# Forum Home Renovation Television, Computers & Phones  WiFi extender?

## wm460

Pre NBN days I was able to get wifi signal in the entire house and yard. 
Now it is very limited, I bought a powerline extender from Jaycar, (one transmitter and one receiver) the sales man said I would be able to buy more receivers to cover other dead areas.
I bought it tried it and got wifi signal to my shed, when I went back to buy some more receivers the salesman said I would have to buy a transmitter and receiver pack for each area. :Mad:  
Is there any thing I can get that will cover the entire area?

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## Bart1080

I believe that adding a second powerline transmitter only (to piggyback off the original) will reduce the overall performance by 50 to 75% and not recommended 
Is the NBN modem in a different position to the pre NBN modem where you have previously great coverage?  If so, can you move it to that location to test out the WiFi coverage? 
Do you have Ethernet cables at different locations where you can plug in old WiFi modems with the modem part disabled (via admin access/configuration) and essentially converted to a Wifi access point.  If you name the SSD all the same, it essentially becomes a DIY mesh network 
Otherwise, the plug and play off the shelf option is you could set up a mesh WiFi network and add on as many nodes (extenders) as you need. https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-set-...etwork-4690007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhOBD-y8P0Y

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## r3nov8or

What retailer are you with for your NBN? I find the Telstra Smart Modem very good for wifi. Easily covers our whole house and yard

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## Whitey66

I had trouble getting Wi-Fi in my shed down the back yard, I bought a tp-link AC1750 Range Extender and have no issues getting Wi-Fi anywhere in the house or yard now.

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## METRIX

Last house had double brick with some internal brick walls, WiFi was real hit and miss in any rooms that had brick
I bought at that time a top model Dlink WiFi router, even it struggled to get to any rooms further than 2 away from it if there was brick wall sin the way. 
After a lot of stuffing around I bought the Google Mesh system (3 set) and problem was solved, WiFi everywhere, even out the backyard.
Moved into this house it not only has double brick, but every internal wall is brick with 2 concrete slabs between the levels, WiFi is basically non existent beyond 2 rooms away from each Google puck. 
I have Sonos system, it uses propriety mesh network, it can handle covering most of the house, but struggles through the slabs. 
Google going through the slabs is sort of ok, depends on where they are placed, I still have the Dlink and it also wont make it through the slabs with any decent signal. 
I have temporarily hardwired a few connections in the house to overcome the problem, by placing the google pucks on a hardwired port they don't have to talk to each other as much as the hardwire will communicate between the pucks, and the pucks only have to talk to your WiFi device, it still struggles in areas of the house. 
Once I have the house hardwired properly it should be ok, as I can place the pucks in strategic living area locations hardwired back to the switch. 
I can recommend these mesh systems as they just work, the non mesh extenders, and ethernet over power systems are ok, but nowhere near a s good as a mesh based system, not sure if they have fixed the problem with the extenders but they used to run on a completely different IP to your routers, so you couldn't use things like NAS etc as they were on two different networks, I haven't used one of them for many years as I found the Mesh based devices just work in a bigger / difficult house. 
Have put a few people onto them, they all said problem solved once installed, now WiFi everywhere.

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## METRIX

> I had trouble getting Wi-Fi in my shed down the back yard, I bought a tp-link AC1750 Range Extender and have no issues getting Wi-Fi anywhere in the house or yard now.

  For around the same price of that extender, you could have purchased the tp link AC1200 Deco E4 (3 Pack) mesh system, this would give you whole house coverage, just disable the NBN Wi-Fi.
They are only AC1200 which has a max speed of 224Mbps which is fine for everyday usage.

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## ForeverYoung

Choosing the slower speed extends the range and seems fine, for me, for what I download.

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## wm460

> I believe that adding a second powerline transmitter only (to piggyback off the original) will reduce the overall performance by 50 to 75% and not recommended 
> Is the NBN modem in a different position to the pre NBN modem where you have previously great coverage?  If so, can you move it to that location to test out the WiFi coverage?   *The modem is is the same place as the pre NBN modem, it is the only outlet.*  
> Do you have Ethernet cables at different locations where you can plug in old WiFi modems with the modem part disabled (via admin access/configuration) and essentially converted to a Wifi access point.  If you name the SSD all the same, it essentially becomes a DIY mesh network  *I still have my original Telstra Adsl modem, would this work?* 
> Otherwise, the plug and play off the shelf option is you could set up a mesh WiFi network and add on as many nodes (extenders) as you need. https://www.lifewire.com/how-to-set-...etwork-4690007 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhOBD-y8P0Y

  *Interesting links, Thank you.*

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## wm460

> What retailer are you with for your NBN? I find the Telstra Smart Modem very good for wifi. Easily covers our whole house and yard

  I am with Aussie broadband.
 They have been very helpful, if you have a problem you can talk to someone in Australia and they speak English which is very important when you are deaf as I am.

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## wm460

> Last house had double brick with some internal brick walls, WiFi was real hit and miss in any rooms that had brick
> I bought at that time a top model Dlink WiFi router, even it struggled to get to any rooms further than 2 away from it if there was brick wall sin the way. *
>  I am in a double brick brick house all  internal walls are brick.* 
> After a lot of stuffing around I bought the Google Mesh system (3 set) and problem was solved, WiFi everywhere, even out the backyard.
> Moved into this house it not only has double brick, but every internal wall is brick with 2 concrete slabs between the levels, WiFi is basically non existent beyond 2 rooms away from each Google puck. 
> I have Sonos system, it uses propriety mesh network, it can handle covering most of the house, but struggles through the slabs. 
> Google going through the slabs is sort of ok, depends on where they are placed, I still have the Dlink and it also wont make it through the slabs with any decent signal. 
> I have temporarily hardwired a few connections in the house to overcome the problem, by placing the google pucks on a hardwired port they don't have to talk to each other as much as the hardwire will communicate between the pucks, and the pucks only have to talk to your WiFi device, it still struggles in areas of the house.  *What do you mean by hardwired, don't they use a power adapters?* 
> Once I have the house hardwired properly it should be ok, as I can place the pucks in strategic living area locations hardwired back to the switch. 
> ...

   *Just been looking at mesh systems on the internet, so confusing.*

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## METRIX

> *Just been looking at mesh systems on the internet, so confusing.*

  By hardwired, I mean having a physical Cat6 port on the wall in each room, I will do this at each house because it means you get fast internal speed from the NAS and media servers on every machine, ie 1GB connection speed through the house on physically connected devices. 
It also means the fastest speed internet (internet speed depends on what's coming from your supplier) on each pc in the bedrooms / study / lounge / media room, it also means permanent connection no dropouts like wifi frequently does. 
It's the same as what you find in an office, wireless is a shyt technology, it has been since first invented, it's got better over the last few years particularly due to the invent of mesh systems, and is a necessary evil to have due to so many devices now only connectable via WiFi such as smartphones. 
Mesh systems are easy, they all do the same thing, the difference is. 
The cheapy ones usually lack features such as network port on the back of them, this comes in handy if you want to connect hardwired devices such as a PC to a wireless connection, such as if you had a shed or mancave in the backyard and wanted to put a cheap pc in there. 
The puck in the shed talks to the other mesh pucks, and the PC can be hardwired into the shed puck and talk back to the network via the pucks wireless connection. 
Also the cheapy ones lack data transfer speed, such as they usually start at AC1200 and go up to AX6000 speed on something like Netgear Orbi WiFi6 these give you 1Gb hardwired speed but via wireless, they cost around $1500, the latest ones support WiFi 6 but again the ones supporting this cost more and not needed for everyday users. 
The no-name ones are not rated very well for reliability I would stay away from them as when they go wrong it can be a bugger to work out why if you are not technically minded. 
Best off to stick to a name brand suck as entry level minimum would be tp-link as that one I linked to, better brands such as Netgear, Google offer better speeds, reliable connections and a host of other features, at a cost as these ar higher priced.
Here is a good explanation of how the systems work, once you have used a mesh system you will ditch the wifi extenders forever. 
If you are in a brick house, these present a problem for WiFi as it just cant make it through the walls successfully, this is where mesh systems will help alleviate the obstructions, below is a good vice explain why wifi is hit and miss.  https://www.tomsguide.com/us/best-me...view-5191.html

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## r3nov8or

> I am with Aussie broadband.
>  They have been very helpful, if you have a problem you can talk to someone in Australia and they speak English which is very important when you are deaf as I am.

  Myabe if they were called Auusie Broadband and Wifi  :Smilie:  
Just FYI, Telstra has announced it has started to bring all inbound contact centres  (i.e. where customers call them) back into Australia

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## wm460

Thanks for the video and information Metrix, makes more sense now.
Thinking of the future my retirement home is about 400m2 including outdoor areas.
The shed is approx 20 from the house, will they reach that far?
Am I right thinking if I buy a 3 pack and need more coverage I can buy a extra unit to extend the range.

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## METRIX

> Thanks for the video and information Metrix, makes more sense now.
> Thinking of the future my retirement home is about 400m2 including outdoor areas.
> The shed is approx 20 from the house, will they reach that far?
> Am I right thinking if I buy a 3 pack and need more coverage I can buy a extra unit to extend the range.

  Yes they will reach 20m distance, like any device if there is brick walls in the way the range will diminish, if you place one of the satellites in a location that can see out through a window to the shed you won't have a problem.
The beauty of the mesh systems, is all you need is a PowerPoint to plug the units into, the rest is looked after automatically. 
Yes you can always add more satellites, not sure about the cheapy systems, but the better ones you can, the system configures it all for you via the app.
Most brands sell them in sets of 1,2 or 3. 
Here is a good comparison of some brands, prices are in US$  https://au.pcmag.com/wireless-networ...etwork-systems

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## wm460

After a lot of reading and searching and getting confused I am tossing up between the Deco X68  AX3600  and the  Deco X60.
I am leaning towards the Deco X68  because by my calculations this will cover the house, shed and most of the yard in my retirement house.

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## METRIX

That looks like a decent model, WiFi 6 and dedicated 5GHz for backhaul connection, would you get 2 or 3 pack ?
You can add any other model Deco to the mesh network which is good so you don't have to have all X68

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## wm460

I went for the 3 pack because it worked out cheaper than buying a single unit later.
Thanks for your help. :2thumbsup:

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## METRIX

> I went for the 3 pack because it worked out cheaper than buying a single unit later.
> Thanks for your help.

   
Would be interested how it goes, let us know, I wouldn't mind updating to Wi-Fi 6

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## METRIX

How did the units go, easy setup ? did they cover what you wanted ?

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## wm460

They arrived Friday, I had to wait till I got back from Alice to set them up, I had a bit of a hassle to get the main unit connected to my phone, once I got that sorted the second unit was very easy.
I now have internet access all around my house and yard  except 1/2 my back verandah, I guess too many brick walls in the way.
I can get access at the front gate that about 25m away, I am happy with them.   :2thumbsup:  :2thumbsup:

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