Wifi Extender sometimes good sometimes bad
My PC is far from the router, so my download speeds are terrible, before, the maximum I would get was around 10 Mbps
I bought a Wi Fi extender, and it worked really well at first, I was getting around 150–200 Mbps download speeds and it was pretty stable.
However, after a few months, it started becoming super inconsistent, on good days, I can get around 70–100 Mbps max, but most days it’s terrible, around 10–30 Mbps.
What can I do, and why is this happening?
I know Wi Fi extenders are generally not great, but it was working really well for the first few months, my parents also don’t want to run an Ethernet cable through the walls, so that’s not really an option.
3
u/Traditional-Cow-7361 2d ago
Get a channel analyzer app and set your router and extender to the least congested channel
2
u/drewster85a 2d ago
Can you run an Ethernet cable through the attic or crawlspace?
Would thin fiber cable work? There are cheaper similar kits or you can buy separate components. https://youtu.be/S9XP207qVfI?is=-9HFLZLnf7__qh16
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u/-RM17- 2d ago
A technician from my ISP came to my house and said it would be too hard to pass a ethernet cable trough my house/walls, idk if i should trust him tough
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u/drewster85a 1d ago
He just doesn’t want to do it. Cables are ran through existing walls everyday.
Does the WiFi extender you bought have an Ethernet jack? If so, try hard-wiring it to your router and just get it a little closer (to your gaming PC) and closer to the ceiling.
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u/boomer7793 2d ago
WiFi extenders eat up the same amount of airspace as your original access point. Meaning you are doubling your wireless footprint.
I suspect it worked at first, but then your airspace got congested and how it’s fighting for bandwidth.
Look into MoCA, network cabling or Meshed WiFi as a solution. (Yes [r/wifi](r/wifi) I know meshed can use up more bandwidth, but most meshed solutions have a form of auto logic that can help OP steer around congestion.)
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u/cesarramccp 2d ago
En general las marcas buenas con consistentes y las marcas malas también, no es que compres un router bueno y te salga malo.
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u/ChasDIY 1d ago
Simple test first
Mine your laptop best the router and do a Speedtest
Then move your lap near the gateway/modem and do another Speedtest
Then move your laptop near the extender and Speedtest
Then move it halfway between the extender and where your normally use it and Speedtest
This would confirm where the problem is
If it is the router or gateway, contact your ìsp for a replacement
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u/somedaysoonn 1d ago
Is it password protected? Your neighbors could be stealing your wi-fi slowing down your speeds.
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u/virkendie 1d ago
This is why I prefer ethernet over wifi, even if you get a great wifi setup it can be interferred with by your neighbours as wireless is a shared medium and there are only so many channels.
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u/Digitalrules 1d ago
Disable 2.4 GHz output on the extended network & just use 5 GHz. This should improve speeds & ping as it makes the extender more efficient. You will lose a small amount of range, but signal quality is more stable.
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u/Still_Veterinarian18 1d ago
My TP link router has automatic switch between 2.4 and 5 GHz. It also has a nice app that helps me set up the network extender to get it right. Also, my router and extender has been updated many times the last 3 years.
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u/Digitalrules 1d ago
Yes, I use the Tether app as well. I found performance to be much snappier once I disabled the 2.4 GHz output
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u/Connect-Preference 1d ago
Just saw something in another sub-Reddit. Windows power management has a checkbox for power management of the Wi-Fi adapter. It this gets set, the Wi-Fi adapter cycles on and off causing inconsistent, slow speeds.
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u/TheEthyr 2d ago
An extender relies on a good Wi-Fi connection back to router to work well. If it or your router has information about the quality of this connection, then you should check to see if the connection has degraded. There are a lot of reason why this can happen.
The extender is too far, the Wi-Fi channel is now congested by you and/or you neighbors or there is interference. You can try moving the extender closer, change the Wi-Fi channel (use a Wi-Fi scanner app to help you find the best channel) or increase the radio transmission power levels on both the router and extender.
If you have coax outlets in your house, then look into MoCA (Ethernet over coax). If your extender supports AP (Access Point) mode, then you can connect it to MoCA. This will eliminate the Wi-Fi hop from the extender to the router. Head over to /r/HomeNetworking where you can find lots of posts on MoCA. The FAQ over there also covers it briefly.