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Ranger extenders


aburns1948

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If it's about extending the range of a Wi-Fi network, I recommend using a pair of AV500 or AV1200 capable HomePlugs, where one unit has Wi-Fi built in or with a Wi-Fi access point.  The way these work is that the primary unit connects to the router providing the Internet connection and the second unit connects with the primary unit by sending data over the electrical wiring.

 

I have had little luck with Wi-Fi range extenders in the past as while they seem to work great at first, after a few days they tend to crash out or lose connectivity with the main Wi-Fi access point.  I've seen this happen across multiple brands such as TP-Link, D-Link and Netgear including with other people.  

 

Another significant issue with Wi-Fi range extenders is that they cut the bandwidth in half as everything is repeated back to the main access point over the existing Wi-Fi network.  For comparison, a HomePlug or wired Ethernet based approach to bring Wi-Fi to another area can actually double the bandwidth as each Wi-Fi access point can operate on independent channel numbers.  For example, a set-top box streaming in the area with the second Wi-Fi access point will not consume any bandwidth provided by the main access point, although obviously the overall bandwidth is physically limited by the main Internet connection. 

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As far as I can tell, Linksys only do the Powerline up to AV500 (500Mbps over the house wiring).  As their units do not have Wi-Fi, you'll need to connect the second unit to another Wi-Fi access point such as where you currently have a weak Wi-Fi signal.  I haven't heard of the AV2500 standard or at least could not find any info about it.

 

There are various manufacturers providing Homeplug powerline adapters using the faster AV1200 (1.2Gbps).  TP-Link is the only brand I've used, which I haven't had any issues with.

 

Unless you need a very fast connection where you need to boost the Wi-Fi signal, the AV500 should be sufficient as it will provide enough bandwidth for 1080p streaming to two or three devices depending on how fast it can connect over the electrical wiring to the other Homeplug unit. 

Edited by Sean
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