do they make wifi repeaters for large houses?

Question

Issue: 3 floor concreat walled condo, wifi router / connection on first floor, signal only makes it to the second, but not the third. Is there any piece of hardware (other than a pc I have to leave on all the time) I can put on the second floor that will repeat the signal up to the third?

I've tried the antenna / range extender thing and they didn't work.

Answer 1

Yes they make them. For every repeater you use it will decrease the connection speed by half.

Here are links to two of them.
http://catalog.belkin.com/IWCatProductPage.process?Product_Id=278082
http://www.linksys.com/servlet/Satellite?c=L_Product_C2&childpagename=US%2FLayout&cid=1130267578138&pagename=Linksys%2FCommon%2FVisitorWrapper

If you can move your current router to the second floor...

Answer 2

Dig up an older Linksys WRT54G, any version UNDER v3 or a Linksys WRT54GL. Download DD-WRT. It's 3rd party firmware that enables a lot more options than stock firmware.

Once you've flashed the firmware, boost the transmit power up to about 80%. I don't recommend going any higher for extended periods of time as it can greatly reduce the operating life of the router.

Also put on high gain antennas. This combination will greatly increase your range and signal strength and should enable you to pick up a signal on the third floor. (I personally have my entire house, 4 floors, basement through attic and a good bit of outdoor space lit up by a single WRT54G, with high gain antennas, running DD-WRT.

You could also hardwire another access point on the third floor. Although I don't fully recommend it you can run cable through your heat/AC registers. Just fish a line through and connect it into your router on the first floor.

Your other option would be a powerline system, similar to this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833181023
One end plugged into a jack by your router, the other by where you want the connection. You could also than wire it into an access point. Netgear also makes a very decent line of powerline equipment, so make sure you take a look at their prices if you decide to go that route.

Answer 3

You can get a repeater or another access point as mentioned already.
Another suggestion is antenna placement and use of a reflector which can increase range by bouncing the signal in one direction.
I would think your antenna should be in a horizontal position rather than vertical in this case.
Check out: http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/index.html

Since you are probably going through several inches of concrete (you stated that the walls are concrete, so I would assume concrete floors as well) this may not help. Yet another possibility is placing the antenna near or out a window allowing the signal to bounce outside and in through the upper floor windows, which may be difficult or impossible if the antennas are hard-wired rather than removable.

Answer 4

I would recommend an Access Point rather than a repeater.

If that doesn't work, then you can always go for a powerline system. This is risky though for a large house because you may not get a very strong connection. I would recommend the Netgear 200Mbps system. Plug the receiver near your router, then the receiver on your 3rd floor.

Answer 5

Jump on ebay or tigerdirect.com and search for ranger boosters there are some that plug into the wall works great did the same in my house you should get a linksys router with range extenders the 9 dBi they made it to my 4th floor used those wall plugs and made it to the 5th flood it covers my whole house now.

Answer 6

Yes, yes they do. You can go to your local computer store and ask an assistant to tell you where they are. Most add about 100 yards to the wireless range or more.

Answer 7

Repeater with high power.