Modem/Router in Basement - No signal upstairs

[Stapletunes]

I have a 2-story cape. My home office is in the basement in the same room where the modem and router are located. I have an Xfinity X1 modem/gateway. This is connected to a Netgear Nighthawk R7000, which I purchase based on reviews stating the speed/signal strength were exceptional. The signal on the main floor is suitable, for the most part. However, the wi-fi signal on the top floor, where our bedrooms are located, is very poor. The 2ghz connection would continuously drop and the 5ghz connection would not reach to the top floor.

My networking knowledge is very limited, so I tried several simple workarounds to get a better signal on the top floor, none of which really worked. I recently purchased a Netgear Powerline adapter kit, and plugged one adapter into the R7000 and the other adapter on the top floor. This did not improve the signal very much. I then purchased an Asus RT-N56U router, which also had good reviews. I connected the second power line adapter into the Asus router on the main floor and set up the Asus as a repeater. The 2ghz and 5ghz signals upstairs have improved, but are still not great.

Does anyone have an idea as to what I could do to get a better signal on the other floors? Moving the gateway is not an option, as I need that equipment in the office downstairs. I was thinking of seeing if our electrician could run Cat5/Cat6 cables from the bottom floor to the top floor to connect the second router, but that seems pricey. Any suggestions would be very much appreciated. As I said earlier, my networking knowledge is very limited. Thanks!

 

[jsmithepa]

Based on limitations as proposed:

1) Some newer houses may have CAT5 in the wall for LAND line use. So if you have a phone jack at both locations, you may pop off the plates and look for the tell-tale sign of a CAT5 cable, note its thickness and must have 4 twisted pairs of cables. Phone only need 1 pair and 100 mbit ethernet only needs 2 pairs.

2) If you can hook up your basement PowerLine module on the SAME ELECTRICAL PHASE as your 3rd floor outlet, your signal should improved markedly. If you are not comfortable with this, consult an electrician, I assume your main electrical panel is in the basement, hence readily accessible.

3) Actually the MOCA technology is better than PowerLine if you have an unused TV coax from basement to third floor.

4. Some folks have attempted to run a CAT cable to the outside out window, in window, so no difficulty of going through walls/rafters. I am not endorsing this method, am simply saying folks have done it.