Do 'wireless range extenders' need to have an ethernet cable plugged in?

superboysuperboy Posts: 4,187
Forum Member
✭✭✭
My Router: Ground Floor
My Room: Third Floor

Naturally, this has resulted in a weak wireless signal, even with Wireless N

I am thinking about buying one of these to improve the signal

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TL-WA830RE-300Mbps-Wireless-Range-Extender/dp/B006BBYXPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330261205&sr=8-1


I want to place it on the second floor. Being on the second floor, it will be nowhere near my existing router. I.e, it will be impossible to stretch a cable from my router to this extender


So, does this device *need* to have an ethernet cable plugged into it? Or, do they just 'catch and boost' your wireless signal, and thus can be placed anywhere, without needing to plug an ethernet cable from your router to the extender?

Thanks

Comments

  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    they can usually operate in either way.
  • Daveoc64Daveoc64 Posts: 15,374
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    Usually TP Link devices can be set up to either:

    1) Use an industry standardised way to extend the network "wirelessly".

    2) Use a non-standard way to extend the network if your existing router doesn't support that industry standard

    3) Plug in to an ethernet network and transmit a separate signal with the same SSID (network name).
  • TheBigMTheBigM Posts: 13,125
    Forum Member
    ✭✭
    A proper wireless range extender (using WDS) connects to the gateway and to client wirelessly.

    A device that connects by ethernet to the gateway and wirelessly to the client is usually a wireless access point.
  • superboysuperboy Posts: 4,187
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    So with the product in question, it will boost my signal, without the need of having to plug an ethernet cable from my router into the back of it?
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,537
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    superboy wrote: »
    So with the product in question, it will boost my signal, without the need of having to plug an ethernet cable from my router into the back of it?

    yes, but performance will be pretty bad as it has to share it wireless capacity to both upload and download data from router and to clients.

    Is it possible for you to use homeplug + WAP ?

    How about something like this which is homeplug, ethernet switch and wireless all in one.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devolo-1409-dLAN-Wireless-N-Starter/dp/B00472MMC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330336259&sr=8-3
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    c4rv wrote: »
    yes, but performance will be pretty bad as it has to share it wireless capacity to both upload and download data from router and to clients.

    Is it possible for you to use homeplug + WAP ?

    How about something like this which is homeplug, ethernet switch and wireless all in one.

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Devolo-1409-dLAN-Wireless-N-Starter/dp/B00472MMC6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1330336259&sr=8-3

    the product linked by the OP is actually pretty solid. it has two aerials because it has separate Tx and Rx circuits which is supposed to get around the issues you point out.

    home plus and a wireless access point are certainly another option but a pricey one. if i were the OP i'd buy the thing he suggested and see if it worked satisfactorily. if not then i'd buy the home plugs and use the thing as an access point, which it can also do.
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,537
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    flagpole wrote: »
    the product linked by the OP is actually pretty solid. it has two aerials because it has separate Tx and Rx circuits which is supposed to get around the issues you point out.

    Be interesting to see how that performed. You would need to use 2 (or 4 if trying to run at 300mb) channels if you want simultaneous send and receive
  • superboysuperboy Posts: 4,187
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    I actually seriously considered homeplugs but where my modem is, everything is connected to two surge protectors. It would not be possible to plug the homeplug directly into the wall, which I believe to be a requirement as surge protectors can cause interference with homeplugs

    I will give the TP link ranger extender a go though, as they can be placed anywhere and don't need an ethernet cable - I heard that it may cut my bandwidth in half though, is this true?
  • c4rvc4rv Posts: 29,537
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    yeah, homeplug does not like being plugged into surge protectors but I've not had problems when using an extension lead.
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    superboy wrote: »
    I actually seriously considered homeplugs but where my modem is, everything is connected to two surge protectors. It would not be possible to plug the homeplug directly into the wall, which I believe to be a requirement as surge protectors can cause interference with homeplugs

    I will give the TP link ranger extender a go though, as they can be placed anywhere and don't need an ethernet cable - I heard that it may cut my bandwidth in half though, is this true?

    you can't put home plugs into surge protectors. but you could just get an old fashioned cube splitter and put it at the wall, connecting both the surge protector and homeplug to it. ethernet leads can be as long as needed.

    the basic theory of the bandwidth halving is that if you think about the relay station. say wifi has a max speed of 54Mbs if you upstairs computer were transmitting at that speed the relay would have to be receiving at that speed and relaying it to the router at that speed which doesn't go.

    that having been said TP-link say the device has two circuits, hence the two aerials with basically one for talking to the router and one for talking to the upstairs computer. this is what c4rv and i were just talking about.

    it also depends what you use your network for. obviously if you have 5Mbit broadband and that is all you use your network for then that wont be slowed down.
  • superboysuperboy Posts: 4,187
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Thanks, I'll give it a go. This TP link repeater device has an ethernet port in the back, could I plug a NAS into that port? I.e:

    Router/Modem = Floor 1,
    Repeater = Floor 3
    NAS plugged into repeater, = Floor 3

    Would this NAS then 'appear' on the same network as my modem/router?
  • flagpoleflagpole Posts: 44,641
    Forum Member
    superboy wrote: »
    Thanks, I'll give it a go. This TP link repeater device has an ethernet port in the back, could I plug a NAS into that port? I.e:

    Router/Modem = Floor 1,
    Repeater = Floor 3
    NAS plugged into repeater, = Floor 3

    Would this NAS then 'appear' on the same network as my modem/router?

    i thought you said you didn't get very good wifi up on the third floor? hence the need for a repeater on the second floor.

    it does have an ethernet port and can be used to make something like a NAS wireless, whether or not it can do this whilst serving as a range extender i wouldn't know. you'd have to check the manual.

    but yes regardless of the physical layout, everything will appear on the same network.
  • John259John259 Posts: 28,322
    Forum Member
    ✭✭✭
    Before purchasing, it might be worth downloading the device's manual from the manufacturer's web site.
Sign In or Register to comment.