Seeking a hood setup to connect a desktop when it's far from the router.
Seeking a hood setup to connect a desktop when it's far from the router.
Hello, my home is a two-story house in Ireland with solid WiFi and fibre connections. The main issue is the router’s location—it sits directly across from my computer on the bottom floor, while the PC is diagonally opposite upstairs. I’ve tried various fixes like powerline, AP setups, using old routers as APs, and multiple extenders, but my speed remains far below expectations. Running Ethernet isn’t feasible either due to ownership concerns. Any suggestions? Should I get a new WiFi adapter or consider a mesh network setup? A booster with an Ethernet port could help cover more rooms, or maybe replacing the existing router with a fresh one while keeping the old as an AP? I’m stuck on the best approach for this unique setup.
Putting the access point around the center of the home works well unless you opt for a mesh system with wired backhaul. In that scenario, place them more evenly—like one on the ground floor west side and another upstairs east side. If running cables isn’t possible, Gigabit Ethernet performs adequately up to 100 meters over Cat5e or better.
I recommend opting for a high-gain directional antenna. When I use the term high-gain, I truly mean it. Most Wi-Fi antennas are omnidirectional, broadcasting signals in all directions like a vinyl record around a 360° circle. This isn’t very efficient—your signal stays mostly behind you, on the left and right sides of your antenna. It’s a fixed location, radiating from one spot. Since you know exactly where your Wi-Fi access point is, there’s no need for a client-side antenna that sends signals in every possible direction. Instead, consider a high-gain antenna with over 20 dBi. You can pair it with a Wi-Fi USB adapter featuring a male connector or a PCI card. Intel wireless devices are excellent choices—they support open-source solutions and have done so for many years. If you move to Linux, it will work perfectly. Realtek is less ideal, particularly in access point mode. That’s what Windows calls a mobile hotspot for Wi-Fi. Not every Intel Wi-Fi model supports access point functionality, so do your research first. Purchase an antenna cable if you need to extend the placement, especially for PCI cards or USB devices. For optimal performance, aim your Wi-Fi signal precisely toward the access point within a 20° radius. This solves the issue. If your access point is in a corner with walls behind it, a directional antenna can be ideal too. For the access point itself, keep the gain around 5 dBi or less—don’t confuse high-gain omni-directional with directional design, as that’s misleading. This narrows the coverage to about 60° or less from the antenna center. Think of a pie: half the circle is 180°. From the center, you can form a square on either side and a V-shaped cutout for focused output. If you picture the edges of a sheet, they stretch far beyond the usual 360°, concentrating most power in one direction. In theory, a full 360° antenna could reach up to 100 meters; a 90° 4 dBi directional might cover 300–350 meters, and a 60° 9 dBi could reach 500–575 meters or more. A 25 dBi directional with less than 30° gain can extend to 50°, while a 60° 20 dBi antenna may cover 500–600 meters or more. You’re looking for something narrower—ideally 25 dBi or higher. If you need precise coverage, aim for at least 20 dBi. This will significantly reduce the signal spread. For desktop PCs, a 6 dBi antenna is sufficient to cover a room if placed correctly. You can draw a square from paper, mark one corner toward your desired Wi-Fi spot, and visualize the coverage area. It helps to picture how far the signal extends. Lastly, 2.4 GHz penetrates walls better than 5 GHz, and while speeds may drop nearer, it consistently delivers stronger reach. It always reaches you more reliably, making it the best choice for extending range where needed.