Spare sky router, use to improve wireless range?

Big-Mac-Please

Big-Mac-Please

Big-Mac-Please

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Hello :D

I have a spare sky wireless router and as I currently have a switch in the roof I was thinking about taking it out and using the spare sky router and if possible this might improve the wireless range?

Any tips on this?

Thanks!
 
You should be able to use it as a wireless access point if that helps.

The normal procedure is...

  1. Assign it a network address that fits with the rest of your network.
  2. Disable its DHCP server.
  3. Connect it to the network using one of its LAN ports.
  4. Configure the wireless as you want.
 
AFAIK if you do that your devices will connect to which ever device is giving the strongest signal? Not sure if they should be on the same or different wireless channels though?
 
I'd use different settings and channel. If it were a wireless extender it would need the same settings.
 
If it's wired into the network you could use a different SSID and password, there's no need to confuse things. Try it and see how you go. As for channel use 1 or 6 to give separation from the main one (assuming it's 11). Wifi channels overlap a bit so you need to give at least 4 channels distance really.
 
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But if the wireless has a different ssid and key if the laptop or whatever can see both networks it will connect to whichever has the highest priority in the wireless settings, regardless of the signal strength?
 
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same ssid, password and channel

seeing as it's a sky router might be worth unlocking and flashing with the stock sagem/netgear firmware for increased configuration options
 
dan653 said:
same ssid, password and channel

seeing as it's a sky router might be worth unlocking and flashing with the stock sagem/netgear firmware for increased configuration options
Click to expand...

I have a setup like that, works a treat. Same ssid, channel and password. I can walk about the house with my laptop or phone connected to the wireless and there's no break as it moves between the two wireless routers. I know that for sure because at either end of the house, the phone's wireless settings info page shows only one access point for my network, but show two in the middle of the house.

I have the Sky-branded netgear DG834GT and it's dead easy to reflash the firmware with standard Netgear firmware.
 
If I'm reading this thread right then the solutions are for when the 2 routers are connected via a wired connection. Is it the same for a wireless link between them so they can extend network range? I think I remember there are complications as they have to receive and send at the same time.
 
No, this is for a cable link between the two. Afaik they (the Sagem models at least) aren't capable of being a wireless repeater or bridge, only a wireless extender.
 
Don't use the same channel on both. Either put them both on auto, or use two which are at least three frequency bands apart (6 apart for 300Mb wireless N).
Otherwise traffic on one AP interferes with the other causing increased latency and reducing throughput. it also hurts signal strength.
Having them on the same channel has no benefits.
 
I know this is a bit late but I finally managed to get round to doing this last weekend.

When I opened the box it turned out to be a white propper netgear router I got from virgin. So I set the router up to not be a DHCP and have a static address.

I installed in the roof in place of the switch I already had there. I went for same ssid, password, channel and it has been working like a charm!!

No issues at all and finally my iMac has a strong signal and doesn't drop out at all.

If anyone has one knocking around I would highly recommend this :)
 
Different channel is the conventional wisdom - same channel only serves to cause interference, it doesn't help with swapping between APs.

The only time I'd bother with multiple SSIDs is if you want strong signal in either end of the house, but you don't tend to move them around - ie a machine at each end of the house, two SSIDs mean they'll always connect to the closest AP. If you have any machines that move between the areas covered by each AP you're probably best off with one SSID for simplicity of setup - you only need to connect once.
 
Agreed with audigex. problem with two SSID's is that windows will connect to whichever one is highest on the list in the preferred networks list if it can detect it, regardless of the signal strength. A Single SSID means strongest signal.
 
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