TP Extenders, nothing but issues

[anonymous-user]

[redacted]

[buggalugs]

They can fail after a few years. Are they the 2 plug kit where it goes router - powerline - wifi or just stand alone wifi repeaters?

[sgrimshaw]

Try downloading a wifi analysis app for your phone/tablet, see what other SSIDs are around, especially on same channels as yours.

Maybe a neighbour has recently changed their channel.

Do you have anything new, electrically speaking, in the house?

New fridge freezer for example?

[nebpor]

They're never the most reliable things, I struggled with them in the past (IT security pro) - they randomly stopped and needed rebooting, which is a pain. I just put in mesh wifi and it's solved the problem, with one TP left so I can get wifi in the external garage when needed

Having said that, the latest powerline adaptors meant to be a bit better

[Road2Ruin]

Never had a single problem with the Devolo ones I had in six years. As they rely on the power lines in the house, could there be an issue with those? Maybe an earth leakage or a short somewhere that is causing the signal to be unstable. Powerline adapters work fine....with good powerlines;)

[dundarach]

I binned my TP link nothing except trouble.

Bought two cheap joowin things on amazon, rock solid.

This jobby £27 https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B09MCSFDKD/ref=sspa_dk...

Turn off DHCP as it's on by default, two running seamlessly now, one in the shed.

[wombleh]

We had issues with our powerline kit when there was an issue with the electric supply itself, in our case I think combination of dodgy heating element in the oven along with some issues in the distribution board. Had any electrical faults recently?

Apparently can get at the wifi settings via this process: https://www.tp-link.com/uk/support/faq/1267/

[Bikerjon]

Be realistic about powerline products. They are a very cheap and easy solution which can, in some situations work quite well yet in other properties they simply will never work reliably at all. Usually it's just the age of the wiring.

Just get a mesh system - times have moved on.

[nebpor]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

You need to connect to the powerline adaptors and configure them - TP-LINK have Apps on the app store to do it, or you can login via a browser when connected to that network, but you'll need to know the address of the device so you can login to it. Not easy if you're not comfortable with any of this

App is easiest. Download, be connected to the WIFI (even if no Internet) and then run it and it should discover the TP-LINK devices https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com....

[sparkyhx]

get Mesh

[Captain_Morgan]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

None at all, though we might if you told us the make and model of your “main router”

[sgrimshaw]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes, Google "how to change channels on xxxx router"

Replace "xxxx" with the make and model of your router.

[sgrimshaw]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

If you have powerline already I would dump the extenders and add a couple of powerline wifi access points if you don't want to go to a mesh solution.

Extenders, aka repeaters, basically can only give you half the speed off the source wifi.

Something like the TP-Link AV600's would allow you to have full speed wifi using your existing powerline network.

Two pack on Amazon are less than £40:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01LXOZ4EN/ref=twister...

Higher spec devices are available from TP-Link and other suppliers .. personally, I use the AV1300s, but they are significantly more expensive.

As others have said though, the Mesh stuff is really good. I also have a Mesh network and it's been 100% faultless for the past 15 mths ... it's considerably cheaper now than when I bought it :

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01NBMMVG7/ref...

I went for the BT solution as it doesn't insist on taking over all wifi routing duties, it plays happily with other wifi, powerline and wired connections.

Edited by sgrimshaw on Wednesday 15th December 16:43

[Johnnytheboy]

Same question.

[sparkyhx]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

depends
- some replace your modem/router altogether - you then have to know the login credentials for your ISP . These are simple in theory but tend to have more complex abilities, so can be expensive overkill and can get complex if you want to.

- some replace the router part of your modem/router (routers are generally a misnomer - they are actually Joint Modem and Router, but are just referred to as a router)' modem/Router needs to be placed in bridge mode (modem only) otherwise you will get network address contention. The mesh then handles the router tasks and the wifi - not all Modem/routers can be put into Modem only mode. (mine couldnt so I went for the next option. the mesh first node will connect to your existing modem/router via ethernet cable.

- some just replace your wifi - the first node of the mesh needs to be connected to your router via ethernet cable - however the modem/router needs its wifi switching off to stop signal contention usually pretty easy. These are probably the simplest.(e.g. BT 'disks' ones)

Most of them are pretty simple to set up the mesh/wifi bit, they connect the same, you only have one network and can roam the house with no loss.
the trickyness, if there is any is in the modem/router options.s in the. Most of these come with videos and apps to help.

[sgrimshaw]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

The bt one is an absolute doddle.

First unit connects to the router with an ethernet cable, the others connect to the first (or second) units wirelessly (in it's simplest config).

Most of it is done using an app.

https://www.bt.com/help/user-guides/bt-whole-home-...

ETA - I didn't turn off WiFi on my router, hasn't been an issue.

Edited by sgrimshaw on Thursday 16th December 07:31

[SunsetZed]

You mentioned that you were on Sky, they offer a broadband guarantee that it will be available in all rooms so if it's not can't you speak to them and get their own boosters for free and see if they are any good?

[Lucas Ayde]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Setup process for BT Whole Home Mini:
Plug first disc in to your hub via ethernet cable.
Install app on phone, log in with p/w printed on a sticker on the disc.
Plug second disc into wall power socket when prompted to by app.
Plug third disc in when prompted.
Turn off internal wifi on your hub (optional but recommended).
Also optional - give the new mesh network the same SSID and password as the old hub wifi (that you turned off) - saves you having to reconfigure all your wireless devices with the new network details.

[sgrimshaw]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Honestly, setup is extemely easy with the BT one's, can't speak for the others.

[sgrimshaw]

anonymous said:

[redacted]

Yes to both.

Would advise the Whole home I linked to, not the Mini. Mini's are OK, but potential max speed is less than half that of the full size:

"The full-sized units are rated for connection speeds of up to 800Mbits/sec on the legacy 2.4GHz band and 1,733MBits/sec over 5GHz connections, while the Mini claims only 300Mbits/sec and 866Mbits/sec respectively."

One thing to be aware of with keeping the same SSID, if your password currently is an 8 character one, you will need to change it, so all your devices will need to have the new password entered.

This is one reason I initially kept Wifi switched on the router and created a new SSID for the Mesh, also I wasn't 100% convinced by the mesh concept so I wanted to be able to test speeds etc.