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In the living room the internet WIFI connection is very low and quite difficult to get sometimes.

I was thinking about buying something to solve this problem.

A friend of mine told me about buying a "AV500 Nano Powerline Adapter Starter Kit TL-PA411KIT" and to plug one close to the router and the other in the living room plug.

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But of course, this one doesn't have WIFI. I would need to buy another router or another like this one but with WIFI.

Is this the way to do it? What would you do in my case? Does it makes sense this solution? I really don't know much about networks and I'm kind of lost... I don't even know which other adapters also offer wifi... (this one? plus one of the previous ones?)

Thanks in advance, any help will be apreciated!

Alvaro
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4 Answers4

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There are some such 'homeplugs' that have a wireless transmitter (not a range extender)... I have one, which I havent used yet - at the non-router end, it has a wireless transmitter and an ethernet socket.

RMcKenna
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What your friend didn't spell out for you is that you should plug an Ethernet cable from a LAN port of your existing router into one of those powerline adaptors, and then plug another Ethernet cable into the other powerline adaptor in your living room. Then, when you needed an Internet connection in the living room, you could plug your laptop in to the free end of the Ethernet cable.

If you didn't want to be tethered to an Ethernet cable while in the living room, then you'd need a second Wi-Fi AP (you don't need a full router, just a simple "Access Point" device, if you can get one for cheaper than a full router), which you would hook up via Ethernet cable to the powerline adaptor in your living room.

Another possibility would be to buy a Wi-Fi repeater / range extender and place it somewhere in your house that's closer to the living room, but still close enough to your main Wi-Fi router to be able to join the existing Wi-Fi network. This wireless solution would be cheaper, but I don't like it as much because it ends up using wireless bandwidth for a data link between stationary devices, and I prefer to keep all my Wi-Fi bandwidth free for mobile devices. So I prefer to use some kind of wired connection between my main Wi-Fi home gateway router and my remote Wi-Fi AP. I prefer to run real Ethernet cable when it's feasible, but using powerline adaptors can work out fine when running Ethernet cable is too much work or hassle.

Spiff
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If you got a router with multiple antennas, try to chenge their angles so that not every antanna points in the same direction.

Modern routers have a feature called antenna-diversity, so the router can pick the strongest signal from all of it's antennas providing a better coverage.

If you can change the antennas, the bigger the antenna the better the coverage

Thomas Nordquist
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Before going on a buying spree, try to improve your current setup.

  1. All transmit powers set to max or auto?
  2. Adjust router/antenna positions to enhance coverage.
  3. Select clearest Wi-Fi channel for use.

If you do want to buy something, depending on your physical setup, a better Access Point antenna may also help.

rickhg12hs
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