re: what is a good wifi extender?

quote:

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A good friend of mine is able to pick up wireless from a nearby business but the signal strength is really low. He knows the owner and has the SSID passcode. Is it possible to buy an access point for his place and connect it to the neighboring network so that he can connect in his home?

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An access point requires a hardwired connection the the origin network.

And in this case an extender in his own home probably won't help, because you want an extender close to the 50% signal range.

A note of interest, everyone knows that the further you get from a wireless network, the lower the signal strength, but what many don't know is that it lowers the bandwidth too. Let's say a wireless network is pushing out 300Mbps, the closer you are the more bandwidth you'll get, the further away, the less. So 100ft away you might be getting a low signal and can connect, but the speed might be 1Mbps.

I think IlikeLSUtoo has a write-up on a bi-quad dish antennae he built. Do a search. That could allow your friend to increase the signal strength he's getting.