Best wifi booster/extender?

[ajshn]

I have recently moved, and have no wifi in my basement, which is where my computer is, right now i have 2 ethernet cables going through my floor/ceiling, one of which is going to my pc, which can pick up the wifi signal but its not strong enough to use. I am looking into wifi boosters/extenders, and i have no idea what to get. Ive heard some people say they can slow down your wifi or even cut the speed in half, and i would like to hopefully keep the same speed as i get from coming from my main router. I have a budget of at most 70$ but would prefer cheaper (obviously), anyone have any suggestions?
Also i have tried setting up an old (but good) linksys router as a second one, followed several different websites instructions but once i got to the part of naming the router the same as the main one it wouldn't let me use it again,or connect to the first router.

 

[boosted1g]

All wifi boosters cut your speed in half.
Lets say you have a 300mbps connection. On a normal wifi setup this means you get 150mbps from PC to Router and 150mbps Router to PC.
Once you through the repeater into the mix you get 75mbps Router to Repeater, 75mbps Repeater to Router, 75 mbps Repeater to PC, and 75 mbps PC to Repeater (these values are all theoretical max and not real world).

Your absolute best bet is to figure what you did wrong with setting up the router as an access point.
What is the second router you are using and I might be able to find you model specific instructions for it.
In general:
1) Get Router 1 IP address, subnet and DHCP range (for example the IP is 192.168.10.1, subnet 255.255.255.0, and DHCP range is 192.168.10.50-.150).
2) Connect Router 2 directly to wired pc (and nothing else).
3) Set router IP to be an IP address that is not the IP of router 1 and is NOT an IP in the DHCP range.
For this example that means it can not be 192.168.10.1 as that is router 1, and it can not be 192.168.10.50-.150 so lets make it 192.168.10.2.
4) Set Router 2 subnet to be same as router 1, and set Router 2's gateway address to be the address of router 1 (192.168.10.1 in this example).
5) Dissable DHCP on router 2
6) reboot router 2 and connect Ethernet from Router 1 into a LAN port of router 2.

 

[ajshn]

Its a linksys wrt54g, thanks i will try doing that again soon.

 

[dextermat]

Hi,

If you plan on gaming, get a 150 feet cable if long enough, gaming on wifi is a big nono.

For my part, I manage wireless INTERNET in a small motel and the only god repeaters I have found cost about 90 $ .

i recommend a Engenius EAP350 very solid

http://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B006GTDAE2?keywords=engenius&qid=1445375052&ref_=sr_1_13&sr=8-13

 

[ajshn]

I need wifi in the basement, no cable, I have other things I need the wifi for that don't do ethernet cables.

 

[Pooneil]

No personal experience, but look into this one. Its above your price range but is supposed to be among the best.

http://thewirecutter.com/reviews/best-wi-fi-extender/

http://www.amazon.com/Netgear-EX6200-100NAS-AC1200-EXTENDER-GIGABIT/dp/B00KVIHOLO/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1445375620&sr=8-2&keywords=netgear+ex6200

 

[ajshn]

So I was going to do the steps you posted for setting up the second router but now I can't even get the ip address to connect so I can edit the settings.
Would something like this not slow down the speed if it was plugged into an e there cable to the other router?https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0087NZ31S/ref=aw_wl_vv_dp_1_9?colid=M7DAZ6WJRVH7&coliid=I383A2OQULMLW5

 

[Plumboby]

uising a engenuinus booster atm with it set up as booster on wifi no issues running 4 desktops & 4 phone wireless connections. They work & do there job really well you get some people saying booster dont work i am using 1 @ my house with a stepson in a caravan & he gets nearly full wifi coverage same as the whole house

 

[WashclothRepairman]

All wifi boosters cut your speed in half.
Lets say you have a 300mbps connection. On a normal wifi setup this means you get 150mbps from PC to Router and 150mbps Router to PC.
Once you through the repeater into the mix you get 75mbps Router to Repeater, 75mbps Repeater to Router, 75 mbps Repeater to PC, and 75 mbps PC to Repeater (these values are all theoretical max and not real world).

Unfortunately, some people (like me) simply have to use them. There's a big, double door stainless steel fridge smack dab in the middle between my bedroom and the main modem, so I have to use one to bounce the signal diagonally around the fridge.

 

[gregjar]

Just $70? It's still a bit hard to find dual-band signal boosters for that little (talking about amplifiers, rather than range extenders), and you won't know for sure if a range extender can pass enough signal strength through the obstructions in your home until you've already bought one.

You could stay under $70 and use a Coaxifi kit from eBay for Wi-Fi over coax, so long as you have some unused cable outlets and a detachable antenna port on one of your routers. That would get you native roaming on the same SSID without as much signal loss, since the Wi-Fi signal would be traveling directly over a wire.

Range extenders do cut throughput in half if they use the same WLAN channel for payload and communicating to the host router. Their other disadvantages are a tendency to increase ping time, increase packet retry rates, and (for most options costing less than $200-$400) duplicating your SSID. You won't enjoy Fast Roaming (802.11k & r) between a router and a range extender, either, so it's not ideal unless your devices are all stationary.