Networking suggestions/recommendations guys...

Scenario:

Room 1 (downstairs) Located in corner is the Virgin modem and Virgin-supplied wifi router (smallish, black, think it's D-LINK but unsure)

about 30-40 feet away, but upstairs, is a Mac Mini with inbuilt wifi (Airport Express a/b/g)

This has previously been located downstairs and connected to the wifi just fine.

Now, it can't, it seems to be "out of range".

Modern laptops all sporting 802.11n connect fine, from the same upstairs location.

So.....struggling to get a definitive solution that will work to "extend" the range of the Mini.

An Apple reseller tech is suggests an Airport Express plug will join the existing wifi, and essentially work as a repeater/bridge

An Apple employee says this will only work if the wifi router is Airport, and then, having read Apple's own features of the Airport express and now believes it will work as a repeater/bridge.

Clearly, this isn't helping me......I don't want to drop money on hardware that won't work, or be a pain in the bottom to set-up.

I thought the wifi router was 802.11n, but not sure (and can't check at the mo) buti don't particularly want to go to the hassle & expense of changing that if there's a cheaper way to just boost the range or bridge the gap for the existing Mini.

I have, on hand, an Airport Express (plug version), an Apple TimeCapsule, a virgin-supplied wifi router and a mild sense of Adventure......

Will it work? If so, how? (because google searches are all coming up talking about WDS and Airport Extreme base stations)

I would not expect the APE to act as a repeater/bridge without serious effort if at all.

If WiFi is 'N' then get a USB dongle.

Else - go for powerline.

Or just try re-orienting the WiFi router.

If the wireless router has a removable antenna - get a bigger one for it!

I had no signal upstairs - i now get full with one of these:

http://www.computertarget.com.au/oscom/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=26&products_id=1412&osCsid=8814d839941011de4a0dee213501f8ed

I have a spare one knocking about so if you want it PM me.

You dont need to buy an APE either, you can buy any wireless access point and set it up in repeater mode.

I have just put a couple of these into an office at work; http://www.draytek.co.uk/products/ap700.html

fairly basic but they are very stable.

I wouldn't have expected the APE to act as one either - save for the fact that's how it appears to be promoted by Apple themselves and (from my limited poll) 50% of the Apple product specialists as well.

Powerline - unfeasible. Not only is there the small potential for issue between the separate rings, but I noted that the majority of PLN manufacturers say (buried in the tech specs & faqs) that surge protection and extensions will severely degrade/strip out the frequencies required. Guess what I've got my computer gear plugged in with....................

I think the antenna on the D-Link router are fixed/non-replaceable. That roof mounted antenna looks interesting, but possibly a 'bif of a faff' - spec sheet only references G series wifi, though it's range is impressive.

However.......

The APE was plugged in last night. Literally two minutes later, existing wifi network found, connected & bridged.

I don't want to sound like VRSCarl, with rampant Apple-Love, but it was painless, quick and far too easy. The only bit that hurts will now be paying my mate for the damn thing.......

If the wireless router has a removable antenna - get a bigger one for it!

That is probably the answer but don't forget wireless is a two way thing and you may need new aerials at both ends.

Wireless N has a longer range signal than B or G which is probably why the N products work.

The other thing to consider is the way B and G wireless signals leave an aerial. Take a donut (the round ones with the hole in the middle) and place it over the wireless aerial with the aerial going through the hole. That is how the signal is transmitted basically it spreads out at 90 degrees to the aerial. If you are directly above or below the aerial you get little or no signal. Changing the angle of the aerials or the location of the devices relative to each other may also solve the problem. N routers use (generally) 7 diversity aerials that throw the signals in all directions.

Brick walls are another impediment to B and G signals and will dramatically reduce range.

You dont need to buy an APE either, you can buy any wireless access point and set it up in repeater mode.

I have just put a couple of these into an office at work; http://www.draytek.c...ucts/ap700.html

fairly basic but they are very stable.

If you buy that the easiest thing to do is simply plug the Mac mini into the Ethernet port on the access point (Station mode on the schematic). The Mac mini will think that it's connected to the network via Ethernet and the Draytek box will be completely invisible to it.

It used two similar devices on my kids iMacs in the days before they had wireless. One of the access points is now connected to the Ethernet port on our TV and allows it to seamlessly access the Internet.

Edited 3 August, 201015 yr by K1W1

That is probably the answer but don't forget wireless is a two way thing and you may need new aerials at both ends.

Wireless N has a longer range signal than B or G which is probably why the N products work.

The other thing to consider is the way B and G wireless signals leave an aerial. Take a donut (the round ones with the hole in the middle) and place it over the wireless aerial with the aerial going through the hole. That is how the signal is transmitted basically it spreads out at 90 degrees to the aerial. If you are directly above or below the aerial you get little or no signal. Changing the angle of the aerials or the location of the devices relative to each other may also solve the problem. N routers use (generally) 7 diversity aerials that throw the signals in all directions.

Brick walls are another impediment to B and G signals and will dramatically reduce range.

No you don't.... If you have a big antenna on the one end the range is increased on receive and transmit. Its like saying you have to have a mast attached to you mobile phone!!

No you don't.... If you have a big antenna on the one end the range is increased on receive and transmit. Its like saying you have to have a mast attached to you mobile phone!!

Two good aerials are always way better and more reliable than one good and one poor. Aerials are cheap.

Not if you have a mac or laptop they aren't as you can't get them!

My sister had a Mac Mini, and its inbuilt wifi was useless. I could put any wireless device right next to it, and have full signal strength on whatever device, even though her Mini had no signal.

Im sure she ended up getting her motherboard replaced to sort the problem.