Kitz Forum

Computers & Hardware => Networking => Topic started by: tickmike on August 15, 2018, 07:02:50 PM

Title: Poor WiFi, Now Very Good With A 'TP-Link TL-WPA4220KIT'
Post by: tickmike on August 15, 2018, 07:02:50 PM
My Daughter has a free flat provided with her job as a Zoo keeper and free internet access off the companies internal WAN via heavy duty Ethernet cable to a Access point (I am tying to find out what type ) in the downstairs Living room with good signal but upstairs in her bedroom the signal is poor.
We are going to see her in two weeks, but it would not be possible to run an Ethernet cable upstairs .
As there is no DSL to interfere with I was thinking about those Mains WiFi  Repeaters.
Any advice please.
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: Weaver on August 15, 2018, 10:02:59 PM
Could use two low cost WAPs with one in 'client' mode. I had great results with this.

I just hate those mains things because of the pollution that they cause, but I have to say they can work well and the technology is impressive, and the spec is sound and I believe standardised? So it is just my irrational prejudice, but it worries me the effects they might have in other kit such as high quality hifi that does not like digital hash, or DSL.
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: d2d4j on August 15, 2018, 10:29:25 PM
Hi tickmite

I am not sure what you mean by heavy duty Ethernet sorry

Your idea should work fine so long as it is not lock to a device on the end point.

I assume it is some form of router with Wi-Fi, or it maybe just a Wi-Fi point, so you would need to check before buying anything.

Many thanks

John
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: tickmike on August 15, 2018, 11:10:06 PM
@ Weaver,I know these adapters give out a lot of 'mush' but there is no DSL or ADSL, VDSL etc to affect, I think the building is lined with silver backed plasterboard, part brick part timber frame.

@ d2d4j
re 'I am not sure what you mean by heavy duty Ethernet sorry'
It looks like SWA Ethernet cable, it comes straight out of the ground in through a hole in the window frame, about 6mm Dia, Black, looks like Cat 5 that is plugged into the Access point.
I have a feeling it is just a router used as an WiFi access point, She is sending a photo of it tomorrow,
If so I will just plug one of these mains extenders into the spare Ethernet sockets on the back.

I think I have said to you before the the Ethernet is controlled by the firm, eg passwords and access codes, But If she had one of these mains  WiFi repeaters could I set up her own password for it ?.
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: Weaver on August 15, 2018, 11:39:34 PM
@tickmike - no I meant injecting mush down the mains directly into devices are wrecking them - as happened. The foil-backed plaster thing is not good, but I can get through mine just about where I have it on ceilings. It may be that 2.4GHz is better in that respect, although normally one would always go 5GHz. I might even have a couple of WAPs that will do this, which you can have gratis, but only if Mrs Weaver would agree to find them and succeed in doing so.

[eg a reasonably high end power amp of mine (Audiolab 8000P) that was getting noise into its audio inputs from a cd player and even though the frequencies should have been way too high it upset it and the manfufacturer did a hardware upgrade in account of it. (I bought two of these amps to go along with my Kef 105s then Quad electrostatics and the second unit had the upgrade.)]
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: d2d4j on August 16, 2018, 09:46:18 AM
Hi Tickmike

Many thanks, and yes, sounds likely to be armoured cabling for cat5(e)

You should be able to setup as you post, and control everything going through your equipment whilst the firm control their side and I cannot see why they may object.

The mains extenders should work without causing issues to connections, as I would think they use fibre or lease lines rather then DSL, but would have dsl as a backup.  However, this would be from their comms rooms.  I could be wrong over broadband connection(s), but given their quantity of payment devices, it makes more sense to use lease/fibre.

Many thanks

John
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: tickmike on August 16, 2018, 10:48:28 AM
@ Weaver, 'With it now mush back down the mains' (it was the wine  ;) making my brain Mush)  ;D, alas my daughter is on very low pay and the only items are a TV and her iPhone and laptop (which we bought  :) ) so I do not think they will get any affect from the mains 'mush'

@ d2d4j, I would think there 'coms' room is in the new admin building some 500M away, yes I think they have a 1Gig Fibre connection for the site including all the accommodation, so it gets hammered.

 * I will send you both a 'PM' later when I come back from the doctors, checking my 'Cholesterol'.
Title: Re: Poor WiFi.
Post by: tickmike on August 17, 2018, 11:28:19 AM
@ Weaver,  PM sent yesterday !.
Title: Re: Poor WiFi, Now Very Good With A 'TP-Link TL-WPA4220KIT'
Post by: tickmike on August 30, 2018, 09:47:38 PM
Update.
My daughter sent me details of the 'Router' configured as an Access Point in her flat.
it was a TP-Link TD-W9970 .

To get good WiFi to her bedroom (three stories up ) I bought a TP-Link TL-WPA4220KIT  £35 from Amazon.
https://www.tp-link.com/uk/products/details/cat-18_TL-WPA4220KIT.html#overview

I tested and configured it at my home before taking it down with me this last weekend, Plugging the base unit near my HG612 Modem and the extender unit in my workshop (A Long way from my house! ).
I can report that the kit worked very well with NO interference with my ADSL2 Modem view via 'DSLstats'.

Setting it up was easy although I set up a different SSID for my daughter to use, it worked very well in my daughters flat on the free Ethernet supplied Internet she gets with her job.
The units ran cool !.