Home WIFI coverage advice

amirhmn2002

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Since we are all working from home I was wondering if I could get some advice to fix a network coverage issues I am having as this issue is affecting my work.
During this time I had to find a room to make a small office away from the noise to get my work done, however as you might imagine the noise would be around the main router of the house and as a result, I'm not getting enough speed to handle my daily work and I constantly get disconnected.
I would really appreciate it if I could get some expert advice on this.
I am currently using the standard hub provided by Virgin with two wifi Mesh provided by them to get coverage around the house, however, the speed I get from the wifi mesh in my office room is between 0.45- 3 Mbps whereas next to the router I get around 80 to 130 Mbps. everything works fine when I receive around 10 Mbps (so I don't need full speed).
I bought a "TP-Link Archer A7 AC1750 Dual Band Gigabit Wireless Cable Router" standing next to this router improved the speed to around 200Mbps but still 1 to no signal bar in the office room (the estimated distance between the router and the computer is 3 to 4m through the wall and flooring, but I guess the walls are too thick as I am only on 1st floor). The original virgin hub is 15m away (also through the walls in the same room in the opposite corner), but surprisingly I get almost the same signal with the standard virgin router. So no signal improvement even tho I thought the TP-Link was a better router.
I am happy to spend some money (around £200) as I am really struggling to work but as there are so many models I don't know which would be the right solution for me.
For start, I don't know if I need a better mesh unit (NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System with 2.2Gbps Speed (RBK20)) or a better router such as NETGEAR Nighthawk series, Linksys Max-Stream AC5400 MU or TP-Link Archer C2300. These are some of the top models I found online and I am not sure which one would resolve my problem as my first buy was unsuccessful and I was hoping to get some expert advice. Any help would be highly appreciated.
Also using the work VPN seems to slow down the speed slightly as well.
I know I can't ignore the low of physics :p and I don't expect to get the same signal strength as standing next to the router, but since I am getting 200Mbps and I can get my work done with 10Mbps I only need a system strong enough to give me 5% of the speed I get from my provider.
Unfortunately, the direct cable is not an option.
 
As you say, you cant change the laws of physics. Throwing different brands of gear at the problem is unlikely to change the outcome. Therefore you need to look at a different approach to the problem. Ideally you need to install a cabled access point nearer to where you are working, but that probably is not possible, currently. So i would suggest that a pair of decent powerline adaptors is probably your best bet. Assuming that you are just using your PC / Laptop and nothing else I would connect it to the powerline via a patch cable. Something like these, which also contain wifi would be worth a try.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL...eywords=powerline&qid=1587729830&sr=8-14&th=1

You may need to order a couple of patch cables as well.

If they dont work, you can always return them.
 
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As you say, you cant change the laws of physics. Throwing different brands of gear at the problem is unlikely to change the outcome. Therefore you need to look at a different approach to the problem. Ideally you need to install a cabled access point nearer to where you are working, but that probably is not possible, currently. So i would suggest that a pair of decent powerline adaptors is probably your best bet. Assuming that you are just using your PC / Laptop and nothing else I would connect it to the powerline via a patch cable. Something like these, which also contain wifi would be worth a try.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/TP-Link-TL...eywords=powerline&qid=1587729830&sr=8-14&th=1

You may need to order a couple of patch cables as well.

If they don't work, you can always return them.
Hi,
Thank you for the reply, I was just checking the virgin mesh that was provided which is stated on their website "Virgin Boosters use G.Hn technology and will only connect with other kit using G.Hn. Powerline kit using other Powerline standards." is the suggested powerline adaptors you recommended better than the one provided by Virgin?
 
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'Better' I am not sure, that is a subjective term. Do they work well? in my experience yes and like I said, if they don't just send them back.

Powerline adapters are not Mesh, they use the wiring in your home as cabling to transmit your broadband over, These will be totally separate to the 'mesh' boosters from Virgin or any other powerline technology that Virgin may use. They will connect to your virgin router, via a patch cable transmit your broadband over your mains wiring then re-convert it back into both a new wifi signal or cabled connection into your pc.
 
Beware that the "bar" meters in some clients don't necessarily measure Received Signal Strength (called RSSI in the jargon) - some "synthesize" some sort of arbitrary "signal quality" measure which isn't at all the same thing.

That said, I concur with Mushii - you cannot beat the laws of physics. Wi-Fi transmit power is limited by law and most kit is, and always has been, at or close to the permitted max. Hence, we're not surprised that a "forklift" router change hasn't made much difference as there's no "magic" uber-router out there with "much better signal" than everyone else's. There some clever antenna designs that can improve things a bit, but it's not massive.

Bear in mind that Wi-Fi is a two-way radio "conversation" like walkie-talkies, not a one-way "lecture" like television. Your client device needs to be able to transmit to your router just as well as you router needs to transmit to your client.

If you are going to throw some money at this and for whatever reason, cannot put in a "proper" cabled ethernet link, I'd go with Mushii's suggestion try some HomePlugs as a "next best" option. If the kit you have in your "office" is something that can be cabled, then using the "right" HomePlugs you could forego Wi-Fi altogether, or use the Wi-Fi/wired combo Homeplugs that are very popular and have the best of both worlds.

We should raise the caveat that the performance of the over-the-mains transmission quality of HomePlugs links is highly dependent on the "quality" of your mains environment - some people report excellent results, some people report dreadful ones and everything inbetween. The best advice seems to be to buy them from somewhere with a good returns policy.
 
I have tried different options for anyone who will come across this post I can strongly recommend "NETGEAR Orbi Tri-band Whole Home Mesh Wi-Fi System RBK20" as it solved the problem like no other router/ Wi-Fi booster. Using this mesh system helped me to get from 0.45 to 3 Mbps to 180-220 Mbps (more than what I was getting standing next to my router) all over the house. Some might consider them to be pricy but If you are like me spending £25 per month for your broadband, this is a very smart investment.
 

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