Author Topic: Boosting WiFi signal  (Read 16274 times)

Offline Graeme

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #120 on: January 1, 2022, 01:11:59 pm »
Check giffgaff as all then as they do unlimited data sims and this thread confirms you can use in a 4G router…

https://community.giffgaff.com/d/33163042-giffgaff-sim-in-a-4g-router

Online Danny Singh

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #121 on: January 1, 2022, 02:22:54 pm »
Check giffgaff as all then as they do unlimited data sims and this thread confirms you can use in a 4G router…

https://community.giffgaff.com/d/33163042-giffgaff-sim-in-a-4g-router

Surely there are unlimited data sims (O2) for lower than £35/month?!
« Last Edit: January 1, 2022, 10:37:00 pm by Danny Singh »

Offline owens_2k

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #122 on: March 16, 2022, 01:20:47 pm »
Didn't think this was worthy of its own thread so have put it in here.

Is it possible to boost/extend the Bluetooth range of a laptop? I have a wireless headset that I use with it and it would be handy if it didn't lose connection as I wandered around the house. Not sure if it would work in the same way as wifi boosters where you have additional points around the house to extend the signal?

Offline jonnypb

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #123 on: March 16, 2022, 01:46:07 pm »
Didn't think this was worthy of its own thread so have put it in here.

Is it possible to boost/extend the Bluetooth range of a laptop? I have a wireless headset that I use with it and it would be handy if it didn't lose connection as I wandered around the house. Not sure if it would work in the same way as wifi boosters where you have additional points around the house to extend the signal?

Yes you can get Bluetooth range extenders. Never tried them myself, but plenty on Amazon so it’ll be worth having a look and reading user reviews of them.

Bit more info here of them

https://thegadgetbuyer.com/how-to-increase-bluetooth-range/

Offline GinKop

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #124 on: September 6, 2023, 09:03:29 pm »
Need some help RAWKitees - been doing some research but seem to have gotten myself more confused.

Went with Virgin a few months back for fibre as it was a decent price and had been having issues with BT. The Virgin Hub is utter garbage with regular dropouts and dead zones all over a relatively small 3 bed semi-detached house.

I work from home upstairs from my room and do a lot of Zoom meetings but the signal is so bad it regularly drops out. I first started looking for a range extender but I was reading that if your router is bad in the first place, that is the thing that needs changing.

So if I want to get a proper router, can I get one of the Amazon Eero or Google WiFi ones? Are they both modem+routers?

Or for faster WiFi speeds and a better range, should I go for a Netgear or TP Link one? I'm guessing it needs to be both a modem+router?

Will either of the above be enough to solve my initial problem?
JFT97

Offline Gili Gulu

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #125 on: September 7, 2023, 12:25:00 am »
Need some help RAWKitees - been doing some research but seem to have gotten myself more confused.

Went with Virgin a few months back for fibre as it was a decent price and had been having issues with BT. The Virgin Hub is utter garbage with regular dropouts and dead zones all over a relatively small 3 bed semi-detached house.

I work from home upstairs from my room and do a lot of Zoom meetings but the signal is so bad it regularly drops out. I first started looking for a range extender but I was reading that if your router is bad in the first place, that is the thing that needs changing.

So if I want to get a proper router, can I get one of the Amazon Eero or Google WiFi ones? Are they both modem+routers?

Or for faster WiFi speeds and a better range, should I go for a Netgear or TP Link one? I'm guessing it needs to be both a modem+router?

Will either of the above be enough to solve my initial problem?

If you let Virgin know your wifi is struggling they should send you a free wifi extender

https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/intelligent-wifi
« Last Edit: September 7, 2023, 12:26:39 am by Gili Gulu »
Gili Gulu. (嘰哩咕嚕) means saying something no-one understands but yourself; a little rambling or a silly language between friends

Offline Graeme

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #126 on: September 7, 2023, 06:26:52 am »
Need some help RAWKitees - been doing some research but seem to have gotten myself more confused.

Went with Virgin a few months back for fibre as it was a decent price and had been having issues with BT. The Virgin Hub is utter garbage with regular dropouts and dead zones all over a relatively small 3 bed semi-detached house.

I work from home upstairs from my room and do a lot of Zoom meetings but the signal is so bad it regularly drops out. I first started looking for a range extender but I was reading that if your router is bad in the first place, that is the thing that needs changing.

So if I want to get a proper router, can I get one of the Amazon Eero or Google WiFi ones? Are they both modem+routers?

Or for faster WiFi speeds and a better range, should I go for a Netgear or TP Link one? I'm guessing it needs to be both a modem+router?

Will either of the above be enough to solve my initial problem?

You have to use the Virgin modem, but you can switch it to ‘Modem Mode’ and connect your own router to it. If you have the Hub 3 or 4, then your router has to be connected to Port 1 at the back of the Hub. If you’ve got a Hub 5 then you can use any port.

I’m using eero with Virgin and it’s been absolutely flawless, the added bonus is you can start with 1 eero which might be enough coverage for the house, and if you want to extend coverage in the future you can add an additional one to create a mesh WiFi.

Do you have other devices wired to your Virgin hub? The eero routers only have 2 x Ethernet ports, one of which needs to connect to the Virgin router which only leaves 1, so if you’ve got other devices you want wiring in then you’d need to get a cheap unmanaged switch to connect to that 2nd eero port for additional Ethernet sockets.

Happy to answer any more questions if you need me to.

Offline Claire.

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #127 on: September 7, 2023, 08:54:39 am »
I have a similar setup to Graeme but with Deco mesh, always had wifi issues before no matter what router I used because of walls and interference from neighbours.

Before going forward with buying a new setup, I'd have a look and see if it's interference, if it's dropping out regularly it could be because of that - https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/networks/1401371/how-to-extend-wi-fi-range-increase-speed-and-fix-problems

Offline .adam

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #128 on: September 7, 2023, 09:14:40 am »
Another person here who has their Virgin router in modem only mode. I use Google Wifi as the router and extra ones as mesh extenders around the house.

I've got my upstairs one connected to the main router via ethernet to create a rock solid connection upstairs where my wife works. The downstairs extender is connected via WiFi and works well too.

I didn't bother with the latest Nest routers, I use the older Google version - you can pick these up pretty cheap nowadays.


« Last Edit: September 7, 2023, 09:16:17 am by .adam »

Offline GinKop

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #129 on: September 7, 2023, 09:56:34 am »
Thanks everyone for the information, really helpful - working my way through the article and also think I will try the eero as they have a 30-day trial period.

If you let Virgin know your wifi is struggling they should send you a free wifi extender

https://www.virginmedia.com/broadband/intelligent-wifi

Also didn't know about this, so will try this as well. Thanks again!
JFT97

Offline Ben S

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #130 on: September 7, 2023, 10:07:08 am »
Just make sure whatever you get does WiFi 6. No point I'm spending money on obsolete stuff. Posted a local speed test here showing how fast WiFi 6 is https://www.redandwhitekop.com/forum/index.php?topic=195699.msg18972197#msg18972197

Offline GinKop

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #131 on: September 7, 2023, 10:22:45 am »
Which Deco product did you go with Ben?
JFT97

Offline Ben S

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #132 on: September 7, 2023, 11:20:09 am »
Mine are X50 so at the more budget end of the current range.

Offline MULLENEDWINE

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #133 on: September 12, 2023, 08:08:06 pm »
So I don't know where to post this...

Where I work has little to zero mobile signal without having to move around. There's a building which has WiFi, we're about 15 metres from this building/office. We have a PC and it's connected via ethernet I think. We can't pick up the WiFi
 
Is there something I can use/plug in to the PC that will give us WiFi in the small building? Like some sort of extension using that same network?

We have the PC and mobile signal at one end of the hut (it's crap signal) but 1 metre into the hut you have nothing. And I sit 2+ metres away.

Any help appreciated

Online Elmo!

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #134 on: September 12, 2023, 08:11:31 pm »
You could just get a USB Wifi dongle, and then set up a hotspot on the PC. Bear in mind though if it's a work PC this option might be blocked as it's a bit of a security risk for IT.

Offline MULLENEDWINE

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Re: Boosting WiFi signal
« Reply #135 on: September 13, 2023, 06:33:56 am »
You could just get a USB Wifi dongle, and then set up a hotspot on the PC. Bear in mind though if it's a work PC this option might be blocked as it's a bit of a security risk for IT.

Nice one mate thank you!