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What's the most reliable option for wireless networking?
My wireless card has been dropping connection a lot recently and I'm looking for a replacement. Unfortunately most wireless cards seem to develop reliability issues after a year or two if they don't have one right out of the box, if reviews are to be trusted.
I'm wondering, do I get a new wireless card, go for a powerline adapter, or buy a second modem and use that like a wireless card? I can't do ethernet as it would involve extensive rewiring I'm not willing to do.
My worries about getting a new wireless card are the reliability issue. My concerns with power line adapters are that my house is old, built in the 40s or 50s if not earlier. I'm not sure that will work well with wiring so old. I'm thinking the best option is a second router but I'm not really familiar with how to configure that and any traps that might be associated with it.
Let me know what you think the best method is and what products you think are good. Also tell me if I missed any other options. Thanks.
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>>61429249
If you have an issue with wireless and not routing, get a new access point. A nice commercial access point will have better functionality and longevity than most router access points, and it would be overkill for your use, so I don't see any reason why not to if you have the money. I'd stay away from powerline, I actually don't know anyone who ever installed one in person so I can't attest to reliability
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>>61429753
I think that's kinda the idea I was going for with getting a second router and connecting it to my PC. I'd have my cable modem running to my 1st router downstairs and then transmitting wirelessly to my 2nd router upstairs which would send the signal to my PC via ethernet and to any other wireless devices as well.
What's the difference between an proper access point and a router though?
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>>61429753
I bought a powerline set a few months ago (TP-Link AV1000). Haven't had a single problem yet. I only get around 150-200Mbps, but that's better than I was getting with my wirless connection. I live in a 4 unit apartment complex that was built in 1973 so I wasn't expecting it to perform to its full potential.
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>>61429928
You could buy another router and use it as a wireless repeater. If the stock firmware doesn't give you such an option, DD-WRT, Tomato and OpenWRT all allow for a new router to be configured as such. Switching out the firmware is simple enough. Just pay attention while following the documentation. Nobody enjoys recovering a bricked router.
While using your newly-purchased second router, you'll also have the ability to use a virtual wireless network. It'll essentially rebroadcast the signal from your 1st router under a unique SSID. This is handy for a number of different reasons.
Here's a taste of what to expect, should you decide to use dd-WRT: https://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Wlan_Repeater
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>>61429928
Simplicity in setting up, longer range (potentially), and more features like 2x2 or 3x3 MU-MIMO along with not making your current router obsolete /no risk of flashing + redundancy if the access point ever goes down. Instead of having to configure two routers as potentially overlapping SSIDs with the same name if you want roaming, and without having to swap between multiple to increase signal strength at different locations, you will have a more powerful signal with less configuration
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>>61429249
Powerline.
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>>61431126
I'll probably look into an access point then. I'll do a bit more research into good models and I'll even look at power line adapters too since other people suggested it. I'll sleep on it before I decide on anything. Thanks.
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>>61429753
>A nice commercial access point will have better functionality and longevity than most router access points
enterprise access points have zero functionality w/o a controller and might even need a yearly license
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