Whom do I hire to get decent Wifi in the basement?
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Anonymous
| Tired of struggling with DIY (non)fixes. I'd like to find someone who can come in and provide and install any equipment I need to get a decent signal in our family room. Thanks for any recommendations. |
Anonymous
| whoever supplies your internet |
Anonymous
| Ideally you. Put an extender in the room. If the signal is really week, you may need to wire it to the router. |
Anonymous
| Hire an electrician to run an ethernet cable from your cable modem to your family room (or nearby your family room). |
Anonymous
| Best Buy has a Geek Squad that I hired and they recommended this, then came to install it. https://www.amazon.com/stores/eero/page/FC890...r4xHdlRoCJkcQAvD_BwE |
Anonymous
|
Budget?
The right way to do this is to have a low-voltage electrician (e.g. an alarm company or telephone installer) run cat. 6 (ethernet) cable from whereever your network switch (or router) is located to where you want the wireless service. Run at least two lengths of cable (for backup and in case you want wired connectivity, too, maybe for a printer or desktop computer). Normally, these would terminate to wall plates. Ideally, you would use a patch panel, but that isn't really necessary for something this simple. Connect a wireless access point to the basement end and connect the other end to your router/switch. Configure the access point (SSID, password, etc.). Configure your devices to connect to that access point. If you have zero budget, you might be able to improve the situation by changing channel assignment or repositioning your current access point/router. If you have a limited budget and/or don't want to have wires installed in your walls, you could try one of the wireless "mesh" systems mentioned above (Eero, Orbi, Nest, etc.). These usually work OK-ish. Less commonly, your options would also include MOCA (works over coaxial (cable TV) cable) or power line networking (not terribly secure, and may not work with your home's electrical system; also may affect radio reception). Don't do a regular wireless "extender." They aren't reliable and performance is poor. |
Anonymous
| PP here. If you really just want to pay someone to do this, look into home automation or smart home installers. They usually do home networking or can refer you to someone who does. It will be more expensive than hiring someone to just pull cable, however. |
Anonymous
Thank you! I'm going to try this. |
Anonymous
| Did you try an actual wireless mesh system? They are different (and more expensive) than “extenders” but work perfectly for us (including in the basement). |
Anonymous
|
If you're in VA, we used these guys:
https://vultroninstallers.com/ |
Anonymous
We went even cheaper and just put in a second access point with a separate Wifi name. So we have "Larlo" and "Larlo 2" as 2 differnet wifi networks, hooked to the same internet connection. |
Anonymous
You don’t need a professional to install that! Very easy to set up. |
Anonymous
We have this. WiFi couldn’t be worse lately. |