Improving wi-fI signal from router to my music computer.

[Arpangel]

I've finally got around to setting up a little studio in our tower, but the wi-fi reception is terrible. I need it to use Reason, it's authorised on my main studio computer, but on my PC in the little studio I have to be online to use it.
Obviously, the tower is at the top of the house, the router is on the middle floor, with two floors and walls in between the PC! We can't move the router, as it gives good reception in other parts of the house. It's going to be awkward to run a cable, and I'm wondering about those plug-in mains internet boosters, do they work?

[The Red Bladder]

Q: do they work?

A: Yes. They are a bit slower than a direct link, but they do work.

But before you do that, try using a dedicated wi-fi dongle, as the on-board wi-fi for most laptops is pretty crap. Look on eBay for a "600Mbps Dual Band 802.11ac 2.4GHz 5GHz PC WiFi USB Adapter" - they cost about £8 and are well worth it. I just use those and got one for M when her on-board thing was useless.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/600Mbps-Dual ... Swv-ZaQYxS

They should not require any SW installation for W10 systems.

If that doesn't work, get a set of those BT mains adapters from Curry's-PC World for £30.

[shufflebeat]

I use the mains extension adapters when the kids are having get togethers in the conservatory/garden where WiFi doesn't reach but they need something to maintain their life-support systems. I put a cheap WiFi doofer on the end and set up a separate network and password.

When the Good Lady Wife is doing her special thing (whatever that is) on SkypeTime I do a direct ethernet cable link via the extender to her laptop in the East Wing which works like lightning.

[Agharta]

Hi,
The first thing to do is to check that the device and the router are both using the optimal protocols and channels etc.
Which for mainstream equipment might mean WiFi AC at 5GHz using a channel that isn’t conflicting with that of a neighbour.
Some equipment won’t default to using the best settings and the results can be dire.
I suggest installing a tool such as Wifi Analyser on a phone/tablet as that will show the strength of signal around the house on both the 2.4 and 5 GHz channels:
https://play.google.com/store/apps/deta ... yzer&gl=GB

Do post the make and model of your router as that can help.
If all the above is gobbledygook to you then look for a guide online about optimising WiFi as this is a basic and necessary skill nowadays.

Homeplugs and WiFi extenders both work and again I’d look for a guide that explains the basics so you can make an informed decision.

[Drew Stephenson]

Do you actually need wifi or would a homeplug do? If so i'd recommend the latter.

[IAA]

Q: do they work?

A: Yes. They are a bit slower than a direct link, but they do work.

They are slower but some models have an Ethernet port which I find more reliable than their wifi.

[CS70]

First thing , which router do you have? There's unbelievable crap out there, and often simply a better radio and antennas in the router does the trick.

If your router is already a good spec, then it's worth exploring other solutions.

Running a cable is usually not so complicated. A possible trick I have sometimes employed when helping friends is to set up a second router in bridge mode, connected wirelessly to the main router in a place where the signal is strong, and run the physical cable from that.

[ef37a]

I had a very similar problem matey about a year ago.
I had a WI FI camera in the garden which needed better than an 80% signal. My TTlk router at the time gave good coverage around the house, even the kitchen, most remote point, but dropped off just 2mtrs beyond the kitchen window.

I used a run of CAT 5e cable some 10 mtrs as the crow flutters from router to kitchen door. That fed a TP-Link WA500G 54M 'wireless access point' and that gave the camera 100% signal. You don'r need you see to get the cable all the way, just close enough to another radiator. I guess you could use any gash router you have about? I have about 3.

The camera has gone back to Zon and I have my money back. I now have the latest TTlk router and that is very powerful.

I am not a fan of putting RF down the mains supply.

Dave.

[Arpangel]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I'm using whatever is the latest Virgin wi-fi router.
Reception is fine in the rest of the house, im now expecting it to go through two Victorian ceilings and about four walls! We have to have the router in the middle of the house, to give even coverage, but the tower is two floors above that.
Yesterday we bought a TP Link AV600 power line. I'm going to try that today, I'll keep you posted.

[Arpangel]

Yeeeesssss! It works! It was a bit tricky setting up, as I had to run within 2mins to press the pairing button on the device in the tower, it's all Ethernet so the nieghbours wont be getting our signal....hopefully.....

[Drew Stephenson]

Good news Arpangel.
I've been using homeplugs for a few years now with no issues and will be doing the same in the new shed.

I am not a fan of putting RF down the mains supply.

Out of curiosity, why not?

[Wonks]

The current Virgin hub doesn't have the greatest wi-fi strength in the world. I couldn't get a reliable signal in the bathroom maybe 25' away on the same floor, so now have a Netgear wi-fi router for that (though there are better/stronger wi-fi routers available).

[James Perrett]

I am not a fan of putting RF down the mains supply.

Out of curiosity, why not?

I'm not sure what Dave's issues with them are, but I've seen quite a few radio enthusiasts complain about them as the frequencies they use lie in the short wave bands which makes listening out for distant stations impossible if your neighbours are using these adaptors.

[ef37a]

Good news Arpangel.
I've been using homeplugs for a few years now with no issues and will be doing the same in the new shed.

I am not a fan of putting RF down the mains supply.

Out of curiosity, why not?

Because I have bad memories of baby monitors and similar devices blarting out on peoples radigrams!

Ok, they were primitive analogue RF devices but the practice just still seems wrong to me, there is already a lot of telemetry going through the mains, those 'no-so-smart' meters for one thing.

Thank you James. Ihad not heard of any specific problem until now but there you go!
I am surprised it is allowed.

Dave.

[Drew Stephenson]

Ah, thank you for the information.

[Arpangel]

No doubt some hi-fi people would throw their hands in the air at me polluting my mains supply, but every evening I give it a flush with a hose, to give it a good clean, as my water gas and electricity are supplied by one company, and they all go down the same pipe....

[ken long]

I'm not sure what Dave's issues with them are, but I've seen quite a few radio enthusiasts complain about them as the frequencies they use lie in the short wave bands which makes listening out for distant stations impossible if your neighbours are using these adaptors.

And God forbid they should use the internet to catch the broadcast!

I installed some of these plugs at home. Had the same router upgrade as Wonks, apparently. The pairing is quick and the signal is better in the dead spot (daughter's room!) but not as good as I expected.

[CS70]

Thanks for all the replies folks, I'm using whatever is the latest Virgin wi-fi router.

Good that it works. For my TV I used to use a pair of Netegear sender and receiver on the electrical wire and while it mostly worked, I had the occasional glitch (Netflix specifically would occasionally stop). But then the TV firmware's gotta be the worst written software ever so not sure if it was about the network cabling... doesn't do it much nowadays tough that it's connected via wireless.

As of the router, anything supplied by any internet provider has a a 99% likelihood of sucking big time - as they tend to get the absolute cheapest stuff around and rebrand it to keep costs down. It's usually a surprise they work at all.

At the risk of sounding like a commercial, ASUS routers tend to beat anything else for these kind of issues and are usually a much worth upgrade also in terms of security and flexibility.

[Philbo King]

A simple thing to try: Get an abadoned satelite TV dish, like those used for DirectTV. Mount it at one end of the link, either at the router or at your DAW PC, with the bowl of the dish facing the local source AND in line with the opposite end of the link. I've seen wifi links extended 30-60 meters this way. Not pretty, but inexpensive and effective. Bear in mind, if you put it at the router, the areas of the house on the back side of the dish will be shielded by the dish

[ef37a]

A simple thing to try: Get an abadoned satelite TV dish, like those used for DirectTV. Mount it at one end of the link, either at the router or at your DAW PC, with the bowl of the dish facing the local source AND in line with the opposite end of the link. I've seen wifi links extended 30-60 meters this way. Not pretty, but inexpensive and effective. Bear in mind, if you put it at the router, the areas of the house on the back side of the dish will be shielded by the dish

You can also use a Pringles box!

Dave.

[The Elf]

I've been warned off using the power lines for data access. It's so simple to lay cable, and you'll get the best transfer rate. I ran my own lines inside the house, and had a bloke with a big drill come and feed some lines outside and back in to reach rooms downstairs, each terminated with an access point - job done, never look back.

[Eddy Deegan]

.. had a bloke with a big drill come and feed some lines outside and back in to reach rooms downstairs, each terminated with an access point - job done, never look back.

Obligatory: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ndwIxHkVIkE

[Pete Kaine]

A simple thing to try: Get an abadoned satelite TV dish, like those used for DirectTV.

A frying pan or wok are also suitable for this.

You can also use a Pringles box!

/looks around office... yes,