Question wifi from switch

[terristone]

CAN I CONNECT SOMETHING TO A SWITCH TO GET WIFI ?

I have extremely poor wireless coverage everywhere through my house unless directly in front of the modem/router
large 4 bedroom house, lots of bricks and lots of walls so impacts the WIFI signal significantly..

i have 3 wireless extenders, but still have very poor coverage in majority of the house in zero coverage in my office which is a unit in my backyard (about 10m from modem/router & about 3 meters from my back door, its pretty close ) ,.

so i have wired from the modem/router to a switch in the unit (Netgear ProSaAFE / GS105 gigabit switch.
that is then connected to laptop via cable, works very well.

but i have no wireless access out here or anywhere in my back yard, so very limiting for me working as i can't go mobile.. desperate to get a solution. .

so my question is :
CAN I PLUG SOMETHING INTO THE SWITCH INTO THE UNIT TO RUN WIFI OUT IN MY OFFICE?

some type of AP? if so recommendations
because if i have to connect back to the router/modem then i'll prob need multiple or maybe an external AP - i dont know much about these and how they connect though.. so recommendations would be fantastic.

 

[jcarter12]

What internet speeds from the ISP are you paying for? Also, what is the router you are using?

 

[bill001g]

You are correct you want a AP.

BUT you do not actually have to buy a device called a AP. Generally the feature people want when they buy actual AP Is the ability to power the device over ethernet. They tend to be mounted on the ceiling or other areas where there is no easy access to power. Most AP though can run on a wall transformer so if you want a actual AP you could buy one.

So if you have a "extra?" extender most those device can be made to run as a AP. You can just plug them into the switch and set them to AP mode and you in effect have a switch with wifi. Really cheap extenders do not have ethernet ports so that is not a option for those.
The other option which I would have recommended if you did not already have a switch would have been to buy a cheap router and use it as a AP. Pretty much any router can be used as a AP but most modern devices have a setting to put them in AP or bridge mode. When you use a router you would get all the extra lan ports rather than buying a switch. You can of course just use a router as a AP and plug it into the switch.

 

[gggplaya]

Wireless network extenders are junk.

Yes, you can add as many AP(access point) units as you want to the house as long as they are spread out decently.