Adding anoter router downstairs to increase range.....possible?

steve_

Iv got a router in my bedroom which is in the attic, no complaints on my end!! But all the devices downstairs suffer from poor connections. Also my brother is constantly nagging at me because he's "getting pwned by n00bs due to lag, lol FTW" I found my old router in a room clean up and i was wondering if it is possible to plug in the old router downstairs, link it wirelessly to my router and distribute the signal accordingly downstairs?

Voodu Child

You might be able to use it as a wifi repeater. It depends on the model, whether it has the feature or whether it can take a custom firmware that has the feature.

However while it might improve signal strength, it would likely also increase lag and reduce throughput. Also if it is an 'old' router then it is probably very slow anyway.

steve_

hmmmm sounds like im better off leaving it be. Where is usually the best place to position a router. My pc is in the attic up against a brick wall which is the back wall of the house. Im thinking this isnt the best place for it but i dont have anywhere else to position it really unless i run a long ethernet cable across my room and have the router more central to the house.

Voodu Child

A central position is best, or somewhere that minimises the amount of walls it has to go through. Also do a wireless survey with INSSIDER and see what channels your neighbours are using, it is always best to try and find some 'free space' as far away as other wifi networks.

steve_

Voodu Child wrote: »

it is always best to try and find some 'free space' as far away as other wifi networks.

Do you mean physically are in terms of being on a different channel?

steve_

I just installed inssider but it says no wifi interfaces found. Iv no wifi card in my desktop just an ethernet cable running to the router.

Doh, i just noticed i need to use my laptop

Voodu Child

steve_ wrote: »

Do you mean physically are in terms of being on a different channel?

Move the laptop around the house to get an idea of what networks are nearby, what channel they are using and what the signal strength is.

If you can find a channel that nobody is using then try that one. Alternatively just use a channel that is as far away as the strongest (nearby) ones being used.

Also remember that channels are overlapping, link, that's what I mean by get as far away as your neighbours. If one close neighbour is using channel 1, and another close neighbour is using channel 11, then go for ch 6 in between.

It won't make your reception magically better, but every little helps. Same goes for router placement, antenna adjustment etc. Some people replace the antenna on their router with a higher-gain one.

steve_

This is the diag i got of the near by networks. RSSI dropped from 27Db to about 70Db while downstairs. I think i need to place the router in a better place.

PapaSierra

If the router has more than one antenna, position each at a different angle; with three antennas, for example, one will stick 30 degrees up, one 30 degrees to the side, and one straight out.

"Antenna diversity is a function included in most wireless LAN equipment that has two or more antennas.In simple terms, diversity monitors the signal from each antenna and automatically switches to the one with the better signal. The user usually has no control over this function."

steve_

Thanks i already have the standard "W" config in place