Recommend me a good ROUTER ***AND*** REPEATER/EXTENDER for the old man....

[redgtxdi]

OK, so my frustration begins like I'm sure most have here. Relative (dad) living about 4 hours away and EVERY time he has a computer prob, he calls me. I can't always help him from 4 hours away.

Now, he wants to go wireless. Prob is he has a man cave above the garage that he wants to fill with WiFi. Router alone won't shoot signal that far.

#1.) Looking for either router+repeater/extender setup (preferably cheap)

*or*

#2.) Maybe one of those more powerful antennas can do the job???

TIA

 

[kevnich2]

Run an ethernet line there then setup a router as an access point.

 

[JackMDS]

Get two Buffalo WHR-HP-G54. Set one as a main Router, and the second as a Repeater.

The source Router can stay as is, the second has to be flashed with Tomato, or DD-WRT.

Buffalo WHR-HP-G54 - http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...N82E1683316213

Note, if the repeater does not provide the coverage that you need, then use kevnich2 advice as posted above.

WDS -DD-WRT, http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/WDS

WDS - Tomato, http://www.myopenrouter.com/blog/entry/10354/Configure-WDS-with-Tomato-Firmware/

WDS

The general approach that I take for Coverage issues is the following.

The best way is to lay few CAT6 cables to central locations in the house, install Access Points, or Cable/DSL Routers configured as an Access Points ( Using a Wireless Cable/DSL Router as a Switch with an Access Point - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html ), and connect them to the Main Router.

You/your client do not want/can not/hate to lay Network Cables.

Start with One affordable Router that can Do WDS (the reason for the WDS support is in case you need to add more Wireless hardware).

If you are lucky and your environment is conducive to get covered with one Wireless Router you are done.

Otherwise, using a Laptop loaded with Netstumbler, do a Wireless survey in the house, http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/

According to the Netstumbler's signal strength reading, identify spots that have strong signal. and spot with weak, or No signal.

Evaluate how you can cover the space and start placing WDS units.

Additional Wireless Routers in WDS Mode (Wireless Network - Configuration Modes. ) has to be placed in spots were the signal is good about Half way to the dead spots.

How many WDS units are needed? It depends on your specific environment (that is a good the reason to buying WDS units one at the time, try it, and decide on the Next step).

Otherwise.

Extending Distance - http://www.ezlan.net/Distance.html
Wireless Router as an AP - http://www.ezlan.net/router_AP.html
Wireless Modes - http://www.ezlan.net/Wireless_Modes.html
Wireless Bridging - http://www.ezlan.net/bridging.html
Hi Gain Antenna - http://www.ezlan.net/antennae.html

 

[redgtxdi]

Thanks for the excellent info!!!

The only problem w/ doing the ethernet acrossed the house is that there's just no way w/o making for one seriously intrusive eyesore. Suffice to say at that point, might as well just drop a spool out the back door all the way up to the garage.

I *think*, however, that dad has a cable outlet in the back room of the house....(Back room of house is the halfway point between current modem & man cave)

If that's the case, I think another possible solution would be to setup the modem & router there & just make all connections WiFi. Then I could just buy a good router and setup dad's desktop w/ a USB adapter or whatever.

Only downside would be if the garage ended up w/ better reception than dad's desktop *or* no reception at all.

 

[California Roll]

I thought power line networking sucked, but a friend of mine just set one up for his parents' house. 6,000SF house, network jack/modem/router upstairs far room and getting a solid wireless connection downstairs was difficult. Running an ethernet cable wasn't an option so he tried out a powerline ethernet kit from Best Buy (so he could return it if it was still crappy).

It turns out it was very solid. Not as good as wired ethernet but immensely better than wireless. He has a wireless router downstairs set up as an access point through the powerline adapter and now the whole house has wireless.

 

[ViviTheMage]

This is what I do...I live in a condo complex- 3 stories, 12 units.

DIR - 655 :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...15&Tpk=dir-655

3 of these, WRT54GL :
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-190-_-Product


Flash DD-WRT onto the GL's, and set them to repeater mode. If you get a router that can do A, you can have a backbone, so that traffic isn't cut in half. It took me a little bit of toying around to get coverage proper, but we share our 50mb connection great this way.

 

[redgtxdi]

WOW!!! Just learned a bombshell today!

Dad has ethernet running all over the house RIGHT IN THE RECEPTACLES!!!! I should have remembered this when he was building the house but that was almost 10 years ago & I just....forgot. (Yes, I'm an idiot!)

Anyway, to make it even better, the back room in question DOES have a cat5 outlet as well!! So now, game changes. All outlets merge in a hall closet which creates now a FOURTH space consideration.......but here's what I'm thinking......

#1.) Put modem/router in back room which will give house wifi *and* reach garage no prob.

#2.) From the router, go cat5 into the backroom outlet all the way back dad's office desktop. (Just use female/female cat5 adapter to bridge hall closet jump)

Problem solved?????

TIA