[SOLVED] Purchase new router or WiFi repeater ?

[cloudff7ps1]

is it possible to buy a good router or wifi repeater on Aliexpress for a low price? I currently have a second TP-LINK TW-WR541G router outside my room to distribute wifi throughout the rest of the house but my father has a samsung galaxy A10 smartphone and is always complaining that the wifi is slow so I wanted to spend as little as possible to improve it.

 

[USAFRet]

WiFi being slow is as much environment as is the actual equipment.

The bestest fanciest router or AP, in a crappy building environment, will still result in a crappy connection.

 

[bill001g]

I would be careful about aliexpress. Since you are importing it yourself they can sell you garbage. Technically customs should catch equipment that is not certified but they have more important thing to look for than a single router. It is very easy to buy poor quality and even stuff that is illegal to use.

How much/little money are you looking at. You can get a router with a ac1200 number that is massively faster that what you have. You can get name brand routers new for about $50 and lessor know brands for about $30. You can get things just a little cheaper by going to routers that are 802.11n and have numbers like 300. Still they are not a lot cheaper.

If cost is a huge issues I would look to buy a used/reconditioned router. Many people are moving to the new 802.11ax (wifi6) so there is a lot of used 802.11ac routers.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

which type of router has the strongest wifi signal for samsung galaxy A10? which technologies is good?

my internet is 200mbps optical fiber

 

[kanewolf]

which type of router has the strongest wifi signal for samsung galaxy A10? which technologies is good?

my internet is 200mbps optical fiber

The sweet spot for routers is the ones marketed as AC1200 or AC1900.
Your existing TP-Link is old as dirt. The performance will be poor. It has 100Mbit wired connection and only 54Mbit WIFI. It might provide 20Mbit service to the A10.
An AC1200 or AC1900 will have gigabit wired (required for 200Mbit service) and can provide 200Mbit WIFI to the A10.
If you are using the TP-Link as a repeater, then it is SLOWING YOUR ENTIRE WIFI NETWORK.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

AC 1200 and AC1900 have the best WIFI? is their range better too?

I'm using WIFI from both routers, my Tenda in my room and TP-Link in the living room are activated


AC1200 all routers is Gigabit?

 

[kanewolf]

AC 1200 and AC1900 have the best WIFI? is their range better too?

I'm using WIFI from both routers, my Tenda in my room and TP-Link in the living room are activated


AC1200 all routers is Gigabit?

The key thing with my statement about a repeater is if you are using a WIFI link between the two routers or if you are using an ethernet cable. A repeater would use WIFI for the link, an access point would use an ethernet cable.
I can't say 100% all AC1200 routers are gigabit. There might be some cheap units that aren't. If you have any doubt, just google the model and "specifications". You will find out if that specific model has gigabit wired ports.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

I use RJ45 cable interconnecting the two routers

 

[kanewolf]

I use RJ45 cable interconnecting the two routers

Then you don't have a repeater, you have an access point. That is always the best approach.

 

[cloudff7ps1]

two routers is good?

 

[kanewolf]

two routers is good?

Two routers is OK. There are some "gotchas" from having a second router. You want the secondary device to be configured as an access point.
Some routers have a simple way to configure as an AP some you have to do it manually.
Here is the sticky on manually configuring -- https://forums.tomshardware.com/thr...-router-to-a-wireless-ap-access-point.966884/

 

[cloudff7ps1]

what best routers for i buy?

 

[kanewolf]

what best routers for i buy?

Your budget will determine that. I recommend Asus brand. I like that there is second source firmware -- https://www.asuswrt-merlin.net/ for most of them.