would a wi-fi range extender help, or just get an ethernet cable


Mr-Slippy-Fist's avatar
i've been having some pretty significant internet problems recently, where the router/modem is it really degrades the internet speed in the nether reaches of the house. like i'll be in my room on the laptop and youtube will stop to load every six seconds and it takes about 30 seconds to load a webpage, but it says i have full bars, i wanted to get some opinions before rushing to buy an $80 range extender only to find out that it wont help. ideas?
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OrangeStripeyLlama's avatar
You could try a dongle if your laptop has a bad receiver. Or - and this may sound stupid - you can make a dish out of tin foil and put it under your router's antenna. It actually helps if reception is the problem and it looks stupid but is cheaper than an extender.
But it sounds sort of like the problem is with your line/provider if your computer has full reception but is slow. You could be competing for traffic, particularly if you use it a lot. Some problems can be sorted out by changing the frequency it is operating on to one that everyone else nearby isn't operating on, and your other devices. What companies also do is if your router keeps turning on and off, they basically switch you to a slower connection - I think it's to do with trafficking again. There could be a problem with your router that causes it to cut out periodically, or if you turn it off and on a lot. You probably need to call your provider to see if that's the problem or what they are doing with traffic.
I think that's what we did to sort ours out, but Greenbee was useless and it took ages to deal with them.
PoultryChamp's avatar
Most modern wireless routers can extend very far away. I can still find signal in my car a block away from my house and I have no range extenders.

You should test your speed right next to your router, and then test it with an Ethernet cable. Confirm that it isn't your laptop or another problem.

Before running out and getting an expensive part, I would suggest contacting your internet provider. They want your internet to work so you keep paying them money. They might replace the router with a more powerful one for free.
blue2x's avatar
Have you tried youtube/ or any site and surf near the router ? Try to do this.

Very close to router > 10 meters away > 20  meters and so on. Check the ping as well. Are there any electronics that could interfere? Have you tried moving the router close to your room? Did it have a better result?

Try changing the DNS to 8.8.8.8 , or that site that chooses the best DNS for your ISP , forgot the name but you can look it up
pyrohmstr's avatar
I got one of those range extenders for my house and it for sure improved the wifi.

On the other hand, if Ethernet is an option it'll be a lot faster...