Networking Issues - WiFi range extender

McRackin

McRackin

Limp Gawd
Joined
Dec 27, 2008
Messages
284
Hi all, I'm trying to use a range extender to improve my office connection and have encountered a couple issues that I can't explain.

Equipment: HP Elitebook with Intel dual band wireless AC 8265
Samsung Galaxy S9
New Shaw router with 300mbps connection

Before we get to the range extender, our Shaw router is connected on the main floor at the front of the house (in the main office). The secondary office is located at the back of the house on the upper floor. When I sit next to the computer in the upper floor office and try to connect directly to the Shaw router, my laptop speed tests read about 30-40mbps. Sitting next to the laptop on my Samsung phone, I get 100-150mbps or about 3-4X faster.

To try to solve this, I figured a range extender would help so I purchased the TP-Link 1750, which seems overkill for the 300mbps internet plan I have. First, I tried installing the extender right beside the router per the instructions. Again, when I test 2.4ghz and 5ghz, the speeds are slower than connecting directly to the router. And again, my Samsung is 3-4X faster than my laptop. At 2.4ghz my laptop is a pitiful ~5mbps and 5ghz ~20mbps. My Samsung is more like 20mbps and 70mbps.

When I move the range extender to the top floor, directly above the office and try connecting and kind of "half way" between each office, the speeds improve maybe 30%.... but my connection directly to the Shaw router is still faster... and again my Samsung is 3-4X faster than my work laptop.

Anyone know what I can try to improve my laptop speed and the usefulness of the range extender?
 
sounds like the issue is your laptops wifi card, i'd try usb wifi dongle on the laptop and see if that improves speeds.

Even before that though, i'd look to see if your laptop wifi card driver is the latest, i've seen significant speed improvements by just updating the drivers.
 
Also google model/brand of wifi card. My Asus USB 3.0 card had terrible out of the box performance. Found better advance settings online and the performance/Stability improved by a lot.
 
Thanks all - wifi drivers are the latest. The reason for the laptop performance might be the firewall as its a secured corporate laptop. I placed the range extender half-way and hard wired from there, through the hallway, into the laptop. While the connection is better ~100mbps it's not better than my phone connecting directly to the router... but it will do for now.

Are there any options besides a range extender? I've heard power line adapters are good?
 
Range extenders are more trouble than they are worth. Powerline going to a WAP or Powerline with WAP are the best route.
 
Any chance you're using an AX router? I learned they don't play well with old WLAN adapters. Might wanna see if Intel has a new driver for yours
 
if you have coax in the area you want, also look at Moca adapters(same thing as powerline adapters, but the internet goes through coax in stead of over the powerlines) these are MUCH faster that powerline adapters
 
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