Cheap wireless access point to extend wireless range

tonyyeb · 9 Mar 2009 at 13:53

Hi all

I'm after a cheap wireless access point that will work with my existing Netgear wireless router to extend the wireless range. So say my router is in the living room. I want to put another wireless access point in a bed room upstairs, connect them both wirelessly and then have clients connect to either.

Thanks in advance!

Sin_Chase · 9 Mar 2009 at 14:38

Cheap may leave you a little underwhelmed in terms of extra range.

Perhaps consider a Powerline adapter for this?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=46&catid=800

wij · 9 Mar 2009 at 14:47

Cisco Aironet 1230AG, £100 from fleabay and added 9dB antennas, no wireless issues in my entire house (big thick stone walls).

A bit more than a 'cheap' solution but I've not bothered with any other wireless since getting it a couple of years ago. It wipes the floor with every consumer router I've ever had, including 802.11n ones.

That kind of price looks high, but comapre that to say £50 for a set of power line adapters, and another £40-50 for a WRT54GL to run as an AP and it's not really that expensive.

tonyyeb · 9 Mar 2009 at 15:36

Sin_Chase said:
Cheap may leave you a little underwhelmed in terms of extra range.

Perhaps consider a Powerline adapter for this?

http://www.overclockers.co.uk/productlist.php?groupid=46&catid=800

Hmmm I never considered those. Good idea. Should be able to get a set quite cheap now I would have thought.

Thanks

Sin_Chase · 9 Mar 2009 at 15:43

wij said:
That kind of price looks high, but comapre that to say £50 for a set of power line adapters, and another £40-50 for a WRT54GL to run as an AP and it's not really that expensive.

Do not need an additional AP if he gets Wireless Powerline adapters

Sin_Chase · 9 Mar 2009 at 15:44

Just a side note, may be worth checking your source and destination are on the same ring main otherwise power line jobbys will not work.

Some large property's have segregation etc.

tonyyeb · 9 Mar 2009 at 15:45

Two bed semi so I doubt it will be a problem.

wij · 9 Mar 2009 at 16:09

Same ring main doesn't matter, as long as they go back to the same consumer unit they will generally be OK. The ones in my garage that connect to the rest of my house are fine and they are certainly on a different ring main, but meet in the consumer unit.

Bear in mind also that they are typically only single port devices, so you may need to think about a cheap switch to put upstairs to connect multiple things into, you can also get some that have little wireless AP's built in so that could be a neat way of getting wifi upstairs and also a hard wired connection - though those units are a bit more costly.