Options for extending WiFi network

Jimmy_Salmon

Well-known member
Can anyone recommend some WiFi extenders that they have had success with throughout the home? I'm currently using a Virgin 3.0 hub with the Virgin provided WiFi boosters but I'm limited to just the two and if possible I would like to add more to extend the signal further.

Alternatively would I be better adding a standalone router to the hub and extending the signal from that? How easy is that to do?
 
Jimmy for a layman I would go for plugin wifi extenders. something like superboost, which I think I paid £40 for will work a treat and if you put one at the top of the stairs they give off a little bit of light too. If you want to look at others consider the ASUS PL series.

There are some technical reasons why they may well increase your overall wifi speed which I won't go into, but it can be a nice little benefit.

You plug em in near the router, connect with a lan cable and use the clone button on your router to connect the booster. It auto-discovers the UID/PWD. Now you can remove the LAN cable and plug the booster into any 3 pin socket. Takes about 5 minutes.

If you have a big house you can use multiple boosters.
 
I know it's not possible for everybody due to space, expenses, practicality and differing needs but I hardwired a lot of stuff.

The Xbox and TV are hardwired downstairs, and my Tv in my bedroom and computer in the spare room are hardwired. Just basically fed cables up from downstairs router through the floor and along skirting boards into both rooms. Managed to hide the cable going from upstairs to downstairs behind a bookcase.

Google Home stuff is all wi fi obviously.
 
Can anyone recommend some WiFi extenders that they have had success with throughout the home? I'm currently using a Virgin 3.0 hub with the Virgin provided WiFi boosters but I'm limited to just the two and if possible I would like to add more to extend the signal further.

Alternatively would I be better adding a standalone router to the hub and extending the signal from that? How easy is that to do?

I'm no tech expert, but I think you need to be using a mesh network thingy. If you do a search on the site for "mesh", someone with a good deal more knowledge than me posted an Amazon link to a reputedly good product, though not cheap to buy. Search the teams thread, I think it's on there

it's my understanding that you can't boost from another booster?
 
I've just moved into a new house and it has ethernet points in all the rooms and a box under the stairs. One each for Virgin or BT. My Virgin Router is in my living room. If I plug a cable from the router into the ethernet port on the wall then will the whole network be wired and I can use any of them or, more likely, is that not how it works at all?
 
https://amzn.to/2yYt5HS - Tenda Wifi Mesh - Pack of 3 (but you can get 2, and some older versions

2 pack fine for most people, 3 if you have a big house. get the MW6 version.

Plug and play pretty much, set up and working in about 3 minutes.

Set the modem from virgin to work in modem only mode and then plug it into these, it'll then create a mesh network and devices will connect to whichever has the best signal and handoff between devices regular to maintain strong signal. Handy app that shows you real time traffic, devices connected, lets you broadcast a guest network for a specified amount of time, you can blacklist devices that sort of thing.

This solution is more expensive than wifi extenders but having played around with power line, wifi extenders, access points etc, none of it will come anywhere close to doing what a mesh network does for you and how easily it will do it.

If you cant route ethernet cable around your house, which is the best solution, then get a mesh. headache solved instantly.
 
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I've just moved into a new house and it has ethernet points in all the rooms and a box under the stairs. One each for Virgin or BT. My Virgin Router is in my living room. If I plug a cable from the router into the ethernet port on the wall then will the whole network be wired and I can use any of them or, more likely, is that not how it works at all?

It sounds like they have wired all the rooms up, so it should work that way but they might have configured it any number of ways. You may need to connect the router to the box under the stairs, whatever that is, and that acts as central hub. depends what that box is and how it is wired.
 
The price is up and down if you track it for a few days - amazon list the 3 pack for £139, £159, £149 etc - was £139 just yesterday as I put a link in another thread. So check other stores for prices too, but yeah they are very good.
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2 pack fine for most people, 3 if you have a big house. get the MW6 version.

Plug and play pretty much, set up and working in about 3 minutes.

Set the modem from virgin to work in modem only mode and then plug it into these, it'll then create a mesh network and devices will connect to whichever has the best signal and handoff between devices regular to maintain strong signal. Handy app that shows you real time traffic, devices connected, lets you broadcast a guest network for a specified amount of time, you can blacklist devices that sort of thing.

This solution is more expensive than wifi extenders but having played around with power line, wifi extenders, access points etc, none of it will come anywhere close to doing what a mesh network does for you and how easily it will do it.

If you cant route ethernet cable around your house, which is the best solution, then get a mesh. headache solved instantly.

Something like this looks perfect. They're not unsightly to the point where the need to be hidden out the way and therefore reduce their effect, plus they sound pretty simple to setup.

Thanks for the replies.
 
I've just moved into a new house and it has ethernet points in all the rooms and a box under the stairs. One each for Virgin or BT. My Virgin Router is in my living room. If I plug a cable from the router into the ethernet port on the wall then will the whole network be wired and I can use any of them or, more likely, is that not how it works at all?
When you say that the there is a "box under the stairs" is it a simple collection of the ethernet ports or an active device (a network switch)? If it is the latter, yes you simply connect your router to the "box under the stairs" and the interweb will be available to any device plugged in via an ethernet port. If not you will need to buy a cheap 16 or 32 port switch.
 
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B077HTZ4TT/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

2 pack fine for most people, 3 if you have a big house. get the MW6 version.

Plug and play pretty much, set up and working in about 3 minutes.

Set the modem from virgin to work in modem only mode and then plug it into these, it'll then create a mesh network and devices will connect to whichever has the best signal and handoff between devices regular to maintain strong signal. Handy app that shows you real time traffic, devices connected, lets you broadcast a guest network for a specified amount of time, you can blacklist devices that sort of thing.

This solution is more expensive than wifi extenders but having played around with power line, wifi extenders, access points etc, none of it will come anywhere close to doing what a mesh network does for you and how easily it will do it.

If you cant route ethernet cable around your house, which is the best solution, then get a mesh. headache solved instantly.

Great link, I think for 50 quid the 2 pack will be a good investment for me. Cheers
 
Great link, I think for 50 quid the 2 pack will be a good investment for me. Cheers

bear in mind those are lower spec versions, the MW-3, designed for broadband that is <100mb. It's fine if thats all you have or less, but doesnt future proof very well. For the bit extra I would get a 2 pack of MW-6 but depends what your needs are.

https://amzn.to/2yYt5HS these are the specific 3 pack of MW-6 mesh

https://amzn.to/368FdlD is the 2 pack of MW-6

https://amzn.to/3dWVZqt if you want the cheaper MW-3 2 pack

(y)
 
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I'm a big fan of the tplink deco mesh kit. cheap & cheerful, have installed about ten installations, all working very well
 
It sounds like they have wired all the rooms up, so it should work that way but they might have configured it any number of ways. You may need to connect the router to the box under the stairs, whatever that is, and that acts as central hub. depends what that box is and how it is wired.

When you say that the there is a "box under the stairs" is it a simple collection of the ethernet ports or an active device (a network switch)? If it is the latter, yes you simply connect your router to the "box under the stairs" and the interweb will be available to any device plugged in via an ethernet port. If not you will need to buy a cheap 16 or 32 port switch.

The router I have is a Virgin Superhub or whatever they call it. I can't plug the router into the box under the stairs directly because it has to be next to the Virgin panel on the wall in the living room which is a short fibre optic cable. I'll try ethernet from modem to the port on the wall in the living room and see if I get anything out of any of the others in other rooms.
 
I'm a big fan of the tplink deco mesh kit. cheap & cheerful, have installed about ten installations, all working very well
Just been looking at them also. Looks like a toss up between them and the Tenda Nova. I note the tplink are M5 whereas the Tenda are M6. Does that have any significance?
 
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