what device(s) do I need to extend my wireless home network via creating a new wireless network (not using an extender)

Question

What device(s) do I need to extend my wireless home network based on the following requirements:

1. link between primary wireless access point to the device(s) in question has to be wireless
2. not using the "wireless extender - with lose of throughput" or "power line usage"

So I'm thinking of a device that can be setup to receive/use the primary AP wireless signal, and then create it's own separate wireless network. So primary AP might be upstairs, the device(s) I'm asking about might be at the bottom of the steps, and the devices I'm trying to get internet access to are on the lower floor.

Does such a device exist? Or do you need to but two devices (a wireless receiver & a seprate wireless AP/router)?

Answer 1

While the premise of #2 doesn't appear to have any foundation, this is how I would do what you are after.

Get two dual-band 802.11n DD-WRT compatible access-points (such as a linksys). These come with 2.4ghz and 5ghz radios. Decide on one frequency for the APs to connect to each other, and the other for users to connect.

So lets say you use 2.4ghz for users (as most devices will support 2.4), and 5ghz for the link between the two APs (better penetration).

Install dd-wrt on them both, the on the 5ghz frequency band define one as an AP with an SSID name such as "link", on an empty channel in your environment. On the other AP, define it as a client to the first AP. Once this is done, you now have a layer 2 network spanning the two APs. Anything plugged into AP1 can talk across the wifi to anything plugged into AP2 on the same subnet.

Then configure the two 2.4ghz radios with the a different SSID name to the 5ghz one - say "users" - but use the same name on both. Put the APs on different channels to each other - choose from 1, 6 or 11 depending on your environment.

Now you have a wifi network for users joined together with a second wifi network. Moving from one location to the other will result in a transparent handover.