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I have a cable modem which is also a wireless router. I have this modem in my bedroom and the signal is strong in there, but when I go to another room of the house, the signal goes weak. Even in some rooms, the signal is so weak that I cannot have a nice connection, so my Internet connects and disconnects every 30 secs.

How can I amplify my wireless signal? Should I buy some powerful router? Or there is some wireless amplifier stuffs ?

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    your getting weak signals from one room away? This might be interference... have you positioned the wireless router in a suitable area for overall house access? ie. centrally located and high as you can get it? What kind of walls do you have? 2x4,metal,brick, concrete?
    – Logman
    Jul 24, 2012 at 19:07
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    Interference problems: Microwave ovens, cordless phones, Bluetooth devices, wireless video cameras, outdoor microwave links, wireless game controllers, Zigbee devices, fluorescent lights, WiMAX devices, and even bad electrical connections-all these things can cause broad RF spectrum emissions. These non-802.11 types of interference typically don't work cooperatively with 802.11 devices.
    – Logman
    Jul 24, 2012 at 19:10

5 Answers 5

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You can use something like this wi-fi booster:

http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/wifi-booster.php

You just plug it straight into the router in place of the antenna that is currently there. You can also try a wireless repeater:

http://www.amazon.com/Blurex-Wireless-N-300Mbps-Repeater-Extender/dp/B0078PY0E2/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1343149806&sr=8-3&keywords=wifi+repeater

This will take the existing wi-fi connection and extend the usable range of the wireless connection.

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  • Just boosting the TX signal on one side usually will not have the desired effect since the RX signal will stay weak and the (bidirectional) connection will still be unstable/slow unless the signal from router to the other device was far worse than the other way round. Generally you would need to do it on both sides. Depending on the country you live in, raising the signal level also might violate national laws and interfere with other radio services and/or other WiFI users. Jul 24, 2012 at 19:46
  • I did not think about this, thanks for your input. Sounds like there is definitely a better solution. Jul 24, 2012 at 20:46
  • I have had very bad luck with repeaters like the one you posted a link to. The money that would be spent on a repeater could be better applied to a more powerful router and/or bigger/better antennas. Jul 24, 2012 at 20:58
  • Well I do have one and it worked well for me, but i also have a small apartment with a really weak connection. It improved the (actual) connection by 500 kb/s or so. Jul 24, 2012 at 21:13
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A simple and often neglected way to get better transmission properties is to justify the antennas. A typical dipole antenna has to be aligned as a normal to the area where the highest signal strength is needed. So if you need to cover many rooms on one floor, align the antennas vertically. If you need to cover rooms on other floors below and/or above, try to align them horizontally.

At typical WiFi wavelengths it might even help to move the router some centimeters from its current position. Sometimes this can change resonance situations and thus wave propagation drastically. Also make sure that there are no unnecessary metal parts nearby the router and in the fresnel zone between router and your mobile device.

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Before doing anything you should checkout How to Boost a Router Signal there are some pretty good tips and suggested noted there:

Look for Interference

  1. Replace devices in your home that can interfere with network traffic on the 2.4GHz frequency range. Cordless phones, Microwave ovens. Baby monitors. Security alarms. Television remote controls. Automatic garage door openers.

  2. Check your router's signal strength with these devices. Compare power levels when each device is on and off to determine if they are the cause of your signal problems.

Switch Channels

  1. Change your signal channel. Routers can broadcast on a series of channels, between one and eleven. Change to a channel that will allow your router a clear signal between other wireless networks.

  2. Use a software utility to analyze which networks are using which channel and configure your system for an unused channel.

802.11n

  1. Change your router's network broadcast mode. Try to use the new 802.11n standard if your router supports it. The 802.11n standard offers far greater range and signal strength compared to 802.11 a/b/g.

Relocate

  1. Reposition your Router. Sometimes the solution is simple. All you have to do is find a new place to store your router. Raise up as far as possible to increase the effective broadcast range. Place near the center of your house or apartment for wider coverage. Move closer to the receivers, if possible. Move away from any metal including metal shelving, filing cabinets and similar common objects. Move away from cordless phones and microwaves, which operate on the same 2.4-Ghz frequency.

  2. Be aware of external interference. Move your unit as far away as possible from your next door neighbor's Wi-Fi router. And if you're living in an apartment building, there might be multiple routers in operation too. Note: make sure you're using a different channel than everyone else.

Upgrade

  1. Raise your transmit power. Check your router's documentation and configuration utility for the ability to change the Xmit power of your router: the amount of power it uses to transmit the signal. Generally you can boost this number by up to 50mW. Keep in mind that you risk overheating or damaging your router.

  2. Replace the Antenna. Unscrew and replace the broadcast antenna on your router with a model that delivers more power. Not all routers allow for new antenna to be attached, but many do.

  3. Install a Repeater. A repeater is a piece of hardware that acts like a wireless network expander. The repeater takes the signal from your router and boosts it to increase the range. Wireless repeaters are increasingly common and affordable and will probably be available in your local computer store, or on the Internet.

  4. Install a Wireless Amplifier. Attach a wireless amplifier, also known as a booster, directly to your router. A booster can be more affordable than a repeater as they only increase the strength of your existing signal, rather than the strength and range. Use a bi-directional amplifier to increase both your inward and outbound speeds.

  5. A reflector made from tinfoil and some stiff paper cut out of junk mail.Make a Reflector lulu with Tinfoil. Note that a tinfoil router may boost your signal, but will also make it more directional.

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Additionally if your cable modem is really old and problematic in other ways you could replace it with a newer modem.

If your happy with your current modem other than its wireless range, you could always turn off Wifi on your current modem and then buy another better stronger wireless access point and plug it into a LAN port on your cable modem.

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The downside of using a wi-fi repeater is that if you are encrypting your wireless connection with WPA2 (currently the only secure wireless encryption), using a repeater is not a solution. The repeater is identical to a man in the middle attack. If you are using WPA2 use a signal booster, larger antennas, and/or directional antennas.

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  • Can you explain why this would not be a solution? This seems more like a comment then an answer Jul 24, 2012 at 19:30
  • The explanation is in my answer: "The repeater is identical to a man in the middle attack." You are putting something in the middle of the wireless connection that is supposed to decrypt the wireless signal, move the decrypted packets to another transmitter, re-enccrypt them, and transmit them. If you use WPA2 in this scheme your connection will fail, period. The repeater looks like a man in the middle attack. Since I am pointing out that part of an answer given is in fact wrong, it merits more than just a comment.
    – Everett
    Jul 24, 2012 at 20:44
  • Apologies, did not realize that Jul 24, 2012 at 20:52
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Like it says in MrDaniel's post, change the channel on your router. Of all the suggested methods here, when I had problems with my router this made the biggest difference. If your neighbor's wireless router is on the same channel as yours it can cause serious connection interference.

If nothing else works, try getting another router. You don't necessarily need a "super router," but the combo modem/router your ISP gives you isn't always that great.

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