Getting more range

[WilliamP]

My daughter has a Linksys WRT54G router. They have problems getting a good signal upstairs and at the far end of the house. Would a Netgear WNDR3700 fix the problem? Or does anyone have a suggestion? Thank you.

 

[stevech]

I'm a bit terse here as there are FAQs on this, and google will tell you a lot:

Alternatives:
1. Reposition the WiFi router
2. Add a WiFi Access Point (AP) nearer to the weak signal area. Connect that to the main router via a cat5 cable if this is practical (attic, under home, etc).
3. Buy and use (a) a pair of power line LAN extenders. Under $100. On the distant one, connect an AP as in (2), but the power line extenders are used in lieu of running cat5.
4. Some try to use a WDS repeater. This has disadvantages but if done with the right expertise, might suffice.
5. Use a pair of MoCA devices if a cable TV cable exists near the router and near the weak signal area. These MoCA devices do the same thing as the power line extenders, above.

 

[claykin]

What is your WRT54G connecting to now? Laptops, iPads, etc. Give us a list. If laptops, what wireless radio is being used in the laptop? Sometimes Windows Device Manager will tell you.

WNDR3700 can help in some cases, especially if client equipment is newer. I have had cases where I was able to use a single WNDR3700 in an office to cover the same area that the previous Linksys/Netgear took two units to cover.

But I've also seen it happen where a user comes into the office with a 6+ year old laptop with a "b" or early "g" radio and they wonder why they cannot connect. Half the time its because their client won't work with AES encryption and other times they are forced to sit closer to the WNDR3700 due to their laptop radio not being sensitive enough to receive distant signals. So, check your gear first.

If you go for the WNDR3700 be sure to mount it vertical, away from mirrors and preferably not in an enclosed space. You may need to rotate it to achieve best signal level throughout the house. BTW, I recently installed a single WNDR3700 in a two story 5K sq ft house and it covered the house surprisingly well. Only a couple fringe spots with really low signal.

You can also look at the WNDR4000 which recently released. It uses a Broadcom radio (instead of Atheros in 3700). A couple users on this forum and Netgear's forum claim slightly better range and throughput, but who knows. We need Tim to take one for a whirl.

 

[WilliamP]

Thank you all for the help. I know one of the computers is an older Dell desktop, but it's signal is fair. Two are 6 month old laptops and then they have a couple game systems. I thought about the powerline network but couldn't find out much about them.