Range extender or second modem? (1 Viewer)

[GrandAdmiral]

I moved into my new place which is bigger and have more walls throughout. The extra walls is affecting coverage for Wi-Fi. I've read about some using a second modem in "bridge mode" to improve coverage. Is this a viable option or would an extender be the best option?

 

[Chris]

What are you currently using for a wireless router (make and model)? If the device is "old" you can probably solve your issue by upgrading to a new WiFi router or changing the location of the device in your home. I would try to avoid extenders/repeaters as it's possible you could cut your bandwidth in half (or by a quarter). I wouldn't go so far as to say they are "snake oil", but they can cause unnecessary issues. Ideally, you would have another room in the house with an ethernet wall jack (connected back to your router/modem) where you can plug a standalone wireless access point.

A popular alternative option would be to setup a Mesh WiFi network (Netgear Orbi, Google WiFi, Eero Pro, etc.), where your coverage improves as you add more devices. I'm not recommending you go this route (can be expensive). I'm just letting you know it's out there.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

It's a brand new modem purchased a few months ago. It's in the front of the house in the living room where the coaxial and main TV is (the only one that's hot). I could always get it relocated but the other coaxial jacks are in the bedroom, which would like create the same problem.

The house is set up to be wired, but the spot for that is in the master bedroom, which of course would mess up Wi-Fi coverage. Cox is also giving me a hard time about assisting.

 

[ANKOMA33]

I had a similar problem in my home so I decided to purchase a mesh system set up.

I got the Amplifi system @ Best Buy. Comes complete with a router & two mesh points that you can plug anywhere there is a "dead spot" in your home. Now I have WI FI coverage every where with very little lag. I have very few complaints since getting this.

Google, EERO & Linksys are also good options if you are shopping around.

 

[Chris]

It's a brand new modem purchased a few months ago. It's in the front of the house in the living room where the coaxial and main TV is (the only one that's hot). I could always get it relocated but the other coaxial jacks are in the bedroom, which would like create the same problem.

The house is set up to be wired, but the spot for that is in the master bedroom, which of course would mess up Wi-Fi coverage. Cox is also giving me a hard time about assisting.

So your modem is providing wireless coverage for you? If so, you may want to purchase a dedicated wireless router such as the Netgear Nighthawk series, connect your modem to it via an ethernet cable, and disable the WiFi on the modem. Basically, let the modem be a modem, and leave the wireless to a product that is better suited for the task. You can always return the wireless router if it doesn't solve your issue.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

So your modem is providing wireless coverage for you? If so, you may want to purchase a dedicated wireless router such as the Netgear Nighthawk series, connect your modem to it via an ethernet cable, and disable the WiFi on the modem. Basically, let the modem be a modem, and leave the wireless to a product that is better suited for the task. You can always return the wireless router if it doesn't solve your issue.

Got the Nighthawk installed and things are looking great. Thanks for the suggestion.

 

[Chris]

Got the Nighthawk installed and things are looking great. Thanks for the suggestion.

Sounds good! I've had a Nighthawk R8000 for about 3 years now and it's served me well. Just set it to update the firmware automatically. You will want to stay on top of any security fixes that may arise.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Sounds good! I've had a Nighthawk R8000 for about 3 years now and it's served me well. Just set it to update the firmware automatically. You will want to stay on top of any security fixes that may arise.

Will do.

Change of topic somewhat. It seems I can add my VPN to the router. Thoughts? Pros? Cons?

 

[Chris]

Will do.

Change of topic somewhat. It seems I can add my VPN to the router. Thoughts? Pros? Cons?

Depends what you mean by "my VPN". Are you already using a third-party VPN service, and which one?

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Depends what you mean by "my VPN". Are you already using a third-party VPN service, and which one?

Yeah, currently using SurfShark.

 

[Chris]

Yeah, currently using SurfShark.

You could set it up to work with your VPN, but you would have to flash a third-party Open Souce firmware (DD-WRT) to get it working. While not uncommon, the setup can be a little more involved for the average user. It's really up to you if you wish to go this route.

 

[tomwaits]

I had a Nighthawk for a while and it did pretty good, but night and day difference when I switched to the Google mesh with 3 access points.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

I had a Nighthawk for a while and it did pretty good, but night and day difference when I switched to the Google mesh with 3 access points.

I almost pulled the trigger on the mesh. Should have followed my first mind.

Still enjoying the Nighthawk though and it comes with Bitdefender for free.

 

[Saint_Ward]

So, we moved to Phoenix and are now in a two story house. Sadly, the only good cable internet coax was up in the master bedroom. That made my WiFi placement crappy. The office at the end of the hall had spotty coverage and downstairs was a joke.

So, I bit the bullet and with with a new Wifi Mesh system. I saw that some of the TP-Link Deco's were on sale, so I got the X55. WOW. Even just installing the first Mesh Router covered the entire house with double the 'up close' speed of my old router. I went ahead and set up the other two anyway, because I wanted to use the wired connection for my living room TV and PS5.

Holy blazing speed. I only am using the 250 Mbps plan for Cox, and I'm basically getting that speed all over the house (220ish). I used to be happy with 60Mbps in most rooms.

It's going for $219 on Amazon now. The have some slightly cheaper models that would probably work just fine, but I wanted the 3 ethernet ports for future proofing, and downstairs I have like 3 things that would benefit from a hardline.

 

[Eeyore]

So, we moved to Phoenix and are now in a two story house. Sadly, the only good cable internet coax was up in the master bedroom. That made my WiFi placement crappy. The office at the end of the hall had spotty coverage and downstairs was a joke.

So, I bit the bullet and with with a new Wifi Mesh system. I saw that some of the TP-Link Deco's were on sale, so I got the X55. WOW. Even just installing the first Mesh Router covered the entire house with double the 'up close' speed of my old router. I went ahead and set up the other two anyway, because I wanted to use the wired connection for my living room TV and PS5.

Holy blazing speed. I only am using the 250 Mbps plan for Cox, and I'm basically getting that speed all over the house (220ish). I used to be happy with 60Mbps in most rooms.

It's going for $219 on Amazon now. The have some slightly cheaper models that would probably work just fine, but I wanted the 3 ethernet ports for future proofing, and downstairs I have like 3 things that would benefit from a hardline.

I have the x55 coming tomorrow. My house is a pain for wi-fi. My coax is in the basement so I ran Ethernet to the upstairs but I have a large chimney that runs from the basement through the roof right in the middle of the house. The Wi-Fi doesn't handle the chimney at all. I'm hoping that these will help. It seems like we can expand as needed which is what sold me.