A few network questions (Mostly AP related)

[ToMuchStarbucks]

Hell guys, first post here and I wanted to ask a few questions since I'm pretty... vanilla when it comes to networking knowledge.

The TL-WDN4800 AP I've had for quite some time is starting to get faulty on me, with my PC in particular throughout the household dropping connection, and I've just generally been experiencing high ping in games as of late. I've actually been hearing about people using routers as "Wireless Access Points" on sites like OCN, and essentially just plugging in their computers via Ethernet to the router they use.

1) Is this an actual thing? I have my modem and router set up on the first floor, with my room on the second pretty much right above it. Could I use pretty much another router as I would a wireless adapter, but just connecting my PC to it via Ethernet.

2) If the first question is true, could I use pretty much any wireless router? Are there only specific types?

3) The router I use is an Asus RT-AC66U. Is getting an AP that utilizes the new standard and 5Ghz band actually worthwhile? At what point does it become ineffective to use the dual band.

Thanks for at least reading this. I'd love to just clear the confusion of this topic.

 

[VirtualLarry]

You just need a router that can utilize "wireless client" mode or "wireless bridge" mode. Most routers with factory firmware cannot use these modes, so many people resort to 3rd-party firmware that does have those features, such as dd-wrt or Tomato.

Or you can buy a standalone "media bridge".

Edit: Some factory firmware does support "WDS mode", which is similar to wireless bridging. You'll usually have to have two routers that are identical, or use the same chipset to utilize this feature.

 

[ch33zw1z]

1) Is this an actual thing? I have my modem and router set up on the first floor, with my room on the second pretty much right above it. Could I use pretty much another router as I would a wireless adapter, but just connecting my PC to it via Ethernet.

What that is called is a wireless bridge. You can buy a bridge, or you can use a router that supports DDWRT (a third party firmware), and set it up in "client bridge" mode.

2) If the first question is true, could I use pretty much any wireless router? Are there only specific types?

specific types. SOHO (small office/home office) routers don't support this on stock firmware. You have to use DDWRT, or another third party firmware such as Tomato, to accomplish this.

3) The router I use is an Asus RT-AC66U. Is getting an AP that utilizes the new standard and 5Ghz band actually worthwhile? At what point does it become ineffective to use the dual band.

Depends on your situation. In a heavily 2.4ghz congested area? Yea, go 5GHz.

 

[ToMuchStarbucks]

Thanks for the answers so far. Really wanted to learn more about this before I actually sink money into it.