Project: Optimizing Wi-Fi For a Residence.

 A 5-year old house is not quite optimized for ideal wireless setup. Let's help them.

*Not an accurate representation to maintain security.

Issue: The Wi-Fi router from Verizon is in the back of the house. Around 70% of the house can receive the signal, but not the office in the very front.

Equipment:

Netgear router (not extender)
Netgear extender.
Home router from Verizon
Cable boxes
Other things that use Wi-Fi.







🌟 There are ports for coax cables in every non bathroom, closet, pantry, or kitchen room. There is also not one in the designated office. The family is not interested in changing the office to one of the rooms.

🌟 Most of the coax cables are already in use by cable boxes. The one free one is being used by the Home Router from Verizon. That is placed at the back of the house, and the office is in the front.


🌟 There is an extender in place, and it is a little patchy. It fits in discreetly with the decor and has two antennas.

🌟 The Verizon box is in a bedroom, and it's a bit distracting when someone is trying to sleep. There is also other equipment needed to be directly connected via an Ethernet cable.

Possible solutions:

🤔 Make the Netgear router into an extender and place it within the kitchen for better coverage.
❌ Microwave interference.
❌ Not discreet.
❌ It would be pointing toward a zone with no devices.

🤔Connect the Verizon box to the splitter that works with the main cable box in the living room.
❌ Not easily accessible - There's heavy furniture - For troubleshooting equipment.
❌ Other equipment may not be able to be attached.
✅ Could possibly eschew extender.

🤔 Make Netgear router into an extender and connect via splitter in main cable box.
✅ Verizon equipment and others left as is, where is easily accessible.
❌ Still distracting.
✅ Extender wouldn't need to be restarted often.


🙋🏿‍♀️ Implemented Solution:

Netgear router made into extender by entering settings and putting it into repeater mode. Placed in awkward spot connected to cable splitter to main cable box.

📝Notes: 

Could also put a power strip behind the television and move the Verizon equipment there, but I'd prefer decent air flow. That may make it too crowded with the additional equipment that needs to be connected via Ethernet.


How to do this in your home:

•  Consider how big your home is and where interference can happen - Microwaves, certain materials in your walls, and of course, distance.
• Remember that you can use a laptop docking station with an ethernet port. Use a Cat5 Cable to connect from that port on the dock to one of the LAN ports on your router, if you must have a steady connection.
•  Make sure your Wi-Fi channels do not overlap with others in your neighborhood. Most people are probably using channels 1, 6, and 11, as they do not overlap, but if 4 people are using channel 6, there's going to be some interference.

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