What do I need for a LAN sub-net? (internet via Wifi)

hardjack79 · 29 May 2014 at 17:09

Dear reader,

I'm lodging with a family who have a wifi router on the ground floor. I'm on the 2nd (top) floor. I have two aims and hopefully someone will know what piece of kit I need to be able to achieve them...

1) Create a LAN (wired + wifi) for my own use -- mainly streaming media, occasionally LAN gaming, without the data needing to traverse the wifi connection(s) back to the family router.

2) Improve the quality of my internet access (wifi signal is pretty weak in my room), or at least not significantly degrade it (so if using an extender, I think dual-band is a must?)

So I want a device that is basically a router, but can connect to the internet via the wifi signal of the family's router. I wonder if a Wireless Range Extender, such as the Netgear WN2500RP, fits the bill?

A wired connection to the family router is not going to be possible, however I do have physical access to it for installing things, if required. It would be nice if "Richard Net" was completely private from "Family Net", but even obfuscation would be enough security bc the family are not super tech savvy.

Has anyone done this, or have knowledge about this kind of thing? Any recommendations for hardware that would do the job?

Thanks very much,
Richard

hardjack79 · 29 May 2014 at 23:26

Good questions and I'll need to do some research before I can answer all of them. I've just moved in and haven't seen the router yet, but it is a talktalk router so probably a Huawei HG533. It has a 12Mbit connection according to its status page, but I don't see that up here. I'm lucky if the signal doesn't drop out.

I'll ask about replacing it - hopefully not a big deal if I'm paying. And about removing it from the lead lined box in the neighbors basement, yes.

Budget is decent I think: £100 for something that works, maybe more for a really good solution. Internet is important and I use it a lot so worth paying to get something good.

Writing this from a mobile over 3G so I will do mutt best to answer those questions tomorrow, and get a solution sorted soon.

hardjack79 · 31 May 2014 at 10:54

I've ordered some pass through powerline adapters and a basic router (went for the Asus RT-N12E in the end). This seems like a decent solution if I can configure it correctly and I doubt it will be bandwidth limiting. Plus it only cost 45 quid and should arrive today. I'll let you know how out goes. Most likely I'll bee petitioning family for a change in plan or ISP, given how you guys are taking the **** out of the connection speed already

Thanks for the advice everyone.

hardjack79 · 1 Jun 2014 at 20:14

The gear arrived and was ridiculously simple to set up. Plugged it all in and was able to able to set up wifi password from my phone without even plugging a PC into the router. Web access up here is at the maximum (albeit disappointing) speed of 12 Mbps. The powerline adapter downstairs is hidden in a cupboard so the only visible change is an extra cable coming from the back of the router.

No doubt I've got some tweaks still to make to secure the subnet and make sure the LAN routing is sensible, but I'm very happy with this solution. Thanks very much guys!