Question Need better Internet signal to my Chromebooks

[RickVS]

I have 2 cheap Chromebooks that we browse with on the couch. They get a wireless signal from upstairs. Into the house I have 300 mbps though only around 65 mbps makes it to the Chromebooks. What options do I have to significantly improve signal strength? It isn't realistic to run a CAT cable to the couch and the lag and buffering on the Chromebooks is getting annoying. Thanks!

 

[kanewolf]

I have 2 cheap Chromebooks that we browse with on the couch. They get a wireless signal from upstairs. Into the house I have 300 mbps though only around 65 mbps makes it to the Chromebooks. What options do I have to significantly improve signal strength? It isn't realistic to run a CAT cable to the couch and the lag and buffering on the Chromebooks is getting annoying. Thanks!

Do you have coax where the internet is and where you would like improved WIFI ?

 

[RickVS]

I have coax to my DVR which is across the room. So laying any kind of cable across the floor is a nonstarter. Is there something that could share the coax and provide a strong wireless signal across the room? I thought of getting an extender and put it on the side table but I don't know if it would be any more effective.

 

[kanewolf]

I have coax to my DVR which is across the room. So laying any kind of cable across the floor is a nonstarter. Is there something that could share the coax and provide a strong wireless signal across the room? I thought of getting an extender and put it on the side table but I don't know if it would be any more effective.

If you have poor WIFI in that room, then your extender would have poor WIFI. You would need to put an extender 1/2 between your existing WIFI source and the spot with poor WIFI.
If you have coax near the router and in the room with poor WIFI, you could try a pair of MoCA adapters to create a wired network. Then add a wired WIFI source in the room.

 

[RickVS]

Couple questions: 1) the TV / DVR are using the coax. Could the MoCA share the coax without issue or will that degrade both signals? 2) I see the connection between the MoCA unit to the router is a wired Ethernet connection. What would the MoCA unit near the TV connect to to broadcast a wireless signal to the Chromebooks? Thanks.

 

[BFG-9000]

Yes, I agree putting an AP right in the same room would solve any signal strength issue.

But 65mbps is a perfectly reasonable speed for 2.4GHz even with a strong signal. There are a shockingly high number of ISP-supplied gateway devices with no 5GHz.

If this is the issue and your Chromebooks have 5GHz capability, then a router or AP with 5GHz may be all you need. First try it upstairs before thinking of moving it down to by the DVR.

 

[RickVS]

Thanks. I think I found the solution to the problem. In the basement is a Verizon router that offers two options: 5_1 and 5_2. If I connect both Chromebooks to either one of these at the same time I get around 65 Mbps. However, if I connect one to 5_1 and the other to 5_2 I get close to 200 Mbps. So would the fact that the Chromebooks shared the same option make sense that it led to slow speeds? I didn't know that it mattered but I guess it does? Thanks for helping me figure it out.

 

[RickVS]

Last question. A couple of hours later I noticed a Chromebook was sluggish so I checked the wireless connection that was 5_2. It was no longer connected to that but instead reverted back to 2.4. Anyone know why my Chromebook would, all on its own, change its wi-fi connection? And what can I do to prevent that from happening again? Thanks