Quote:
Originally Posted by Resurrection
Simple Q, from my understanding a wireless repeater picks up a wireless signal and repeats it to strengthen coverage. An access point is a router that you plug in by way of cat cable to the main router itself that then repeats that signal.
So my understanding is that... a repeater can degrade wireless speed, but an access point is a pretty good way to increase coverage with a lot less detriment to the signal.
Am I right on this so far, and, if so, what do people use as access points? Old routers? Stuff @ memory express?
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You're right with this. Repeaters can cause more interference in the long run and are only good if the signal strength received from your router probably > 50% where they are set up. Also they will be limited to the wireless speed available at the repeater. APs on the other hand give you flexibility as the connection is wired and some of the smarter ones will steer your client devices to use the correct AP thus always ensuring you have the best signal strength and connectivity on your mobile device.
You could have the best signal from the repeater and still have crappy internet speeds because your repeater is in a bad location or is bandwidth limited due to poor signal from the router. APs are a better choice. Downside to all this is you need a wired connection for an AP and they tend to cost way more to set up multiple ones. You can use some old routers as APs to save money. If money is not a problem I'd recommend something like a pro setup with multiple Ubiquiti APs.