Options for boosting wifi signal across 2 floors

PaulMTC · 11 Mar 2009 at 13:14

Hi all,

I live in a 3 level house. It’s an old stone built house.

My wireless router is on the top floor. I barely get a signal in my basement level – some places there is no signal.

What are my best options to boost this signal?

I don’t think I can use the “Homeplug” solution as my basement electrical circuit is linked to a separate fuse box etc. from the rest of my house (the basement conversion was put in the house at a later date). Can I test this somehow before buying the Homeplug kit?

Options I have been thinking about:

• Can I just by a bigger more powerful antenna? I have a belkin router at the moment that has 3 little antenna on it. How would that work – would I replace all of these antennas with 3 bigger ones?

• Just buy a new router with more powerful wifi transmission (my one was is a fairly decent belkin one that I bought about 3-4 years ago)

• Get some sort of booster that I put on the middle floor that picks up the wifi signal from top floor and transmits to basement floor

Any suggestions on this are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Paul.

PaulMTC · 11 Mar 2009 at 13:36

Thanks a lot Zap.

Could you be more specific (for the uninitiated!) about what I would need to buy and do.

Do I just buy another normal router – say Linksys?

Or is it better to use belkin as that’s what my current one is?

What is the custom firmware and where do I get it?

Paul.

PaulMTC · 11 Mar 2009 at 14:16

Thanks for the idea Hefner. Unfortunately it won’t be easy/practical to run the cable up.

PaulMTC · 11 Mar 2009 at 16:24

Just had a thought about a potential solution using Homeplug …..

• I would have a Homeplug plugged into a wall socket next to my wifi router on the top floor (HOMEPLUG 1)
• I would run a CAT5e cable from my wifi router to HOMEPLUG 1
• I would have another Homeplug plugged into a wall socket on the ground floor (HOMEPLUG 2). This would be a Homeplug with a wifi transmitter on it
• I would then be able to pick up a wifi signal in my basement from HOMEPLUG2 as it is only has to travel to the floor below

….. would this work?

Thanks,

Paul.