[SOLVED] Wireless Access Points and Wifi is spotty

[skippy647]

I live in a 2000ish square foot home and downstairs wifi connection is spotty.
I have a wired connection with my Verizon FIOS Gateway router upstairs.
We pay for 150/150mbps up/down.
I want to be able to give my parents decent internet downstairs.

1. I've seen Google Wifi, Orbi, and Ubiquiti as options for wireless access points but am not sure what is best.

2. If I were to buy one of these, would I need to replace my Verizon Fios Gateway router with one of the models one of these companies provide?

3. I have also heard that If you were to replace the router, Verizon TV service would get interrupted. Does anyone know this to be true? It seems kinda weird cause the TVs are down stairs and are plugged up to different TV boxes. I'm not sure how the router comes into play here.

Can anyone help explain or direct me as to what to do?
There's been a lot of recommendations towards Ubiquiti but I am not sure what to get.
There is a big emphasis on it being wireless as I do not have the resources to run cables through the ceiling and walls.

 

[bill001g]

It is not a access point if it is wireless it is a repeater. A access point by definition has a ethernet cable connected back to the main network.

Repeaters should be your very last option. Even the newer so called mesh units have issues. The key problem is placement. The device must get a good signal from the main router but still be able to transmit the signal to the remote location. This tends to be hard to do when you have a floor/ceiling inbetween.

Even when you get them install properly they still suffer from now having multiple radio signals all of which are subject to interference.

I would consider using the ISP method of running cables if nothing else. They run them on the outside of the house. Looks tacky but is simple to do and gets the job done.

You might also consider powerline networks to act as the ethernet cable between the router and access points. The powerline can get between the floors and if you are lucky you will only need 1 remote wifi source. You do not have to actually buy access points many routers have that feature and any router can be cabled as a access point even if it does not have the feature.

Another option depending on the where you have cable outlets. Many verison routers have a feature called MoCA. You can buy a moca adapter in the remote room and use the TV coax to carry your data. I do not know the details of this since it has been a long time since I had fios but it is a feature on their better routers.

 

[skippy647]

It is not a access point if it is wireless it is a repeater. A access point by definition has a ethernet cable connected back to the main network.

Repeaters should be your very last option. Even the newer so called mesh units have issues. The key problem is placement. The device must get a good signal from the main router but still be able to transmit the signal to the remote location. This tends to be hard to do when you have a floor/ceiling inbetween.

Even when you get them install properly they still suffer from now having multiple radio signals all of which are subject to interference.

I would consider using the ISP method of running cables if nothing else. They run them on the outside of the house. Looks tacky but is simple to do and gets the job done.

You might also consider powerline networks to act as the ethernet cable between the router and access points. The powerline can get between the floors and if you are lucky you will only need 1 remote wifi source. You do not have to actually buy access points many routers have that feature and any router can be cabled as a access point even if it does not have the feature.

Another option depending on the where you have cable outlets. Many verison routers have a feature called MoCA. You can buy a moca adapter in the remote room and use the TV coax to carry your data. I do not know the details of this since it has been a long time since I had fios but it is a feature on their better routers.

I have these in my walls at home. The little rj45 bit.

Couldn't I just buy a Wired Access Point and plug it into the Ethernet thats attached to the wall as opposed to plugging the wired access point into my router?

 

[bill001g]

Those are likely telephone jacks. Maybe you can convert them. All depends on the type of wire and where the wire goes. Phone wire many times is not twisted pairs and is daisy chained room to room. Ethernet is always point to point and needs cat5e cable. If the wire looks like ethernet cable you might have a chance depending on where the other end of the wires go.