Need router/repeater to extend wireless network

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viralbug

viralbug

Forerunner
I currently have a Netgear DG834G which I use with my MTNL connection. Unfortunately the network range I get is pathetic due to walls in between. I'm gonna be needing wifi access all over my home now so I'm actually looking for a repeater. I had gone searching for a repeater a year or 2 back and couldn't find any. So right now I'm thinking of just buying a router and use it as a repeater.

I'd like to keep the budget as low as possible. How is the Buffalo N150's performance in terms of range? Also more importantly, can I use it as a repeater?
Is there any cheap n-router which I can use as a repeater or even better DD-WRT supported?
 
Get a Buffalo N 150 router it can work as a repeater Out of the box ,no tinkering required.Gannu was getting 2 of them to use in repeater mode talk to him .
 
^Err I wasn't getting 2 to use them in repeater mode. :P

I need one and so does my roomie. I am not sure if it can work as a repeater. Hit Google and find out - it is however an entry level cheap router that works well OOTB without issues.
 
My bad :ashamed: .I thought you were getting 2 of them to use as repeater.The router can be used as repeater OOTB.
 
@orangewrath

if you have 4k budget, then get Asus N13 U b1. It can work as a repeater and is N300, and have a USB port for printer/ext HDD for file sharing/3G data card and comes with 3 yrs warranty.
 
Please note that using a router as a repeater only allows you to use the relatively less secure WEP protocol.all the better protocols become unavailable.

Sent from my MB860
 
dOm1naTOr said:
@orangewrath

if you have 4k budget, then get Asus N13 U b1. It can work as a repeater and is N300, and have a USB port for printer/ext HDD for file sharing/3G data card and comes with 3 yrs warranty.
Click to expand...
Oh thank you, I take a look at that.. And what kind of range will it give? My modem is on the ground floor and I need the range upto the first floor, through 3 walls and the roof.

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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Grease Monk said:
Please note that using a router as a repeater only allows you to use the relatively less secure WEP protocol.all the better protocols become unavailable.

Sent from my MB860
Click to expand...
I'm just using it for my home network, will it make a big difference?

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- Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Grease Monk said:
Please note that using a router as a repeater only allows you to use the relatively less secure WEP protocol.all the better protocols become unavailable.

Sent from my MB860
Click to expand...

Damn that sucks. I like to use WPA2. AFAIK it's not impossible. It's only for specific routers.

Can someone who has a Buffalo N150 confirm if it's possible to use WPA/WPA2 in repeater mode?
 
orangewrath said:
I'm just using it for my home network, will it make a big difference?
Click to expand...

It really depends on whether any tech savvy cretins live near your house and are willing to leech off your bandwidth or snoop around your files.
viralbug said:
Damn that sucks. I like to use WPA2. AFAIK it's not impossible. It's only for specific routers.

Can someone who has a Buffalo N150 confirm if it's possible to use WPA/WPA2 in repeater mode?
Click to expand...

The only other option would be to get a DD-WRT router and follow this: DD-WRT Tutorial 5: Wireless Repeater

This has the advantage of being secure, but you cannot access the PCs connect to one router from PCs connected to the other (internet is available on both, however).
 
Yeah that's why I'm looking for the cheapest router that supports DD-WRT.

Also, I read somewhere that Buffalo routers can repeat signals only from other Buffalo routers. Dunno how true that is.
 
My current (free) router sucks and doesn't give me great coverage. What router should I give that gives me coverage all over the house? Right now it barely reaches the room right outside mine.
 
I think you should consider a wired connection using a switch to the first floor and then attach a router to it. Don't know yet the settings required for the secondary router. But that will be my next project.

this scenario will increase the budget but i think it's a good option considering the signal degradation through walls even for MIMO routers such as RT-N16. I've tried many settings but the wifi mobile signal available is on last bar and keeps disappearing immediately 1 floor above router.
Or consider replacing high gain antennas on your primary router
 
The Asus N13-U supports repeater operation OOTB.

Its performance sucks when used like that. Actually the range of that router is quite bad, I should know.

The Linksys routers need(ed) to be hooked up and have their mode changed using the web interface, but it was possible to use those as range extenders. Performance may be a bit better.

A dedicated repeater will cost money. They are built to deliver high power signals.

Not every router works well with every high-gain antenna. There are power and loss issues when you connect a bigger antenna. Use care when choosing.

What I did can be seen in my Server OS thread. Basically the Asus was repurposed as a repeater and the actual 'router' is a wireless PCI card. Range and power is good enough for the home, though connections through the repeater stutter and break often when loaded with network requests.

Initially it was limited to breaking HD streams, now even surfing is quite the pain. The weak link is between the PCI card (the 'router') and the repeater (the Asus). I can't imagine why. The receiving sensitivity of the Asus is quite weak too, then.

FWIW, adapters make a difference too. Both a Chinese Realtek and a Belkin 150 mb/s adapter connect at 65mbps to the machine, but the Belkin gives me a real transfer speed of ~7mB/s. The Realtek struggles to break 2mB/s.
 
I had gone through your server OS thread, but most of the discussion was related to the server OS so didn't go through it much.

Anyways, I think the main issue is when using a router as a repeater, the bandwidth gets cut in half. So I suppose that is reason you're getting bad performance. :(

For my usage, the repeater would be used only so that I can surf the net on another couple of devices at the most. There won't be any wireless streaming or file transfer.

Another option I was thinking of was to just replace my current Netgear DG834G with another wireless-N router and see if I get decent signal everywhere, though I doubt that will help.

I don't wanna attach another wireless router to the Netgear via LAN and use the Netgear only as a modem since that would take more space on my table. :P I'd rather repeat the wifi signal in that case.
 
Just updating this thread. I had ordered an Asus N13U-B1 and received it today.

I hooked it up in repeater mode with my Netgear DG834G and it worked without any hitch even with my WPA2 secured key. :D

Very satisfied with the performance as of now, it gives me good range in the whole house! Right now it is place in a central location and gives great signal in every room, including mine which has the Netgear! :P

Ran a speed test at the extreme corner of my house and it gave great speeds, as good as what I get on my PC which is connected through LAN to the Netgear, even the ping. :D

Don't think I'll be flashing DD-WRT anytime soon. Will test the performance more to see if I face any connection or packet drops.
 
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