Wifi solution for long range

[zshaw]

I currently have a TP-Link TL-WN822N connected to a BT home hub 5 on the complete opposite end of a house with very thick walls. Wired gets about 70mbps but my wireless gets about 10-20mbps which I am fine with. What I'm not fine with is the packet loss and ping spikes I get constantly when gaming. I have been looking at usb dongles online for ages but have no idea if any one of them will even be better than the one I have.

I have a TP-Link TL-PA511KIT powerline adapter which suffers from more packet loss and lower mbps no matter which sockets I try (its an old house with terrible wiring and probably lead lined walls).

I'm willing to pay up to £100 to solve this problem, what do you guys recommend? Is there a great usb dongle out there? Is bridging/repeating a good solution, if so what ones would you recommend? Would I be better off getting a better router than the home hub 5?

Thanks in advance!

 

[eatmypie]

I personally am one of those wifi nerds since I do a lot of security work and sometimes that involves using wifi over long ranges. A lot of people buy the cheapest wifi adapter that they can find whether it would be a USB adapter or something that plugs in through pci or pci 1X. In some older homes you may find insulation that has a metallic finish on it that for some reason a lot of people used back in the day to help with fires so it couldn't spreed quite as fast, but this is also a huge problem for wifi and other things that transmit signals like cellphones etc... But that may or may not be your case. But your adapter is definitely weak. I would recommend getting one at least with a 7 dbi antenna Like I personally use http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036NH-802-11g-Wireless-Long-Range/dp/B003YIFHJY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1424612926&sr=8-1&keywords=alpha+wifi+adapter just because it is super reliable and has very good range. Or they have one that is even more powerful http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-Waterproof-Outdoor-wireless-Integrated/dp/B003ILWRLI/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1424612926&sr=8-3&keywords=alpha+wifi+adapter either of these will work great for you. Just don't let someone con you into buying a cheapo $15 one because that won't fix your problem

Also this paper isn't to crazy but it does have some things that you can check for around your house http://www.pcworld.com/article/227973/six_things_that_block_your_wifi_and_how_to_fix_them.html

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

... (its an old house with terrible wiring and probably lead lined walls).

I'm willing to pay up to £100 to solve this problem, what do you guys recommend? Is there a great usb dongle out there? Is bridging/repeating a good solution, if so what ones would you recommend? Would I be better off getting a better router than the home hub 5?

If you suspect the walls may be lead lined, any wireless connection will likely not work well. A wireless bridge with a good directional antenna may help improve the connection. Repeaters are not a viable solution for gaming.

I'd recommend looking into having a cable run to your PC from the router. Not sure if it can be done for £100, but it is likely the best method for your situation.

 

[g90814]

[strike]You might want to look into powerline ethernet. Well within your budget, and easy to set up. You can get just ethernet, or ethernet plus a wireless access point for that end of the house.

Basic:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-PA411KIT-Powerline-Adapter-Starter/dp/B0084Y9N3O or
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-PA4030KIT-500Mbps-Powerline-Adapter/dp/B00FEDTWL6

with wireless access point:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-LINK-TL-WPA4220KIT-Powerline-Configuration-Smartphone/dp/B00DHB2T44
[/strike]

Oops just read the middle of your post LOL

Can you move the router at all? Sometimes a minor position change can help your signal.