How to boost wifi signal?

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As the title suggests, what are the best ways to boost wifi signal? The signal in my new house is awful - I get full in the same room (5/5) and 2/5 in my room on my work laptop, 1/5 or nothing on my personal laptop. Do wifi extenders work? Something like this:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL-...ntenna/dp/B000N40U9O/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Any tips would be great. Considering getting an xbox 360 again but don't want to play it if it's too laggy.. also takes ages to DL anything.

Cheers
 
I use home plugs and the sort which use the electric wiring in your house.



Worth having a read.
 
That TP link thing would be a waste of money, I've tried similar myself with no effect that I could see on the signal. Could you move the router to a better position? again mine is in the loft with a cable running down to the phone socket. I did that to try to get a signal out in the shed at the bottom of the garden, even tried an external yagi antenna at one point.

It is possible to buy a wifi extender but I think they are pricey, it's even possible to convert some routers to be extenders but it needs some expertise and of course an old router that can be converted.
 
Yeah was wondering about them - the reviews on Amazon are v.good. Can't move the router.
 
The larger antenna will have some gain which will give signal over a wider area by creating a 'disc' of signal rather than a 'sphere' around the router.
This won't suit every situation e.g a tall house!
 
My router is at the front of the house and I've used homeplugs to add a wireless access point at the back if the house.

I use apple airplay devices which double as wireless access points.
 
if your router has an aerial that can be unscrewed/replaced then for a fiver its worth a go, ive got a linksys with high gain aerial and it does help.

however it will only really help if its a range issue, if your router is still in a room with super thick walls and tonnes of interferrance from electrical devices the signal will still be rubbish :)
 
That antenna won't boost the signal a noticeable amount in itself. It's really designed for situations where the router is stuck behind a lot of equipment which is blocking the signal so the external antenna can be placed on a shelf or wall mounted etc...
For you I think the best approach would be to get a couple of home plugs and a wireless access point. The zyxel equipment is very good. I have a wireless router in the back bedroom where the Internet connection comes in and a access point configured as a bridge downstairs to connect that network ( Xbox, media payer, nas, and the blu-ray player) and typically get 7MB/s copying between the two networks.
 
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