wireless internet setup

Comcast Coax cable comes into one end of the house, that's where the router is located. Also the same room as my Iracing setup, so it's convenient because it's wired in.

The guest bedroom is in the other side of the house, and the wireless is weak in there. We put a smart TV in there and the wireless isn't strong enough for streaming.

I got the TPLink wireless network expander- this helps the guest bedroom out, but then it slows the rest of the house down. From what I understand, it must communicate with the router, then the device, and so it effectively cuts our bandwidth in half.

I'm thinking of crawling into the attic and running an ethernet cable from the guest bedroom to the router as a solution. I hate crawling around up there, and where the wire comes in is at the corner of the roof which would make it pretty tough to make the installation clean.

My brother moved his wireless router into the attic, which puts fewer walls between the router and the devices, but then I'd still need an ethernet cable back into the office for the Iracing setup.

Any suggestions? House is single story and 2000 Sq ft. nothing crazy.

 

How often do you have guests using the guest bedroom?

 

You gotta get the comcast pods if you have comcast.

Everything else is a waste of time and money

I have full wifi on my boat dock now

 

This is what I am doing for a similar situation.

My current router is an outdated Asus. I bought a new, current era Asus router to replace it. The AT&T fiber device and the new router are in my home office at one end of the house.

I will run an ethernet cable from the office to the master bedroom, which is at the opposite end. I will locate my old router there, and both routers will be configured as a mesh network. This will provide better coverage than a single router.

I am setting up a media center in the living room. While wireless may suffice, I will run another cable from the home office to the living room for connecting the TV and other devices. The storage server will be in my office.

I always prefer wired over wireless.

 

Oh, and see if AT&T Fiber is available and dump Comcast asap.

 

If you have at least Gig service from Xfinity you may be able to get the pods for $0. Some restrictions apply.

https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/wifi-boost-guarantee

Another option is to replace the Xfinity gateway with something better, if so get a DOCSIS 4.0 compatible device. They are rolling it out in some areas may not be in your neck of the woods yet.

 

Comcast is the only game in town right now- however they just finished under grounding all of the utilities on my street, and AT&T fiber is there- but not active yet. So we'll be dumping Comcast within a year or two, I imagine.

@dtalbott right now it's only a few times a year- but I have my in laws coming for the MONTH of February, and since I can only fly so much, I would like to keep them entertained in their bedroom as much as possible

@YamahaRick I have heard of the concept of mesh networks- so I can install another router and make it seamless throughout the house? Kind of like when I'm in a hotel, you log on once and it works everywhere?

 

I'm going to check this right now, as it seems I may be eligible for the pods.

 

https://amplifi.com/alien

 

Review this link - and there is a YT vid link there as well:

https://www.asus.com/us/support/FAQ/1035087/

Since my old router supports being part of a mesh network, I am reusing it. You can also buy all in one solutions such as:

https://www.amazon.com/WiFi-6-Mesh-System-AX3000/dp/B09PRB1MZM/

 

Grab a set of powerline adapters and another access point if you don't want to pull cable.

Amazon.com: TP-Link Powerline Ethernet Adapter Starter Kit - AV1000 Gigabit Port, Plug&Play, Ethernet Over Power, Nano Size, Ideal for Smart TV, Online Gaming, Wired Connection Only (TL-PA7017 KIT) : Everything Else

Put another access point on the other end of the house connected to the powerline adapter. Will work better than everything else suggested here outside of pulling a cable.

Lose the TP-Link repeater. All it is doing is shitting on your wireless performance for the sake of additional range which can be done with other methods. Repeaters suck and have always sucked. Wireless is for shit that leaves and comes back to the house. If it never leaves the house it should be connected to a cable.

 

What Xfinity gateway do you have and what service plan? That would help a lot.

 

So I have wireless internet where I live, and the router that they included when I signed up years ago will serve my whole house, as well as about 150ft out into the yard in every direction. Why don't new ones work this well?

TP Link TL WR941HP

 

Minimum investment is to run an Ethernet cable to the bedroom. Should be easy if the terminals are on inside walls. That's what I would do. You fly jets, this should be a piece of cake for you.

 

Gino, you need a mesh network. Not a range extender. I actually plugged in an Orbi mesh wifi router into my Spectrum provided wifi router. So I have 2 wifi networks but only use the Orbi. The Spectrum mesh (Eero) didn’t work as as well as the Orbi for me so all my devices just join the Orbi network.

With the right mesh network devices, you won’t need to run Ethernet anywhere else.

 

X1 plan, the ones you describe aren't available in my area.

True. However one of the walls is the outside block wall, so fishing the wire down it to make a clean installation is going to be a pain in the ass. Plus there's probably 7" of headroom in the attic above said wall.

Looks like mesh may be the way to go- if I'm understanding this correctly, it could be the power line adapter to a second router that is mesh compatible? Or just a second router for the mesh network?

 

My internet service comes in via an Eero mesh base station. I hard wire an Orbi mesh base station into that with a different wifi name and then put an Orbi remote mesh node part way to the other side of the house.

I haven’t researched power line based systems, but I would just use a good mesh system with one base and one remote unit. And don’t bother with an extender.

Edit: this would do it easy. Ethernet cable from your current router into the base. And then just plug in the satellite unit where you need better coverage.

Netgear Orbi Whole Home Tri-band Mesh WiFi 6 System (RBK852) Router with 1 Satellite Extender | Coverage up to 5,000 sq. ft. and 100+ Devices | AX6000 (Up to 6Gbps) (Renewed) https://a.co/d/hNn04pG

Just realized that is refurbished… maybe this.
NETGEAR Orbi Tri-Band Wi-Fi 6 Mesh System RBK763S Router with 2 Satellite Extenders (Coverage up to 7,500 sq. ft, 75 Devices, AX5400 Up to 5.4Gbps) https://a.co/d/0cula8T

 

No, you would use a WiFi access point in the bedroom cabled to the power line adapter if you want to provide WiFi to the bedroom. TV connects via WiFi, power line provides backhaul to the gateway.

If you don't care about that, just the TV, you can cable the TV to the power line adapter provided the TV has an Ethernet port, if not you may be able to find a USB to Ethernet adapter that is compatible with your TV.

The Xfinity pods are a good choice, most likely you can get away with one placed halfway between the bedroom and the gateway, nothing else needed. Just be sure your gateway supports the pods, I don't think all do.

 

Actually in this scenario you could connect the TV to the access point with Ethernet if the TV has a port.

 

Yeah, I like just adding an access point more. Maybe something with power over Ethernet and then just fish an Ethernet cable through the attic like Knarf said. You’ll need a little switch that gives power (POE) and then an AP.

TP-Link EAP650 Ultra-Slim Wireless Access Point | Omada True WiFi 6 AX3000 | DC Adapter Included | Mesh, Seamless Roaming, WPA3, MU-MIMO | Remote & App Control | PoE+ Powered | Multi Control Options https://a.co/d/e3n9byD