Range extender limitations?

[camardelle]

I’ve got a first gen and a second gen express hanging on my extreme. One inside the house and another in one of my shops. I just built another shop and I can access the WiFi signal...ok, not great there. I’d like to pick up another express and extend the signal from the base unit out to the second shop.

Is it possible to “overload” the base unit? Empty nester here so other than me there’s not a lot of activity.

Your thoughts?

 

[Fishrrman]

I think you ought to spend some time investigating the new "mesh" systems.

I'd suggest
- Linksys Velop
- Netgear Orbi
- Ubiquiti "Amplifi"

 

[camardelle]

Thank you for your response.

Does anyone know if I can hang another express onto my extreme?

 

[adam9c1]

Are you connecting the express with Ethernet cable or extending via Wi-Fi? If via Wi-Fi you are cutting your speed by 40 % already via each extender.

 

[camardelle]

Yes by wifi. It's just in the shop. In between powder coating a cup or turning something on my wood lathe I might check my mail, Facebook or post some marketing pic on Instagram. Degrading the signal isn't an issue really. I'd just like a stronger signal in the second shop.

Just playing around out there. No rocket surgery or anything in our national interests happening.

 

[camardelle]

Plus I'm usually home alone during the day. There's no one else on the network.

 

[waw74]

as adam said, wireless repeating will cut your speeds, as the repeater is having to "talk in both directions" at the same time.

you can "main base --> repeater --> repeater" but depending on your conditions you might see a slowdown.
The middle repeater will be only as good as the signal it's getting from the main base.

the mesh devices get around this by adding an additional radio to handle the traffic back to the main router.

if you can run hardwire ethernet to your repeaters, that's a pretty good option, as they can use 100% of their radio to talk to your devices.
running ethernet from the airport in barn #1 to an airport in barn #2 would also work.

another option is powerline networking. which use your home power lines as the connection back to the main base.
you would run a cable to a box plugged into an outlet by your main router, then at the remote end, you just plug in a box that hangs at the outlet, and has the wi-fi built in.
although depending on how your out-buildings are wired, this may or may not work.

 

[Costino1]

Interesting. I have 3 airports and do not see the speed limitations as you stated.

 

[waw74]

Interesting. I have 3 airports and do not see the speed limitations as you stated.

you're using wireless extension? (no ethernet cable back)

how are you testing speeds?
there's a chance that the "slowed down" speed of the repeaters is still faster than your internet connection, so speedtest will not work

you need to use something like iperf to check speeds of your network, it will send stuff between 2 computers on your network. (blackmagic disk speed test can also give a decent readout and is a little more user friendly, but can be thrown off by disk speeds on the far end, its in the mac app store)

are you really connected to a repeater and not the main base?
alt-click the wifi icon in your mac's menu bar, and check the mac address, the BSSID will match the mac address of the airport you're connected to
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT202640