[SOLVED] New basement apartment

[darynboyd1]

Hi Tom,
I moved into a basement apartment with 2 stories above and the wireless router is on the top. I'm thinking I should see about moving the router to the 2nd floor and checking if it connects better there for us. I'm trying not to spend a lot and stay on our cheap budget. I don't know how old the router in the house is probably a couple years and we live out in the woods too. So if u could let me know to change the floor location of router and if an extender on each other floor is recommended that would be great, thanks.

 

[velocityg4]

A powerline access point is better than an extender. An extender just repeats the signal adding latency. It also often requires a different SSID. A powerline adapter uses your homes powerlines as a direct connection. Then the access point can use the exact same SSID, encryption type and network key. So, your devices will just connect to the best signal. Make sure all settings are exactly the same for this to work.

Simply moving your router can be problematic. As you need some place for a modem to plug into. Unless your house has Ethernet wiring. Then the best option would be an access point plugged into Ethernet.

Ethernet > Powerline or MOCA > Mesh > Range Extender

What's your budget?

 

[Wolfshadw]

Ideally, you'd want to have Ethernet run into every major room of the house. If you don't mind cutting holes into the walls, it can be a DIY project, but I can see how that may not be an option. Moving the router to the first level might improve the wireless signal in the basement, but that is going to depend on the building materials. It might not make any difference at all. Other options would include Powerline Ethernet or MoCA.

Powerline adapters can run Ethernet signals over the existing electrical wiring in the home. You'd have two adapters; one plugged into a power outlet upstairs near the router. The other would be plugged into a power outlet near your computer. Run Ethernet from each adapter to the router/computer and (hopefully) you're connected.

MoCA (Media over Coaxial Alliance) is similar in that it runs over existing wiring, but instead of electrical, it uses Coax like the cable companies do.

Both of these options are kind of pricey, but they do offer improvements over your current situation.

-Wolf sends