..

 

[mrQQ]

Hm,

when configured as AP, will it be possible to seamlessly roam between the two APs?

 

[Trip]

If you can, wire more cable, or if not, run powerline AV2 adapters (or MoCa if you have coax cable in proximity to the router and would-be access point). Wireless repeaters, while a decent alternative, are certainly second place to an access point wired in, for too many reason worth mentioning at this point.

If you can't dp more cable, powerline or MoCa, and you want some "seemlessness" to the setup, a vanilla repeater would probably work ok. Another option would be medium-level mesh such as Ubiquiti UniFi. As long as you're not a complete novice and can install and configure the controller software, they're pretty easy to deploy and in my experience do a very nice job at "blanketing" a location in wifi (when properly placed, of course).