Recommend a wireless access point or similar, wifi issues?

[dugimodo]

I have a few minor network issues that happen just often enough to be irritating but just infrequently enough for me to have just put up with them so far.

I'm thinking adding a couple of access points might sort it out and wondering if anyone can offer a good plug and play option I can just connect back to my router with minimal setup.
I'd also appreciate any tips to make my setup simpler or more reliable.


So what I have is this:

ONT ---> Huawei Router ---> 8 port switch ----> Dlink Powerline adapters ---> TPlink VDSL router reconfigured to be an access point in the shed.

It used to be that I mainly used cables and not much WiFi, but over the years more and more wifi devices have been added - laptop, phone, tablets, security cams, video doorbell, garage door opener, etc and maybe I'm wrong but I think overloading the wifi is responsible for occasionally losing all internet until I reset the router which used to be rock solid.

So these are my issues:

1. Occasionally I lose internet but the fibre link is still up, resetting the router fixes it. This happens only once in many months normally
2. Access to the internet gets dog slow and pages time out, resetting the TPLink router in the shed fixes it despite it only being an access point with a single device connected most of the time (Wifi garage door switch I control with Alexa)
3. Running a powerline adapter from the lounge is a bit ugly but the only other option is to do some digging and run a cable, or get a really grunty wifi signal that can pierce the skyline garage

I was hoping getting rid of the router in the shed and replacing it with an access point might fix issue 2. I was wondering if taking some or all of the wifi load off the main router would fix issue 1.

[1101]

"2. Access to the internet gets dog slow and pages time out, resetting the TPLink router in the shed fixes it"
Replace it then. Using a router for an AP is asking for issues .

"or get a really grunty wifi signal that can pierce the skyline garage"
Adding "more power" to the wifi often wont fix anything .
Many routers & Access points run at similar power levels anyway . Theres a legal & practical limit to wifi power output
You could setup a wifi link between garage & house with 2 outdoor AP's (last resort sort of thing)

You could replace the Dlink powerline with Powerline kits that have built in wifi (eg TPlink)

You might be having issues with the powerline dropping the link ? Powerline kits are an option of last resort , but sometimes still the only option if you cant run cable


questions
"1. Occasionally I lose internet but the fibre link is still up, resetting the router fixes it"
What router, you have 2 of them . Get rid of that 2nd router and replace it with a Proper Wifi Access point (or a Powerline kit with built in wifi)

Loosing internet : do you still have internet if connected via ethernet cable or loosing internet via wifi ?
If the 1st router needs reseting, replace it , assuming its NOT a wifi issue .

"3. Running a powerline adapter from the lounge is a bit ugly but the only other option is to do some digging and run a cable"
How is a powerline adaptor ugly. Its a small box plugged into the wall .
You can get multiple powerline units to add to what you have (depends on brand & model)

[wainuitech]

You can get wireless EOP devices as 1101 Suggested ( cleaner/best option) You can also run ethernet Off them if you want.

I'm doing the same thing for a customer as soon as stock comes back into the country, they have a "Man Cave" thats basically the Garage, but no way to get ethernet to it, so having to use a EOP with a Wireless option.

Other wise you possibly could connect a actual Access point to the EOP, never tried this on a EOP, but I have have a POE access point, one of these ceiling mounted in the lounge via ethernet, https://www.tp-link.com/en/business-...unt-ap/eap115/ Apart from the damn thing being covered in fly gunk you wouldn't even know it was there, yet gives 100% signal.

[dugimodo]

3. is not particularly important, could take a photo so you see what I mean but let's just not worry about that one

1. The main router that's being a router, not the other one that's being an access point.
Thing is here I just feel like it started happening after adding some wifi cameras but it's not like I logged everything to know for sure.

Your suggestions around replacing the TPlink are pretty much what I was thinking, I was just looking for other opinions. It got used that way just because I had it and it does have good wifi speed and coverage. Was a left over from when I went to fibre.

Thinking about this I'm considering getting a wifi access point (suggestions as to which one?) and trialling it in the house as a test for the first issue, and using it ultimately in the shed as a fix for the 2nd issue. It should fix the shed problems but I'm curious about whether it would fix the other issue as well.

It's been my experience in the past with ISP provided routers that if you take some of the work off them they can sometimes be a lot more stable so I was wondering if I took some of the wifi load off the main router it might solve the issue.
I am not opposed to replacing the router with a better all in one solution if somebody can recommend one, needs the Vlan tagging option for spark fibre.

[wainuitech]

The trouble with using a better Router with Stronger Wireless is it still my not work as good, depending on what the signals have to go through ( walls, insulation, if the garage is metal Construction etc) AND most that are a lot more powerful also come with a big price tag.

Have a look at the Access point I linked above, I know it works from Ethernet, so no other power sockets required where its placed, only one at the router end (to power the PoE injector) unless the Switch /Router has PoE ports.

[chiefnz]

I would try to find a way to ditch the powerline adapter... they don't offer the best speeds (despite being Gb rated) and are very reliant on how "clean your mains power supply is as well as how well/efficient your circuits are run throughout the house).

How far is the shed from the house? Have you considered having an AP placed as close as possible to the shed which broadcasts a Wi-Fi signal?

Also do you have any options around running an ethernet cable to the shed?

[dugimodo]

I use the powerline adapter to avoid digging a trench to the shed. It's about 6.5M and there's a concrete path I'd neeed to go under. Been considering running a cable for years but just didn't want to.
There is also the issue about what to do with the house end of the cable, my house construction doesn't lend itself to making that easy other than maybe having an ethernet cable just sticking up out of the floor.

It's a skyline garage and is pretty effective at blocking radio. With the door closed I can just barely connect with my phone and not reliably.

Here's the silly bit, although having wifi in the shed is occasionally useful the main reason for it is to enable the wifi garage door switch I got because the remotes also have trouble penetrating the garage. By using a powerline adapter and the little switch I now have a garage door opener that's better than 99% relaible as opposed to the proper remote which is less that 50% reliable (getting out of the car in the rain and walking around the side of the shed to point it through the window is rather annoying). If I'm going to start spending hundreds of dollars to fix it then another way to go is to get a better garage door opener or some kind of replacment remotes for it.

[1101]

Recommended routers
https://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.as...topicid=197871
I like the Drayteks .

You really need to pin down exactly whats causing the issues before spending $ and possibly not solving anything
Whats the wifi signal strength were it needs to be used ? 2.4G or 5.8G ?
other devices using 2.4/5.8 (RC gear, fpv, security cams, cordless phones , video senders, wireless garage door openers )
Try changing the wifi channel
switch to 2.4Ghz if 5.8 signal is too low or cutting out .
Neighbours blasting with illegal power levels ?
devices that flood the wifi spectrum when turned on ? ( knocking everything else off)

"Thing is here I just feel like it started happening after adding some wifi cameras"
turn them off & see if that fixes the issue .

Finally , sometimes you just need to accept that wifi is flakey at some sites .
Some homes/buildings the wifi just cant reliably get through the walls & floors (that what my small house is like)

It also may just be a flakey main router, unfortunately you wont know until its replaced.

[dugimodo]

I don't want to turn the cameras off largely because it would need to go for weeks without an issue for me to even start to feel like it was solved, and then I'd turn them back on and it might happen again and I still wouldn't know for sure it was the cameras. The internet dropping can happen twice in a week, or not for a couple months. Too random to easily pin down.

There is no issue with wifi coverage other than in the shed which is what the router is doing in there pretending to be an access point. My wifi is actually really good overall and is not the problem. I only mention it as a possible cause that might be causing the router to lock up and need a reset.

Just to repeat, there is no issue with flakey wifi. The only two issues are the occasional loss of all internet connection requiring a router reset, and the more frequent network slowdowns caused by something to do with the shed.

Another thing. resetting the shed router to fix the network issues is my normal fix, but sometimes I've had success just pulling out the ethernet cable feeding the powerline adapter and reinserting it or just turning the power point off and back on again. All 3 can fix the problem, the reset is just the most consistent and easiest method as I can do it from my PC when I discover the issue.

All of this has me looking for an external receiver for a garage door opener lol, fix the issue by removing it completely. It is pretty convenient to just ask alexa to open the garage though.

[piroska]

My brother used to have wifi issues, he tried all this boosting stuff. In the end I told him to move the modem from the end bedroom to the middle of house. It worked.
The only device that didn't benefit as much is a very old laptop, so I ran a cable for it.