WiFi advice please.
 

I have a poor Wifi signal in my downstairs master and I'm looking for a way to boost the signal.

I have a cable modem on the top floor where it distributes the WiFi via an Airport Extreme. The office is upstairs and the performance is great upstairs. I have Ethernet running from the upstairs modem to the downstairs master, but this is connected to the Roku box for streaming video. It works very well. The problem is a weak wireless signal downstairs.

Can I put a wireless distribution point between the downstairs ethernet and the Roku box? Would an Airport Express work?

I'm really happy with Apple products so that would be my preference if they make something that would work.

Thanks!

Any wireless access point connected to the ethernet would work. Just make sure the upstairs device is the default gateway and dns for the downstairs unit. Downstairs devices connect to downstairs access point. Get one with a switch port on the back, most/all do, for the Roku.

An Airport Express would work seamlessly and is easy to set up with your Airport Extreme.

Like this?

The Airport extreme connected to the airport express WAN port then the Roku connected via ethernet to the airport express LAN port?

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1364315703.jpg

That's it!

I don't think you would want anything connected to the downstairs device. That would create a separate network which would require routing. I'm not familiar with the Airport products directly, but if they are similar to other AP devices, you would probably connect the ethernet from the main, upstairs wifi unit to any one of the ethernet/LAN jacks of the downstairs unit. It would then act like a switch rather than a router which is what you want. It would just bridge the ethernet.


upstairs LAN/ethernet-------LAN/ethernet <downstairs> LAN/ethernet-------roku and wireless downstairs

That's how I've had my stuff set up in the past, but maybe the Airport stuff is different.

You usually can setup any wifi-router as a simple access point by turning off the DHCP features. Generally, you hook the cable not to the "internet"/WAN port but to one of the LAN ports. The WIfi-router then acts as an Access Point and switch. You do have to configure the Wifi features. I usually keep the name and password the same, but fix the different access points to different channels.

I am not familiar with Apple products, so YMMV.

He can configure the second Airport Express as an extender to the Airport Extreme so there's only one WiFi network.

Excellent! Sounds like the airport stuff has a nice, smart feature set.

Being that you have ethernet down there is a good start. My son set up dual wireless routers on opposite ends of our house which eliminated any dead spots. You can pick up the routers cheap anymore for $30-40 and with a little configuration have them operating on different channels.

Maybe this Netgear Universal WN3000RP Wi-Fi Range Extender located here Amazon.com: Netgear Universal WN3000RP Wi-Fi Range Extender: Electronics.

They do. I just added an Airport Express to my system. It was quick and easy to set up.

As an added bonus, the Express has an audio port on it (analog and optical digital) that you can connect to a stereo or powered speakers. I have mine tied into my living room stereo and can stream iTunes or Pandora from any IOS device to my stereo. Again, very easy to set up and use.