WiFi Extender Review from David Pogue

This article isn't a general discussion of wifi extenders, it is a "puff piece" about one particular brand whose claim to fame seems to be that it is physically attractive and has a touch screen. Since neither the article nor Amazon's listing provide any real technical details, such as output power or antenna gain, it is difficult to evaluate its performance relative to other products in the marketplace, but the CNET review of the product was no better than average and CNET is a reasonably reliable source. CNET review

IMHO RVers looking for range extenders are often looking for versatile devices that can switch between wifi and cellular internet connections. Such products are marketed by WiFiRanger, Cradlepoint, and a few others. The device discussed in this article probably is fine if all you want to do is make sure the wifi in the living room gets to the bedroom, but if you are trying to connect to a wifi access point on the other side of a campground you're going to need a bit more than this. The good news is that you don't really have to pay more than the cost of this one which commands a premium price because it is "pretty" and has a touch-screen.

My BFF is in a park and was in need of boosting a signal. I called an outfit that I have dealt with in the past and explained the situation, they suggested a device that would meet her need for about $70.00. Checked the reviews, looked good. I don't work for the outfit I ordered from or the manufacturer of the device. PM for more.

Even better, here's one that really works for only $50: Bear Extender. This web page happens to cite all the technical details you need to evaluate it.

naturist wrote:
Even better, here's one that really works for only $50: Bear Extender. This web page happens to cite all the technical details you need to evaluate it.

Not really the same thing. The wifi "extenders" being discussed in this thread are meant to receive the wifi signal from another router, then retransmit it to be able to extend the range of the router to clients that are too far away to receive the signal from the original. The device you linked to provides longer range for a single client but every device you wanted to connect to the original router would need one of these. Ok, if you only need to extend the range for a single device but not practical if you want/need to extend the range of multiple devices.

Dolph wrote:
My BFF is in a park and was in need of boosting a signal. I called an outfit that I have dealt with in the past and explained the situation, they suggested a device that would meet her need for about $70.00. Checked the reviews, looked good. I don't work for the outfit I ordered from or the manufacturer of the device. PM for more.

If you have no fiduciary connection, why not post it in the open so everyone can research and learn from your experience? You are only providing information based on your experience, not selling something.

The Secure Almond apparently started out as a Kickstart project, and looks impressive in that it appears very user friendly to setup as a WiFi repeater using the touchscreen. Solves the setup complexity issue with most other repeaters. Here is one YouTube video as an example. It's also priced in line with other similar WiFi repeaters in its class, though I would have preferred if they included 4-built in LAN ports standard.

What looks even more impressive is their new Almond+, though not yet available. It appears to offer additional features such as home automation controls, has mobile app capability, and can use a 3G/4G mobile data connection through USB. Note that some mobile hotspot devices allow you to also tether via USB. Not just wireless. Nonetheless, interesting for $99.?

I personally use recycled WiFi-N/G routers I picked up from $4.-6. at local thrift stores, and upgrade the firmware for use as WiFi range extenders(repeaters), and also as bridged clients(WiFi adapters) for my desktops. This allows using devices such as MagicJack+ or Network HD drives that require an Ethernet net connection, which is not available with my 4G Mobile hotspot device. The disadvantage is that they need to be manually configured, which can be intimidating to some.

Hi:
I've been thinking this range extender issue through, or maybe overthinking it through :h I'd appreciate comments if that is not hijacking the thread too much.

I decided to a highly directional antenna, the places I need this are are marginal enough an omnidirectional is just not going to be enough gain. I see kits to do this that meet my needs, except but all seem to leave me with the problem that they go to a USB plug, so that is fine for the one computer but what about the DW's computer and the phone(s)?
We dry camp for weeks from time so with an adhoc network as that means leaving one on all the time so I see that as an uncomfortable solution for the battery.
Is there anything out there that puts a highly directional antenna onto a WI-FI repeater style setup? Failing that has anyone tried changing the antennas on an existing repeater product themselves, the connectors seem to be standardized enough it *should* work but I would feel more comfortable if someone had already tried it before putting out the $300+ it is going to cost when all is said and done for repeaters and antennas.
Comments?

Cheap and easy, I have two they work well. You can add an external antenna to it witch really make is long range. I have done this.

http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036H-Upgraded-Wireless-Long-Rang/dp/B000QYGNKQ/ref=sr_1_42?ie=UTF8&qid=1389632344&sr=8-42&keywords=wifi+extender