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[pauls]

My internet runs from a bt homehub 5. Iam finding that the wifi keeps dropping off. Mainly happens when iam out in the extension.  Would it be better use a wifi extender or one of the bt hotspot thingys.

As you can tell not very up on all this teccie stuff. It will be running off my samsung tablet tab 3. So dont want cables.

[omega2018]

oooh thats an 802.11ac capable router .  your samsung only goes up to 802.11n.  you will likely get much better range on ac.  don't know if you can plu an ac dongle into your samsung but if it was a pc they are only £15.   

[Broomies Mate]

Nope.  The 5GHz band will give you LESS range.

The BT HH5 is a bloody good router (the best of the ISP branded ones, anyway).

Get yourself a pair of good quality Powerline Adapters (WiFi ones) and you should be good to go.  Don't buy cheapy crap ones, they are erm.... cheapy crap.

[omega2018]

    802.11ac at one metre: 90MBps, 10 metres: 70MBps and at 20 metres behind two solid walls: 50MBps
    802.11n at one metre: 30MBps, 10 metres: 20MBps and at 20 metres behind two solid walls: 5-10MBps

[TheBoy]

    802.11ac at one metre: 90MBps, 10 metres: 70MBps and at 20 metres behind two solid walls: 50MBps
    802.11n at one metre: 30MBps, 10 metres: 20MBps and at 20 metres behind two solid walls: 5-10MBps

5Ghz will have less range than 2.4Ghz when there are line of sight issues. Except it, get over it, move on.

The protocol running over the top does not help with range, just speed on a clear day.  Newer receivers are more sensitive though.

[TheBoy]

OP - BT Homespot will be more effective than a range extender, which should be avoided except where absolutely necessary. A range extender will kill speed.

Obviously, nothing gets close to a cable.


Downside of BT Homespot (and other powerline extenders) can be flakey performance over longer distances (wiring distance - 2 adjacent sockets can be 30m apart cable wise), but work well in most modern homes that aren't mansions.

[aaronjb]

5Ghz will have less range than 2.4Ghz when there are line of sight issues. Except it, get over it, move on.

Accept.

[TheBoy]

5Ghz will have less range than 2.4Ghz when there are line of sight issues. Except it, get over it, move on.

Accept.

Smartarse

[omega2018]

5Ghz will have less range than 2.4Ghz when there are line of sight issues. Except it, get over it, move on.

Accept.

Smartarse

except might be better.

i doubt if anyone has line of sight in their home at distance.  ac has MUCH better range despite the frequency in real world cases  see http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/802-11ac-vs-802-11n-what-s-the-difference et al.  that's not surprising since it is 8 years newer technology than n and so has a lot of new features not least beamforming. 

[TheBoy]

5Ghz will have less range than 2.4Ghz when there are line of sight issues. Except it, get over it, move on.

Accept.

Smartarse

except might be better.

i doubt if anyone has line of sight in their home at distance.  ac has MUCH better range despite the frequency in real world cases  see http://www.trustedreviews.com/opinions/802-11ac-vs-802-11n-what-s-the-difference et al.  that's not surprising since it is 8 years newer technology than n and so has a lot of new features not least beamforming.

Star Trek Scottie voice on:

Ya cannae change the laws of physics, captiain.


5Ghz will always be weaker in non line of sight scenarios (ie, pretty much anywhere but Wifi lab conditions) than 2.4Ghz in similar conditions.  In the same way the likes of Evil Everywhere suffer more phone signal degradation than O2/Voda (2G/3G) when going further into larger buildings. Any range improvements are not the result of the protocol, but silicon/software improvements.

In line of sight, there isn't really much in it, everything else being equal.

5Ghz's huge advantage comes from the fact people don't know how to set up 2.4Ghz wifi, and the fact it is far less crowded...  ...if you can receive the signal.

Be a bit careful with review sites, as any new kit compared to old, knackered stuff (usually the reason people replace) will be far superior.  A bit like people fitting budget tyres and claiming they are as good as the premium, bald ones that came off