Sorting out my network

PaoloUK

PaoloUK

PaoloUK

Associate
Joined
15 Dec 2007
Posts
126
I'm looking for some help sorting out my home network once and for all. I'm with Virgin Media and have a Super Hub 1 and I've come to the conclusion it would struggle to provide WIFI through a cardboard box never mind the solid walls in our house. We have a lot of wireless devices in our house all of which have inconsistent WIFI connection/speeds and it's become too annoying to ignore.

Right now the "Super" Hub has wired connections to one PC in the same room and one Netgear router in another room on the same floor. The Netgear router is wired to a PC and PS4 in the same room and has WIFI but isn't much better at it than the Super Hub and with them both being upstairs it means downstairs is suffering.

After some research I think my best chance at solving this is putting the Superhub into modem mode and buying a new router to be the main network source. I'd then replace the Netgear router in the other room upstairs with a switch to supply the wired connections to the other room in the hope that the new router would cover all the WIFI needs. If the WIFI was still iffy in places downstairs I'd buy a WIFI extender plug to hopefully give the house complete coverage.

Does this seem like the best idea? If so, what router and switch do people recommend? I've seen the Netgear Nighthawk R7000 and Linksys EA6900 mentioned a fair few times while reading up on it all.

Thanks in advance.
 
Best solution = have a central swtich and run network cables to all PCs/network devices. If you need wifi in any areas, then install wifi access points (connected via ethernet to the switch).

Don't use wifi repeaters, don't use powerline, they are both very poor solutions.
 
I would if I could, I know it's the best solution but we have solid brick walls not plasterboard/stud walling, there's no way to wire the house without either extensive drilling or having cables visibly running around the house, both not an option.

I could maybe drop one wire down through the floor/ceiling to supply a wired connection to a wifi access point aimed at covering downstairs.

Any suggestions on routers from anyone?
 
Is trunking not an option? You can put the cables into trunks to hide them. You'll of course still have the white trunking showing, but it can be done very neatly quite easily.

I recently got the Netgear R7000 with AC1900 wireless and it's pretty good. 100% signal throughout the house.
 
Think what I'll do is buy a new router for upstairs and put the Superhub into modem mode and have a switch in the second room upstairs. Then I think I can drop a cable down some boxing in that already has cables and pipes in which would come out in the lounge and I could put another router/access point there to deal with downstairs.

That would mean everything I need wired upstairs is and the wifi should be covered upstairs by the router and then downstairs I could hard wire anything important to the second box which should extend the wifi to cover downstairs.

When I come to buy my first house what the walls are made out of is going near the top of the to check list :D. I envy people who can easily hard wire their whole house with no hassle.
 
Phone Virgin and ask them why you haven't got the latest router Superhub 2 AC or whatever it is now.

They'll most likely send you the latest bit of kit for the price of postage.
 
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