Wireless Internet is all the rage these days. More and more devices are released daily, and many require Wi-Fi exclusively to access the Internet. This is all well and good if you’re sitting next to your wireless router, but what if Wi-Fi doesn’t extend into the far reaches of your home or business? Expansive builidings and multi-level homes face us as the biggest challenges to create a “Wi-Fi enveloped environment” (I just made that phrase up). Where there’s a problem there’s also a solution, however. Today, we introduce you to wireless access points and wireless extenders.
Before we get started, make sure that you’re familiar with the basics of Wi-Fi first. If you’re unclear about how to create a wireless network or are confused by any of the terms, feel free to read “Getting the Most Out of Wi-Fi: Part One“, and “Getting the Most Out of Wi-Fi: Part Two” which we covered in our “Back to Basics” series. Now that that’s out of the way, in order to have a strong wireless signal, you actually need to use wires. In a typical cable Internet environment, the cable company will run a cable wire into your home from the street, and then connect the cable to a combination modem/router. The router then provides the wireless signal to your home. Typically there are four ports in the modem/router which allow you to connect a computer or printer directly to the router with an Ethernet cord. In a large home or business, one or more of these ports can be connected to a wireless access point (WAP) in another area of the building. The latest standard in network cabling is Category 6 (A/K/A Cat 6) Ethernet cable. Cat 6 cable would need to be run from the router to the area of the building in need of Wi-Fi, and then connected to a wireless access point. A wireless access point is essentially a router that grants wireless access to the existing network. It’s different from a router because it extends the network signal rather than create an entire new network. To simplify it further, installing a wirless access point means you’re basically installing a wireless hotspot like you’d sign into at a public place. Here’s a link to a WAP that we recently installed for a business: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00D7GH7O6/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1.
If you’re not interested in running wires and just need to stretch your wireless signal a little further, a wireless extender will do the trick. A wireless extender (A/K/A wireless repeater) does just that: the wireless extender “grabs” your wireless signal and rebroadcasts it to eliminate “deadspots” in the building. These are easy to set up and use, but there are a couple of drawbacks: wireless speed is reduced by as much as 50%, and interference between wireless networks in the area is approximately doubled. Still, for cost and ease of use, it’s a good idea to take a look at a wireless extender. Here’s one we’ve used successfully in the past: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender-TL-WA850RE/dp/B00E98O7GC/ref=sr_1_3?s=pc&ie=UTF8&qid=1474324252&sr=1-3&keywords=wireless+extender.
Wi-Fi is here to stay. It’s one of the only “products” that everyone uses. Because of this, you have to give the people what they want! If you need to “Stretch Your Wireless Signal,” you’d better stretch it! Networking is a daunting task to most of us, but have no fear because Finish Line is here! We can handle any networking problems you might be faced with, from creation to extension.