Thread: Wiireless weak - would a pair of Powerline Adapters be better?

I run a Billion 7800N router, and initially couldn't get coverage at one extreme end of the house. There are simple dumb wireless extenders available which just plug into a wall socket:

Netgear WN3000RP | Techbuy Australia

I tried one of these, but had all sorts of grief getting it to pair up with the Billion router reliably, so in the end returned it to the store (Techbuy) for a credit. I used the credit to buy three higher gain antennae for my Billion router, which fixed my coverage problems altogether.

I would have used powerline adapters, but our house is wired with 3-phase and the power points I needed to connect across happened to be on different phases !!

Have you ever checked the channel you are using ? There may be another wifi network nearby using the same channel as you and you are losing out to a competing network.

There are apps that will id the various channels in use around you. Sometimes just finding an un-used channel works wonders. It can't hurt to give it a try before you start spending money.

Hi Dabbler,
Is there an easy way to find out
1 How to find out the channel.
2 Where do I look for the 'app' you mention.

As you might guess I'm not that computer literate but willing to try. Born too long ago!!
Thanks,
Bob H.

Bob
1. There are several ways you can determine the current channel your router employs.
If you install a wifi scanner, it will find your router and list the channel.

As well, your router can be interrogated and configured through a web browser. The best starting place is probably Netgear's site WGR614v9 Manual: Logging In to Your Wireless Router (I think this is the correct link for your model, google if not.). There are some "buts" that may apply. Depending on defaults or any previous config changes you might need to use a wired connection to manage the router. That may be problematic if you only use Wifi, unless this model router only offers wireless connections anyway.

2. As for apps, the easiest thing is to google for something like "wifi scanner". That way you can choose an app to suit your OS and devices. If you have a smart phone or tablet you have even more options. I personally use Android and use an app called WiFi Analyzer by Kevin Yuan and also use another app called WiFi Manager that also lists channels.

Some other advice:
The first thing I would do, is change any administrative password to one of you choosing. Keeping the default is asking for trouble.

I would NOT update any router firmware at this stage. It doesn't pay to overly complicate your task.

It's not really daunting and you can always ask more questions.

Hi,
Thank you all for the replies, I'll have a go. I must admit that something substantial - laptop and Ipad -b get the wifi at the distance I'm after, it's one of those tvministicks that I'm playing with - boys toys perhaps! - but it would be good if I can get the signal.
Thanks again, I've printed the suggestions and will give it a go as I say.
Bob H.