True WiFi...poor range

[cumgranosalum]

So the house I'm in now has a True package. WiFi at "30mbps" and a basic TV package.

The problem is that the WiFi has a range of slightly less than the distance I can spit. I'm accustomed to having WiFi throughout the house on both floors.

Is there a way to rectify this?

Can I get some kind of booster to relay it around the house?

I'm also surprised to find that the package includes only one TV outlet.

I dont want to pay True any more than i need and I'm reluctant to revert to ADSL with TOT and a cable company...is this avoidable?

Edited December 5, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[AyG]

Have you previously had WiFi throughout this property? If not, then the problem is probably the construction, and WiFi simply can't get through. Nothing to do with True.

If it was previously working OK, the problem is probably the router.

If you have dual band equipment, try the 5 GHz band. It might possibly work better than 2.4 GHz.

You can get WiFi repeaters/extenders that take the signal and rebroadcast it, though personally I haven't had much success. (I believe they always reduce the speed by half in the repeated zone, but you'd need to check that.)

You can also deliver WiFi via your home mains network. Again, I didn't have any success with that. The signal isn't very good at switching between different electrical circuits.

I ended up getting a second ADSL connection for upstairs.

[cumgranosalum]

Have you previously had WiFi throughout this property? If not, then the problem is probably the construction, and WiFi simply can't get through. Nothing to do with True.

If it was previously working OK, the problem is probably the router.

If you have dual band equipment, try the 5 GHz band. It might possibly work better than 2.4 GHz.

You can get WiFi repeaters/extenders that take the signal and rebroadcast it, though personally I haven't had much success. (I believe they always reduce the speed by half in the repeated zone, but you'd need to check that.)

You can also deliver WiFi via your home mains network. Again, I didn't have any success with that. The signal isn't very good at switching between different electrical circuits.

I ended up getting a second ADSL connection for upstairs.

This i a new system in this house - I previously had ADSL and a WiFi router from TOT. this covered the whole house. The True technician installing pointed out that the true WiFi has limited range - something I was unaware of - and the signal upstairs is about 30%

downstairs the speediest shows it is working at the rate advertised 30mbps

At present I'm getting 45.5 ground floor and 13.5 upstairs

Edited December 6, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[slipperylobster]

If you have an old router hanging around your closet...turn off the true router and plug the other one into your laptop. Pull up the settings page and see if there is an option to set it up as a repeater. http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Two-Routers

Google some old routers that have repeater / and bridge / options. You can always pickup a cheap second hand one at a repair shop.

many links...as basic as you like. I did this with my old True router with my AIS router. Huge area to cover...and it worked. The second router (upstairs) picked up the first router's signal and repeated it...clearly. I just direct used my upstairs laptop with a LAN cable directly from the 2nd router to the 2nd laptop (or you can just use the wifi signal...which is a bit slower).

Expect a drop in speed...regardlless...as packets are being routed twice (two routers). but it is manageable.

Edited December 6, 2015 by slipperylobster

[cumgranosalum]

If you have an old router hanging around your closet...turn off the true router and plug the other one into your laptop. Pull up the settings page and see if there is an option to set it up as a repeater. http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Two-Routers

Google some old routers that have repeater / and bridge / options. You can always pickup a cheap second hand one at a repair shop.

many links...as basic as you like. I did this with my old True router with my AIS router. Huge area to cover...and it worked. The second router (upstairs) picked up the first router's signal and repeated it...clearly. I just direct used my upstairs laptop with a LAN cable directly from the 2nd router to the 2nd laptop (or you can just use the wifi signal...which is a bit slower).

Expect a drop in speed...regardlless...as packets are being routed twice (two routers). but it is manageable.

Ah! THis may be the solution I'm looking for - I do have another WiFi router.....There's a bit of a learning curve invovled here so it may be a day or two before I get round to it...will post later with the results...thanks.

just one thing...any idea how to bring up the settings on a Thomson TG585?

Edited December 6, 2015 by cumgranosalum

[Pib]

Yea, expect your speed to be cut in half when using a repeater; however, your signal strength would improve. When the dust settles you may end up with a faster internet.

Also, try moving your Wifi router to a different location although I know movement maybe be limited. Sometimes just small movements of a meter or so can make a big difference.

I'm a True 15Mb cable/DOCSIS cable. The cable comes into my house (concrete/brick walls and floors which can really reduce Wifi signal propagation) on the second story and the True Wifi router is also on the second story. Maintaining strong signal strength and 15Mb speed (actually around 22Mb on speed tests with bursting over 30Mb) on the second story is no problem, but I do most of my computering downstairs. Signal strength drops very significantly downstairs where I use my laptop most of the time because the signal from upstairs had to fight through two concrete walls and one concrete flow. I can still get 15Mb downstairs with the signal significantly reduced but it's not as steady....not as of a consistent data flow...it's just not as good as the upstairs data flow.

So, I bought myself another Wifi router/access point for downstairs, set it up as an Access Point, ran a ethernet cable from the primary router upstairs down to the access point/router on the first floor (bought some outdoor ethernet cable and ran it out/in the windows down the outside wall (hard to tell it even there...worked out great), and using that method I don't have the problem of a repeater function cutting the speed in half. Signal strength is now strong on the first and second stories of my house....the True Wifi router covers the upper floor with strong signal strength and the Access Point I setup downstairs cover the lower floor with strong signal strength. Had it setup like this going on two years now...works great.

[Aachen]

instead of repeater use powerline adapter (available also with wifi at one end...)..

[Chicog]

^ Wot he said.

[wpcoe]

If you have dual band equipment, try the 5 GHz band. It might possibly work better than 2.4 GHz.

And, of course, vice versa. 2.4Ghz generally has much better penetration through walls than 5Ghz.

[AyG]

If you have dual band equipment, try the 5 GHz band. It might possibly work better than 2.4 GHz.

And, of course, vice versa. 2.4Ghz generally has much better penetration through walls than 5Ghz.

Absolutely true. My thinking was that the 2.4 GHz band tends to be much more congested than the 5 GHz band. Really, without a lot more detail it's difficult to know what exactly the OP's problem is.

[slipperylobster]

If you have an old router hanging around your closet...turn off the true router and plug the other one into your laptop. Pull up the settings page and see if there is an option to set it up as a repeater. http://www.wikihow.com/Connect-Two-Routers

Google some old routers that have repeater / and bridge / options. You can always pickup a cheap second hand one at a repair shop.

many links...as basic as you like. I did this with my old True router with my AIS router. Huge area to cover...and it worked. The second router (upstairs) picked up the first router's signal and repeated it...clearly. I just direct used my upstairs laptop with a LAN cable directly from the 2nd router to the 2nd laptop (or you can just use the wifi signal...which is a bit slower).

Expect a drop in speed...regardlless...as packets are being routed twice (two routers). but it is manageable.

Ah! THis may be the solution I'm looking for - I do have another WiFi router.....There's a bit of a learning curve invovled here so it may be a day or two before I get round to it...will post later with the results...thanks.

just one thing...any idea how to bring up the settings on a Thomson TG585?

go to google.com and type in "how to bring up settings on a Thomson TG585" seriously. First this is to press in the reset pin (recessed in the back of that router) for 20 seconds or so. The router led should flash slowly. Plug in your ethernet cable and type 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.100.1 or just google it as above.... You will need the default password and id (also google that for your model). There is just so much info on this....you can watch on youtube as well.

[slipperylobster]

instead of repeater use powerline adapter (available also with wifi at one end...)..

Thats a purchase...whereas an old router (hanging around)...can be put to good use.

Also nice to fiddle with this.....just a learning experience.

you could go out and buy the powerline adapter ...if you want to make it easier.... I just like digging through old stuff and pulling out something that can be put to good use.

[Pib]

If you have dual band equipment, try the 5 GHz band. It might possibly work better than 2.4 GHz.

And, of course, vice versa. 2.4Ghz generally has much better penetration through walls than 5Ghz.

Absolutely true. My thinking was that the 2.4 GHz band tends to be much more congested than the 5 GHz band. Really, without a lot more detail it's difficult to know what exactly the OP's problem is.

^^^^Me three....2.4GHz has better obstruction penetrating capability over 5Ghz....as lower frequencies have better penetrating capability.

[cumgranosalum]

It's all pretty academic at the moment as my 30 mbps is now 3 mbps....I have to say, I'm not impressed with True and will be cancelling the service if they don't sort it out pretty smart-ish.

[cumgranosalum]

After being a customer of TOT for about 7 or 8 years I thought they were a pretty bad lot.....but I've now encountered True's efforts at customer service and I have never encountered anything quite like it...evasive, misleading and just plain strupid. I'm wondering what the hell I've signed up to with this bunch..........so far I've had little evidence that they can supply internet at all, let alone at the speeds they claim....and they certainly can't give a coherent explanation of the situation.

I"m not going to cancel my account - they would be just cutting off the nose to spite the face, but

if in the next few weeks/dys I can find another company to supply internet and another to supply TV, i'll be more than happy to be rid of this bunch of wishy-washy prevaricating no hopers....