Queries: Extending wireless network at home

r3nu4l · 01-02-2015 9:59pm #1

I'm with Eircom and am using the standard issue Eircom router. My router is in the utility room in our house and this is causing problems with wireless reception, particularly upstairs but also in the living room.

I don't want to move the router from where it is so am looking for alternative solutions.

I have a Netgear RangeMax WNDR3400 router. Would this provide me with better 'range'?
If so, is it easy for a 'non-techy' person like me to set it up?

If my Netgear router is not the way to go, can anyone recommend a decent (yet not too pricy) set of wi-fi enabled plugs (homeplugs or equivalent)?

final question. do these wi-fi extending plugs provide the same speed as if I was using my computer while standing beside my router? i.e. will I lose any wireless speed by using these plugs?

To answer the as yet unanswered question...my current broadband speed lies between 5 and 8 Mbps (depending on the day...) and I've no chance of getting UPC/eFibre etc for a long time to come

Thanks in advance.

odckdo · 02-02-2015 1:00am

You could try tplink homeplugs. They are available on Amazon or you can get them direct from Eircom - maybe talk to Eircom first and if they don't work you might be able to return them as this is the model they recommend.

www.eircom.net/accessories/homeplugs/

I have a set of tplink homeplugs which I use with my Eircom eFibre router and they work very well - both using the wifi and plugging an ethernet cable directly into the homeplug. On the wifi side you obviously need a socket/location that is not overly blocked.

BeerWolf · 02-02-2015 4:38pm

odckdo wrote: »

www.eircom.net/accessories/homeplugs/

Flippin' heck... that's way cheaper than what I paid for in Argos by more than half!

Edit --- no wonder, it's the 200Mbps one... not 500.

r3nu4l · 04-02-2015 5:44pm

BeerWolf wrote: »

Edit --- no wonder, it's the 200Mbps one... not 500.

Is that going to effect someone like me who has a max speed of 10Mbps...more often 5-8 Mbps?

r3nu4l · 19-02-2015 9:36pm

So I got the plugs from Eircom and I'm unconvinced that they are working correctly...

Here are the issues:

On my Android phone I see two SSIDs - my regular home SSID and a TP-Link SSID.
My phone is connecting to my regular Eircom SSID rather than the TP-Link SSID.
When I try to connect to the TP-Link SSID I use my Eircom router password but constantly get an 'Authentication Problem'.

So questions:

What's the deal with the TP-Link SSID?
If the plugs are 'cloning' my Eircom SSID should the TP-Link SSID be showing?
Which should I be connecting to with my Android phones and Mac OsX and Windows 8 laptops?
Why am I having Authentication Problems with the password? If my regular router password isn't working then does that mean...
cloning failed?
I need a different password?

Any advice appreciated?

I've performed the correct procedure, including pairing the plugs and then 'cloning' my wireless by pressing the WPS button on the Eircom D1000 router and hitting the button on the plug.

So any thoughts on what is going wrong here?

odckdo · 19-02-2015 10:17pm

For the wireless part of TP-LINK you have to set a unique password.

Did the box come with a CD? Access the web interface for your model through this CD. In wireless settings set the SSID and password for your TP-LINK.

On your phone for example, select the TP-LINK SSID displayed and enter the password you have just set.

EDIT: on my phone after entering the passwords of my UPC broadband and TP-LINK for the first time, I can switch between the two without having to re-enter the passwords each time.

ED E · 19-02-2015 11:37pm

RTFM

You haven't done the cloning step.

chris_ie · 20-02-2015 1:08pm

Just a note on the homeplugs, which people may already know. My father used them and I had setup up a connection monitoring site on his server to monitor the network (for a different reason) and noticed that there were alot of spikes of 90% loss (after checking, the loss was internal - to the router), this was due to the plugs. We replaced them and ran a new cable in the house and its fine. Just in case you use them and wonder why every so often things slow down or lose connection. Although, likely related to the wiring in the house also.

XVII · 20-02-2015 4:53pm

Used 2 different brands of plugs at home for 4 years, and never had disconnections or slow downs.

chris_ie · 20-02-2015 4:59pm

XVII wrote: »

Used 2 different brands of plugs at home for 4 years, and never had disconnections or slow downs.

Yeah as I said it could have to do with wiring. It depends what you are using the broadband for. My father used it for browsing etc, so it might just come across as a page taking a bit longer to load sometimes (which could be down to the sites server). But if you were using it for something that relied on pings you would notice. (Lag in games, dips in quality in streaming etc). It wasn't that bad, in a full day it was maybe a max of 3-4 spikes.

XVII · 20-02-2015 5:07pm

Sorry man, but you said "also", not that it could have solely to do with the wiring.
My internet traffic is quite heavy: gaming, streaming, etc. Never had any issues. In fact, I completely moved to plugs from wi-fi, as I find wi-fi terrible for gaming.

chris_ie · 20-02-2015 5:13pm

XVII wrote: »

Sorry man, but you said "also", not that it could have solely to do with the wiring.
My internet traffic is quite heavy: gaming, streaming, etc. Never had any issues. In fact, I completely moved to plugs from wi-fi, as I find wi-fi terrible for gaming.

Ha! Ok fair enough.. I'm not saying that all home plugs suffer the same problem. Just sharing in case an issue does arise and its something they can test for. I dont use them myself as I have all my main equipment wired apart from the wifi only devices.

XVII · 20-02-2015 5:16pm

I know for sure that the speed depends on the quality of wiring. And I think I've read somewhere, that if there are some appliances which use the electricity heavily, they may affect the quality of your connection, too.
Maybe you had something heavy on your electricity network, which was turning itself on 3-4 times a day?

chris_ie · 20-02-2015 5:22pm

XVII wrote: »

I know for sure that the speed depends on the quality of wiring. And I think I've read somewhere, that if there are some appliances which use the electricity heavily, they may affect the quality of your connection, too.
Maybe you had something heavy on your electricity network, which was turning itself on 3-4 times a day?

Yeah we had thought of that but the timings didnt match anything being switch on/off, some spikes were 5am when they were in bed and there was no pattern. So we just put it down to the plugs or electric wiring. It wasn't a big job to run a cable so we did that and it's much better since.

MickH503 · 04-03-2015 12:10am

XVII wrote: »

Used 2 different brands of plugs at home for 4 years, and never had disconnections or slow downs.

Hi, which brand/model would you recommend? Thanks!

XVII · 04-03-2015 1:15pm

I'm sure if you search through the threads here, you'll find recommendations from more experienced people, as I was just following amazon ratings. First I used these ones:
TP-Link TL-PA211KIT 200Mbs
But one of them died exactly after 2 years of constant use. After that I bought Netgear ones from maplin (can't say which model, as I'm at work at the moment, but one of the cheaper ones).

Regarding the brand, I'd suggest to go with something most commonly used (like one of the aboves), and for the model, just pick the one according to your needs (speed, wi-fi possibility, etc).

r3nu4l · 07-03-2015 12:39am

ED E wrote: »

RTFM

You haven't done the cloning step.

Nope. Turns out it was simply that the cloning hadn't worked properly first couple of times despite RingTFM and watching a TP link YouTube video. It also turns out this big old house of mine has sockets on different circuits. Nothing like complications to raise the blood pressure

All working now anyway

Queries: Extending wireless network at home

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