WiFi repeater


  #1  
Old 06-19-19, 11:31 AM
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WiFi repeater

Ever since I moved my IP wireless camera (outdoor) to the other side of the house the signal seems to be weak and I get intermittent operation and sometimes total loss of signal. The picture remains but I loose live action and no pan or tilt. But if I reload the page the pan and tilt will be revised as previously inputted before the reload.

It seems like a weak signal. I have a LinkSys EA6100 router feeding off a Spectrum modem. Both are located in the basement. Most computer gadgets are located on the second floor of the house and seem to work fine. My main desk top computer is Ethernet connected while my wife's, daughters and my laptop use WiFi signal. The WiFi signal must go through the first floor and second floor and intervening walls. For the camera the signal must also go through the metal garage door and /or the metal soffit under the eves. And of course the cam antenna faces away from the router direction. Now there is the possibility that the cam receiver could be defective, but I don't think so. It works well of I bring it inside and it worked well before re-location.

So my question, will a repeater help and what should I look for in a repeater?
 

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06-20-19, 07:44 PM
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First, a little terminology. I do not know who invented "wireless router" term, there is no such thing. Probably some salesman. Wireless operates on layer 1 and 2, routing is performed on layer 3 and there is nothing common between these two. So there is wireless access point and there is router. And there is also a switch usually built into same box.
Oh, come on. It's a shorthand. Obviously routing can't happen over wireless. But as you know, "wireless routers" are simply wired routers with wireless access points built in. I don't know who invented it, either, but everyone uses it. You're saying, "I don't know who invented the word 'automobile', but it's really a horseless carriage."

https://www.snbforums.com/forums/#wireless-networking.5
 
  #2  
Old 06-19-19, 12:04 PM
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I would look at moving the router to the first floor. Video can put a load on wireless and when you attenuate an already low-power signal, ...
You're also correct about the garage door and soffit. Metal can reflect the signal to surprising places.
 
  #3  
Old 06-19-19, 12:36 PM
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I'd go with a pair of powerline extenders that have WiFi, and create a dedicated WiFi channel for the camera.

Start at the router, ethernet cable from router then runs to powerline-dongle #1 which plugs into any available non-GFI, non UPS outlet. Powerline-wifi-adapter #2 plugs into whatever empty outlet is closest to the camera.

Camera now talks to powerline dongle #2 via WiFi, dongle #2 talks to dongle #1 over copper house wiring, dongle #1 talks to router via ethernet cable.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 12:54 PM
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You both have good points. I may try the router relocation first, since that won't cost anything. If that doesn't work I'll look into Hal's suggestion.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 01:00 PM
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One word of caution regarding powerline adapters. Most US homes have 240VAC coming into the house. This gives two 120VAC power sources (each of the 240 lines referenced to neutral ground). If both adapter outlets are on the same 120V "branch", they work very well. If one adapter outlet is powered from branch #1, while the other adapter outlet is powered from branch #2, the signal will be very weak or non existent. Short of trial and error, it's usually difficult to tell which branch the two desired outlets are connected to.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 01:02 PM
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Thanks Bob, would've never thought of that.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 01:50 PM
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Agreed with Bob 1425 about the "opposite leg" problem.

However, in most applications I've seen, the breakers identify which room, if not you can quickly figure out which of the 2 breakers you're using; so the "opposite leg" problem can be fixed in about 1 minute by simply swapping the positions of 2 breakers.

Amazon price is $55 for 500 GPS version
https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-AC750...gateway&sr=8-1
 
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Old 06-19-19, 05:13 PM
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I consider powerline & extenders only as a last resort. Getting the router out of the basement is the best option, one of the best ways to do this if you can't run ethernet upstairs is to use moca adapters, best option if ethernet won't work.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 06:12 PM
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Not familiar with a MoCA adapter.
 
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Old 06-19-19, 06:29 PM
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All my new alarm installs have network communication. Typically the router is no where near the alarm panel so that running a network cable is cost prohibitive. I've been using those powerline extenders and haven't experienced any problems even when on opposite legs of the service.

A MoCA adapter connects to the cable in your house for the internet. That's not just a plug and play device. That requires some setup work in the router.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 03:14 AM
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There is no router configuration needed for moca. Also home power lines are full of electrical noise, not an ideal environment for data transfer.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 03:31 AM
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OK, I looked up MoCA. I'm still confused as to how to hook it up. Is someone will to "map" it out?

My bundled (phone. TV. and Internet) cable enters house in basement. Spectrum modem is attached, then my router is attached. From there several Etherrnet runs are made to first floor and second floor. Where does the MoCA fit between items?
 
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Old 06-20-19, 03:52 AM
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It's similar to powerline in hookup but uses the homes coax wiring, which is designed to carry data. One adapter is connected to a coax wall plate near the router and then connected to the router via ethernet, another adapter is connected to another coax wall plate somewhere else, it also has an ethernet jack to with you can connect what ever you like, a wifi access point, computer, etc.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 05:45 PM
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MoCA is far, far superior to powerline. And not at all difficult set up. But it is incompatible with satellite TV because that uses more bandwidth over the coax than cable TV does.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 05:55 PM
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Wait, @norm201, your house is wired with Ethernet? If the cable is Cat5e or better, you don’t want a repeater. Use those hard-wired connections. Repeaters cut your speed in half.

If most of your devices are wireless, consider a “mesh” or similar system, where you spread wireless access points around the house. I have a Netgear Orbi RBK53 system which works well.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 05:56 PM
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it is incompatible with satellite TV because that uses more bandwidth over the coax than cable TV does.
So I can't g that route!?
 
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Old 06-20-19, 05:59 PM
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Wait, @norm201, your house is wired with Ethernet? If the cable is Cat5e or better, you don’t want a repeater. Use those hard-wired connections. Repeaters cut your speed in half.
My house is not "wired" but I ran several Ethernet cables from the basement to the second floor many years ago. To be honest I don't remember if they were cat 5e or not. Can I tel just by looking at it?
 
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Old 06-20-19, 06:12 PM
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If you have satellite TV, you can’t use MoCA.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 06:16 PM
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Yes, look at the Ethernet cables. Hopefully the lettering is still readable. Look for Cat5e or Cat6. If you have only Cat5, you might still get by, but Cat5 doesn’t support gigabit speeds.
 
  #20  
Old 06-20-19, 06:31 PM
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First, a little terminology. I do not know who invented "wireless router" term, there is no such thing. Probably some salesman. Wireless operates on layer 1 and 2, routing is performed on layer 3 and there is nothing common between these two. So there is wireless access point and there is router. And there is also a switch usually built into same box.
Basically, turn off the wireless access point in your basement and install a new, better one upsteers. I have great experience with Ubiquiti access points.
Regarding cable, if it is not CAT5e or better you may be able to pull in the new one using the old cable. Depends how freely it runs thru walls.
In general wireless sucks. You do not see it, but packets get mangled and are resent all the time, in particular if there are other wireless devices in same frequency range. Indeed, interference and resending packets that "didn't make it" results in slow connection.
Nothing beats wired connection, it is reliable and secure compared to wireless.
In my home everything is wired. Except mobile devices of course.
 
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Old 06-20-19, 07:44 PM
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First, a little terminology. I do not know who invented "wireless router" term, there is no such thing. Probably some salesman. Wireless operates on layer 1 and 2, routing is performed on layer 3 and there is nothing common between these two. So there is wireless access point and there is router. And there is also a switch usually built into same box.
Oh, come on. It's a shorthand. Obviously routing can't happen over wireless. But as you know, "wireless routers" are simply wired routers with wireless access points built in. I don't know who invented it, either, but everyone uses it. You're saying, "I don't know who invented the word 'automobile', but it's really a horseless carriage."

https://www.snbforums.com/forums/#wireless-networking.5
 
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Old 06-21-19, 04:40 AM
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No satellite, cable TV (Spectrum package deal, phone, TV and Internet).
 
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Old 06-21-19, 08:36 AM
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I've done this multiple times, getting a wireless signal to a device is easiest with an access point.

FIRST,
If you have an unused ethernet connection running to the 2nd floor, you can plug in an "access point" to the upstairs ethernet and broadcast a 2nd WiFi signal for better coverage. (You want to have the SAME network name and password, but set the 2nd WiFi signal to a different "WiFi channel".)
Most cable companies will gladly sell or rent you an "access point" but you can generally repurpose last-years-router to do the job. For example FIOS, recently updated to a "black blade" gigabit router, so I converted the prior "round red actiontec" router into an access point to use via gigabit in the garage/workshop, and had previously converted the prior-prior "round black actiontec" router into an access point to use over moca in a masonry addition, and had previously converted the prior-prior-prior Westell-327 router to an access point to use wherever needed using a powerline adapter and/or extension cord..


SECOND
I've got a fairly complex WiFI system, I've tried lots of setups; the simplest way to extend a WiFi signal without pulling new cable through walls and floors is a powerline adapter and an old router configured as an access point.

THIRD
I've tried an extender, specifically a Linksys WRT-54g router flashed with dd-wrt firmware which converts it into an extender/repeater. That worked fairly well, but you do loose half the bandwith, because it is doing double duty of listening to the camera and simultaneously talking to the router. To avoid "chatter" and get decent throughput on WiFi you have to delve into the nuances of "extender" versus "repeater" versus "bridge"
 

Last edited by Hal_S; 06-21-19 at 09:35 AM.
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Old 06-21-19, 01:07 PM
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(You want to have the SAME network name and password, but set the 2nd WiFi signal to a different "WiFi channel".)
This is somewhat controversial. I've seen people argue both for and against using different channels. I have all 3 of my access points set to the same channel and it works fine. My belief is that roaming transitions go more smoothly when the mobile device doesn't have to look for the network on a different channel.
 
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Old 06-21-19, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by RocketJSquirrel
I've seen people argue both for and against using different channels.
Depends on the number of devices, internet bandwidth, and the Wifi bandwidth.

Using the same WiFi channel for multiple devices effectively limits you to the bandwidth of that Wifi channel.

Example, if feed a 150 Mbps internet connection through three "WiFi G" routers @ 54 Mbps; setting them all to a single WiFi channel throttles the 150 Mbps WiFi to ~54 Mbps. Feed that 150 Mbps connection through 3 different channels at ~54 Mbps and all 3 channels can run at ~54 Mbps without interference.

However,if you have a "WiFi N" router running at ~900 Mbps, none of this matters because the ~900 Mbps router can easily split the ~150 Mbps signal among the devices.
You can run into problems if there is new router and an old "WiFi B or Wifi G" device in the house (WiFi photo frame, thermostat, old phone) which forces the router to fall-back to a much slower B/G speeds.
 
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Old 06-21-19, 09:27 PM
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I haven't thought about 802.11b, g, and n in years. 802.11ac is what you want now. OP's Linksys EA6100 is AC1200. My Netgear Orbis are AC3000, which is blazing fast. Sorry if this is off-topic. But it is worth considering when wiring Ethernet cable is impractical.
 
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Old 06-22-19, 07:12 AM
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RocketJSquirrel
I haven't thought about 802.11b, g, and n in years. 802.11ac is what you want now. OP's Linksys EA6100 is AC1200. My Netgear Orbis are AC3000, which is blazing fast. Sorry if this is off-topic. But it is worth considering when wiring Ethernet cable is impractical.
MPEG-4 AVC Video streams at just 18 Mbps for 1080p, which is exactly 1/3rd of the 802.11G standard, less than half of what 'G' band will do in the real world (~48 Mbps). I can buy Linksys WRT54Gs for
 
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Old 06-22-19, 08:30 AM
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[quote=Fred_C_Dobbs]
I can buy Linksys WRT54Gs for
 
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Old 09-08-19, 04:48 PM
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Just a follow up.
I was shopping with the Missus at ALDI's and happen to see a MAGINON WiFi extender that plugs into the wall outlets. It was an impulse buy, but I thought I'd try it. At first using just a plain WiFi connection, the amount of metal in the garage was just too much. With the bay doors open the signal got through, but lost when the doors were closed. Since the location of the new repeater was less than 20 feet away, I decided to run an Ethernet cable from the repeater to the cam. Works like a champ, and I just kept the unit on Repeater and not even change it to Access point or Router setting.
 
 

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