It is possible to get greater speed anywhere in the house and fewer interruptions in your internet connection without spending money on a repeater. Surely you have a device stored at home, unused for a long time, that can perform the same function. Your technological Diogenes syndrome finally has a justification: old devices, which you haven’t used in years, are ready to return to the playing field. This time, with the aim of expanding Wi-Fi coverage at home.
The contracted fiber speed will have a lot to do with the stability of the connection in different places in the home. However, these tricks will help make using your mobile phone, PC and any other connected device much more comfortable at a certain distance from the router. With any of these three unused objects you can build your own home repeater, without having to buy any type of wireless device, Mesh system or PLC.
An old router
In recent years, these devices have evolved into increasingly sophisticated versions. It is likely that your company has been replacing the older ones with more modern options, that you have changed operators and therefore replaced the previous device, or perhaps you have bought a better one and have kept your company’s one in a drawer.
Whatever the case, it is easy that somewhere in your house there is an old router that you do not use, and it is time to give it a second life. Using it as a repeater will allow you to provide coverage to areas where, due to distance in meters or the type of construction of the building, the signal is very weak.
This option requires a configuration process and that the device meets compatibility requirements, of course. In order to make much better use of it, the ideal is that the unused device has a good maximum speed and, preferably, is dual band. If we also had the ability to make the cable connection with the main router, we would complete the requirements. However, we understand that this last option is complex when the objective is to improve the connection from remote points.
A good password and updating the firmware will, on the other hand, free us from interference from users outside the home, which can cause exactly the opposite effect to the desired one: they will slow down the connection. Do not rule out this option for fear that configuration will be a complex process, because following the steps is something within everyone’s reach, even if advanced technical training is not available.
As a summary, it would be a matter of modifying the DHCP range on the main router to have a free IP address, which would be used by the secondary router. Then it would be necessary to modify the LAN IP address of the support router, so that it would be reachable through the home local network. A recommendation to take into account is the need to deactivate the DHCP server of the second device, since the coexistence of both servers on the same network could cause problems.
Once this is over, it will be time to connect, either through an Ethernet network cable or through the WiFi network. Performance will always be much better via cable, although in many cases convenience will make us opt for the wireless option.
An old mobile
The advantage of choosing a smartphone that you no longer use as a repeater is that, since you can insert a SIM card into it, you will not even depend on the distance at which it is located from the router. The device will be able to share the signal, especially with connected devices that do not require a powerful Wi-Fi connection, such as a smart TV.
If you have an adapter, this use can be even more effective and stable using an Ethernet cable, and will allow you to support a greater variety of devices, including those that use more data or require higher speed.
It is also an interesting option for those homes where you do not want to pay for Internet, but where you would like to have surveillance devices or other home automation devices installed, which do not require intensive data usage.
Can an old tablet work for me?
Depending on how old it is, its use as a repeater will be more or less effective than that of a mobile phone. First, because many models do not have the option to insert a Sim card, and second because in general the Wi-Fi adapter will be less efficient than that of a phone. Generally, new smartphones have Wi-Fi 6 and even dual-band connectivity (2.4GHz and 5GHz), however, older tablets could only support Wi-Fi 4 (in the 2.4GHz band), so we will lose a lot of speed. along the way, and we could experience interference with other connected devices.
If you have the option, it is better to use a mobile phone that is a little more recent, rather than a tablet. Although the latter will provide you with greater autonomy without having to connect it to a charger, yes.
A computer that you don’t use
Something less comfortable, but sometimes very useful, is the use of an old computer as a repeater. It will be a good option to consider if you have a suitable network card; and much worse if your card is integrated into the motherboard. It is about receiving the signal as best as possible to share the signal with other devices. Of course, if you connect it via network cable, you will get better speed and avoid problems.
If something as large as a laptop or desktop computer is an uncomfortable option for you, but you have a Mini PC that you don’t use, of course, you can use it to improve the connection at home. Preferably, it should be dual band, have Gigabit Ethernet ports and, ultimately, represent a good option in terms of coverage and speed.
In the event that you do not have any of these underused devices at home, or you simply do not want to have old objects around, you can always opt for purchasing a WiFi repeater. A model that we recommend is the AVM FRITZ!Repeater 1200 AX, a simultaneous dual-band repeater with Wi-Fi 6 that will allow us to have Wi-Fi Mesh if you use a router from the manufacturer AVM. This repeater can work both in Wi-Fi access point mode, connecting the repeater to the router via network cable, and also in repeater mode using both frequency bands (2.4GHz and 5Ghz) simultaneously.
