# WiFi Extender



## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

I have a BT Home Hub 5 and the signal doesn't reach round the whole house. Any recommendations for a dual band extender to boost the signal?


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

I had a HH6 and had a similar issue. Opted for BT Whole Home Wi-fi and have three discs dotted around the house. Full coverage now. 


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## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

House isn't even that big &#55357;&#56834;
Did you buy them direct from BT?


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

Bought them from Argos. Disabled the Wi-fi on the HH6. 

You can get and use 1, 2, 3 or more. So if you only need 2, get 2  


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

paddyirishman said:


> I have a BT Home Hub 5 and the signal doesn't reach round the whole house. Any recommendations for a dual band extender to boost the signal?


I wouldn't recommend buying anything BT,

do you need dual band in other locations, in other locations if you're not streaming 4k you probably don't,

the more reliable and cheaper option is powerline adapters,

single band: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220...1&s=gateway&sprefix=wifi+power,aps,144&sr=8-3

Dualband: https://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WPA4220...ateway&sprefix=wifi+power,aps,144&sr=8-3&th=1

if you use Amazon you can send them back if you're not happy too,


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

Had these BT While Home Wi-fi devices for well over a year, maybe 2. Not a single problem and they work very well. Get great reviews too. 


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

for mesh devices TP Link are much better, you don't need to use BT devices just because you have a BT router, 

if your house is not too big do you have the option to move the router, more central or upstairs usually improve the range, also dual band has less range than single band especially through older properly built houses


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## GleemSpray (Jan 26, 2014)

mar00 said:


> I wouldn't recommend buying anything BT,
> 
> do you need dual band in other locations, in other locations if you're not streaming 4k you probably don't,
> 
> ...


BT Whole Home Mesh works very well, although i would agree that some BT kit is a bit Meh. Just remember that each disc has to plug into a mains socket to get power - something that is _accidently-on-purpose_ left out of the TV adverts and the publicity pics ......

Powerline adapters, of any brand, depend very much on the quality of the mains wiring and the path they are able to create between the adaptors. They can be very susceptible to interference.

Sometimes they just plug in and go great straight out of the box - many other times they can be dead slow and troublesome, with lots of drop out. They are a dead simple solution to implement, but really can be a roll of the dice.

If you want guaranteed performance and peace of mind then buy yerself a great long masonry drill bit + a roll of Cat6 cable and a crimping tool :lol::lol:


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

mar00 said:


> for mesh devices TP Link are much better, you don't need to use BT devices just because you have a BT router,
> 
> if your house is not too big do you have the option to move the router, more central or upstairs usually improve the range, also dual band has less range than single band especially through older properly built houses


You're right, you don't need BT broadband to use them  I'm not using my BT HH6 now either. Using a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X.

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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

yes wired is the best option and stick and access point on the end, 

we use powerline particularly as most of the building we are in are over 500 years old and think stone wall the mesh stuff just doesn't work at all, we've installed hundreds of mainly TP Link powerline and never had an issues with interference even on cables between building and via multiple consumer units and mostly farms with lots of big power draw kit and motors on the mains, I've been surprised and never thought they would be reliable but you don't really want much more than 30m between them as speed will drop off quickly,


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

Puntoboy said:


> You're right, you don't need BT broadband to use them  I'm not using my BT HH6 now either. Using a Ubiquiti EdgeRouter X.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


wasn't directed at you but at the OP, BT do lead people to believe the have to use only BT kit,

has the EdgeRouter been reliable and are you using PoE


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## Puntoboy (Jun 30, 2007)

mar00 said:


> wasn't directed at you but at the OP, BT do lead people to believe the have to use only BT kit,
> 
> has the EdgeRouter been reliable and are you using PoE


The ER wasn't the best the set up at first, some bugs in the firmware but they are now resolved and it's been great. Yes I'm using PoE.

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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

Puntoboy said:


> The ER wasn't the best the set up at first, some bugs in the firmware but they are now resolved and it's been great. Yes I'm using PoE.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


we used some for an install and they were so unreliable and PoE couldn't cope, sound like the've done some work on the firmware then since,


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## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

No option to move the router in afraid, I have a 2yr old who can't leave anything alone!
I'm looking at a Netgear EX6120 at the minute, it seems to be a decent unit that will do the job.


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

as it's a repeater type it would need to be in range of the router and get a good signal so only as good as the link to the router, so if you can do that it should be ok, if not the powerline type would be better option


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## shl-kelso (Dec 27, 2012)

Powerline and mesh wifi (or simple wifi repeaters) can both be good solutions but are always dependent on the local environment. 

I’ve had a number of installs where powerline has worked well initially but then degraded to the point of not working due to something added in the house that generated major interference - poor quality switching psus and certain LED lamps/drivers have been traced in some cases and in others we never traced the culprit. 

So as long as you source from a retailer with a good returns policy in case your chosen option does not work well then either are worth trying. 

Just note that wifi repeaters will affect your overall wireless performance as the device effectively halves your wireless bandwidth. This may not be an issue depending on how you intend to utilise it, but worth bearing in mind.


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## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

I have good signal at the top of the stairs but literally 2m away it just dies. No solid walls to block it either so the router WiFi must be at its limit in that room. I have sockets at the top of the stairs so should work ok.


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## mar00 (Jun 24, 2018)

if using the repeater type it will only repeat what through speed gets to it, usually you would be better putting it in the room directly above the router then see what coverage you get upstairs from the roter where you need it,


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## garage_dweller (Apr 10, 2018)

I've been using a Netgear Ex6120 WiFi Range Extender for the past 7 months and it's been faultless. I've not even needed to reset it in that time.

I used powerlines previoulsy but they halve the speed of the wifi, the range expeder delivers pretty much the same speed in the black spots as I get through the rest of the house.

Set up was super simple too.


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## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

mar00 said:


> if using the repeater type it will only repeat what through speed gets to it, usually you would be better putting it in the room directly above the router then see what coverage you get upstairs from the roter where you need it,


I have a socket in the room directly above as well. Will try it in a few different areas to see if there's any difference. Ordered it off Amazon (making use of the Prime trial) so will be with me tomorrow.


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## PedroC (Apr 23, 2014)

I’ve got a powerline extender and my home home in modem mode with separate router. I had many, many reliability problems with my ISP’s hub. After I put it in modem mode and hooked up a separate WiFi router, all my problems disappeared. Before in my bedrooms I was barely getting 50 out of 200mb download speeds. Now I get full coverage around the house at full speed. You can pick up some really sophisticated routers on eBay for not much money.


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## paddyirishman (Sep 21, 2009)

I have the Netgear ex6120 set up and it's a good job, almost maximum WiFi in the whole house now and no drop out areas at all


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