Wireless Signal Booster

[SomethingSomething]

A friend of mine is in the pub business, and currently runs a pub that was built from the ruined remains of an old farm estate from pre WW2. He's got a wireless card terminal installed, but because there's a few walls with piping, metal fixtures, etc between the card terminal and the wireless router he frequently loses signal during transaction or just all together.

Can anyone recommend a signal booster or repeater that would work reliably well in this situation? Any alternative solutions are also good.

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

If the card terminal is in a fixed location and doesn't get moved, a strategically placed repeater can help solve the connection issues if the construction of the building allows. This TPLink gets high marks (router with a repeater/bridge mode):
http://www.amazon.com/TP-LINK-TL-WA801ND-Wireless-300Mbps-Repeater/dp/B004UBU8IE/ref=sr_1_6?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1410133872&sr=1-6&keywords=wifi+repeater
(edited product/link)

Have you considered a wired connection to the terminal for a solid link? You might also consider running a line to a wireless router that you can place for better coverage, and just configure that router as an access point.

 

[SomethingSomething]

Unfortunately it's not a fixed position terminal. It's a bar, so it's more useful to have a pick-up terminal to hand to the customers.

Ideally he needs something that helps the signal penetrate environments with interference. The situation is that he has the router in a small room surrounded by walls, almost like a cupboard. Then there's a hallway with another wall in the way. Then the bar itself:

[Router] | Hall | Bar itself.

The actual distance between the router and where it's generally used is only about 3-5 meters away. The problem is that it's a fairly old building, and in it's construction there's god know's only what between the router and the bar.

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

With a mobile card terminal, you'll be taking a little more of a risk with a repeater, but it would be the easiest solution and can possibly work well.

For a trouble-free solution (especially in a customer service environment), I'd recommend a hard-wired access point using a good quality wireless router.

 

[SomethingSomething]

Thanks for the information, I'll see if I can convince him to do so

Something else I wondered about - I remember reading about plug sockets that use the wiring in the building as if they're cables, allowing you to turn a plug socket into an access point - would those work well or are there significant disadvantages I don't know about with those?

 

[BuddhaSkoota]

TI remember reading about plug sockets that use the wiring in the building as if they're cables, allowing you to turn a plug socket into an access point

I thought about mentioning powerline network adapters, but I'm not quite sure how well they would work out in pre-WW2 building wiring. I've used them myself and recommend them as the next-best alternative to running a cable.

You would need a pair of adapters - one placed at the main router and the other at the access point. There are also powerline adapters that double as a wifi access point. The adapters work best when used on the same power leg, and may not work at all if the two adapters are on opposing legs. Sometime the only way to find this out is to try them on a set of power outlets. They should be plugged directly into a wall outlet and may not work well if plugged into a surge protector or power strip.

I can't recommend a particular adapter, but you may want to give these a look:
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_c_0_10?url=search-alias%3Dcomputers&field-keywords=powerline%20adapter&sprefix=powerline+%2Caps%2C198