Setting Up Permanent Wifi Hotspot

[pl1]

I know someone on here will know how to do this so thought I would post:

Got a crappy signal for phone/tablet in a room downstairs but very good signal for the PC in that room as it has a powerful wifi antenna. I want to use the wifi on the PC and connect the phone/tablet to the PC instead, i.e. turning it into a hotspot. I remember XP used to have Internet connection sharing. Had a quick Google and it suggested Virtual Router or an Ad Hoc network but it looks like the Ad Hoc network needs two connections. Does making the PC a hotspot mean you can't use the wifi card to get out onto t'internet? Is Virtual Router any good/safe? If not, which one? I don't want to be setting up a network on the pc every time.

Cheers,

[pl1]

Question 2:

If above is too impossible, does anybody have any experience with wifi boosters? Suggest a cheapish one?

[OnionTerror]

Question 2:

If above is too impossible, does anybody have any experience with wifi boosters? Suggest a cheapish one?

Wifi homeplugs?

[MrPin]

Wifi homeplugs?

Evil!

[OnionTerror]

Evil!

Why's that then Pin? Are your's possessed?

[DEATH]

I got one of these this week, works great.

Will save you eletricity wise than having the pc on.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00NIUHAG6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1455826157&sr=8-1π=SY200_QL40&keywords=NetGear

[OnionTerror]

I got one of these this week, works great.

Will save you eletricity wise than having the pc on.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B00NIUHAG6/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1455826157&sr=8-1π=SY200_QL40&keywords=NetGear

But aren't they dependent on the strength of the signal coming in?

http://www.johnlewis.com/devolo-dlan-500-wi-fi-powerline-single-adapter/p1523217?sku=233692760&kpid=233692760&s_kenid=7355d442-3ac9-4bd7-a930-2ca673ba9970&s_kwcid=402x362935&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

[The Masked Tulip]

Three points.

1. Dont use the PC for all sorts of reasons.

2. Power socket wi fi extenders are only good if you have good, modern electric cabling. The early models also had a tendency to over heat.

3. Using any kind of wi fi router extender is the way but, be careful, there can be all sorts of problems getting two different makes of device to work together. In fact, even two different firmwares from the same make and model of router can sometimes not work.

Hope this helps.

[dgul]

Wot TMT says - but I'd add perhaps move the modem/router?

[pl1]

Three points.

1. Dont use the PC for all sorts of reasons.

2. Power socket wi fi extenders are only good if you have good, modern electric cabling. The early models also had a tendency to over heat.

3. Using any kind of wi fi router extender is the way but, be careful, there can be all sorts of problems getting two different makes of device to work together. In fact, even two different firmwares from the same make and model of router can sometimes not work.

Hope this helps.

Yea I was wary of using the PC, will go down booster route.

Can't move router not my house and no other phone socket.

[The Masked Tulip]

Yea I was wary of using the PC, will go down booster route.

Can't move router not my house and no other phone socket.

What sort of wall thickness do you have in the house - old house with thick walls? Newish house with thin walls? Makes a difference on recommendation.

The room with the router - is it on the same floor as the room that you wish to get wi fi in?

[pl1]

What sort of wall thickness do you have in the house - old house with thick walls? Newish house with thin walls? Makes a difference on recommendation.

The room with the router - is it on the same floor as the room that you wish to get wi fi in?

New build so sh1t wall quality but the room the router is in is, typically, about as far away as it can be from the room I need the wifi signal in. Room with the router, is on the floor above & over a bit from the room I need the wifi signal.

Can get a good to excellent signal on my PC Wifi dongle (with it's big antenna), get fair to poor signal on phone but useable, get nothing to poor on the tablet, usually nothing.

[19 year mortgage 8itch]

Is it a cheap tablet and phone?

Would you get better reception with better user hardware?

[beccles]

You can download wifi extender apps to your phone but Ive no idea if they work. Reviews seem to be either 1/5 or 5/5 so it must work for some?

[dgul]

New build so sh1t wall quality but the room the router is in is, typically, about as far away as it can be from the room I need the wifi signal in. Room with the router, is on the floor above & over a bit from the room I need the wifi signal.

Can get a good to excellent signal on my PC Wifi dongle (with it's big antenna), get fair to poor signal on phone but useable, get nothing to poor on the tablet, usually nothing.

Might still be a positioning problem. Is the router up against the wall? - the signal might find an easier path through the floor. Also, many people put their wifi routers up against the wall immediately above the plug, which is where the mains wiring is (and will thus attenuate the signal in that direction).

But powerline wifi extenders are cheap enough and will solve the problem properly...

[The Masked Tulip]

Your pc has a nice big aerial and your mobile has a tiny aerial. You are going to need to either go down the powerline option or buy a router to work as a bridge to the main ISDN router.

Try to buy the same brand of whatever you decide as the make of the ISDN router.

[The Masked Tulip]

This appears to be the updated version of the model that Death recommended. According a Netgear video it will work with all brands of wireless router. You plug it in halfway between your device and the wireless router.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WN3000RP-200UKS-Universal-Extender-Indicators-Coverage/dp/B00NIUHA84

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/wifi-range-extenders/netgear-wn3000rp-200uks-wifi-range-extender-n300-10076823-pdt.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA9JW2BRDxtaq2ruDg22oSJACgtTxcEbXT38ewJ7AY2iagd9VIriAbQi8_eKZwZHY3jQQqiBoCHufw_wcB&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!90672904339!!!g!110897022980!&ef_id=VlII3QAABeNo6T0i:20160218222346:s

[onlyme2]

What router have you got? A half decent wireless N modern router should not really have any trouble with a modern house's walls.

[worzel]

This appears to be the updated version of the model that Death recommended. According a Netgear video it will work with all brands of wireless router. You plug it in halfway between your device and the wireless router.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/WN3000RP-200UKS-Universal-Extender-Indicators-Coverage/dp/B00NIUHA84

http://www.currys.co.uk/gbuk/computing-accessories/networking/wifi-range-extenders/netgear-wn3000rp-200uks-wifi-range-extender-n300-10076823-pdt.html?gclid=CjwKEAiA9JW2BRDxtaq2ruDg22oSJACgtTxcEbXT38ewJ7AY2iagd9VIriAbQi8_eKZwZHY3jQQqiBoCHufw_wcB&srcid=198&cmpid=ppc~gg~~~Exact&mctag=gg_goog_7904&s_kwcid=AL!3391!3!90672904339!!!g!110897022980!&ef_id=VlII3QAABeNo6T0i:20160218222346:s

This is what I had and it worked well until my son pulled the aerials off. I also have a sky wireless booster, that they were giving away free a while back. The other useful thing about these is that it gives you an Ethernet port, so with addition of a Poe injector, I can run an IP phone and appear to be in the office when I'm not.

[DEATH]

But aren't they dependent on the strength of the signal coming in?

http://www.johnlewis.com/devolo-dlan-500-wi-fi-powerline-single-adapter/p1523217?sku=233692760&kpid=233692760&s_kenid=7355d442-3ac9-4bd7-a930-2ca673ba9970&s_kwcid=402x362935&tmad=c&tmcampid=73

If the PC gets a good signal so will this if you plug it in near it.

The netgear one has two aerials. I would choose one that had an aerial over one that didn't.

There is an ethernet port on it as well if you want to connect something with no wifi like old tvs/pvr boxes.

[geezer466]

Can you not move the router?

If not and this is important to you I would run some cat 5 cable between the router room and your room downstairs. Hide it under the floorboards and install standard Ethernet sockets at each end. Cable one end into a switch/router or direct to router/ wifi extender/access point connected directly at the other end.

It will be like having the router in the same room.

It is the only viable permanent solution....

Did all mine several years ago, wired the whole house, bedrooms ect. Kids can play their x boxes to their hearts content and allows me to put a media centre in any room I choose.

[MrPin]

Why's that then Pin? Are your's possessed?

It's because I have a radio amateur licence, and I have to object on principle. They put noises into the wiring. I have filtered extension blocks to keep the "noises" out of my audio system. It's just bad engineering.

[Horridbloke]

It might be worth reconfiguring the wifi settings on the router. Try running a wifi scanner / wardrive tool on your pc or tablet to see what else is visible. If your router is on the same channel as some others then try setting it to a less crowded one.

[MrPin]

It might be worth reconfiguring the wifi settings on the router. Try running a wifi scanner / wardrive tool on your pc or tablet to see what else is visible. If your router is on the same channel as some others then try setting it to a less crowded one.

Now there's the trouble with wireless routers! Just get a long ethernet cable and go direct!

[pl1]

Not wanting to be part of one of those posts that plague the Internet by not comming back to give a conclusion:

Went down the wifi extender route as suggested, I bought the Netgear N300, got very good reviews & deservedly so. Was £30. Although it suggests having the booster halfway between the router and where you need the signal, for practical reasons this wasn't an option so I have it in the same room as the room with the duff signal and it's still boosted the signal very well. Very pleased with it. Cheers all.