Dubaidog

Techie question:

Etisalat just installed a new "compact wireless DSL gateway" called a Gigaset 504AGU in my house as part of their e-life fiber optic package. This is supposed to provide faster internet - but so far I have yet to see any difference compared to my previous Etisalat supplied Aztech DSL router.

One thing that is noticiable is that the wireless coverage is now much worse than before. Daughter not v. happy as she can no longer surf the net in her bedroom -which is probably a good thing and might actually force her to engage in actual person to person conversations...

Anyway - how can I boost the wireless coverage - does anyone have experience with a gizmo that can be bought and easily does this. I have spent a while searching the net for solutions but would rather hear from someone who has actually done something that worked.

Thanks

Blue Cat

you can buy a booster, we called Etisalat about getting extended wireless upstairs and they just said buy a booster from any decent electrical store, went to Max and they have they have them for about 600 dhs, not got one yet so don't know if they work

paca

eat pringles

seriously though try to move the router a little bit, if it came with a stand try standing it on its side. Move it away from the wall, away from other devices.

If you look at signal strength on laptop while doing this you should be able to find a better signal for free!!! - when you reposition it wait a couple of seconds for the meter to refresh and also move away from the router.

Patsy Stoned

I have the number of a guy who will come and connect each room to your router. He also does tv connections from the box. He connected my orbit tv thing up to my spare room when my mother was staying and also put internnet connection into it.
He is very good and very cheap
Let me know if you want his number, I will PM it to you.

Dubaidog

Thanks - I have tried some of the obvious things with out any effect - I moved it from on top of a steel cabinet to on top of a wooden one - raised it up a little - even did an experiment by placing about a m2 of tin foil behind it - no still no improvement - the bloke on the web who recommended this must be a wind up merchant...will enquire in the electronic shops about a "Booster". Just don't want to spend 500 Dhs on something that does not work...

norsk

I don't know what a booster is but you can buy something called a repeater. basically it's another access point which is connected to your original one and then 'repeats' the signal hence extending your area of coverage. this should be fairly straightforward, but my only experience of these things was about 5 years ago and I found the damn things quite unreliable...

the tin foil is brilliant. i will use that next time someone asks me how to get better wireless. also you could put the access point on top of a bag of frozen broccoli, that has been known to help.

paca

I can't find much info on the router but it could be that it has a "signal strength" setting that is turned down.... you would have to logon to the router admin and have the password to do this

It could be that another signal is on the same channel too, in my apartment at least 4 others were on the same, its a bit of a myth that it causes problems but can't hurt to find an unused one, again router access is required to change this

I realise all this is technical now but thought I would let you know anyway

Patsy Stoned

I was trying to get an internet connection from my router to another room on the same level, my coputer guy told me that some of the supporting walls are really thick and it is a problem getting a signal. Anyway, as I said..I know a man who can.

paca

true, also the windows that have metallic coatings here kill the signal.

I got told by someone once that the signal is line of sight too, so if you go 45 degrees through a wall then the wall is "thicker" than it is physically

ctfc

I went online to find out how to clean a flat screen tv with wax crayon drawing all over it. In amongst the useful (WD40) was one wag writing enthusiastically about how he'd used a brillo pad very successfully

Blue Cat

when OSN came to put in our satellite system they said we would have to pay for another box to get it upstairs, is that what he can do?

shiva

Rebar and the almost faraday cages we live in here mean crappy wifi. Boosters or routers are the best solution

Patsy Stoned

he feeds cable through the junction box up to the room and connects direct from the router or the tv box..no need for other boxes.

Blue Cat

great DM me his details

shiva

Just remembered we use these, bloody brilliant especially when combined with the wd live media player
Emax sells them
http://www.wdc.com/en/products/products.aspx?id=310