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Home Networking How To Extend Your Wireless Range / Boost Neighbors WiFi Signal

April 17, 2018 March 3, 2018

How To Extend Your Wireless Range / Boost Neighbors WiFi Signal

Easy How To Guide – Extend Your Wireless Range

In today’s modern apartment living society, a lot of people have issues with their wireless range due to walls, interference and other obstacles in the house. Even those with large houses have issues with getting WiFi coverage across all floors of the house or outside on the porch, where it’s wanted most. But with this guide, I’ll show you what is required to extend the range of your wireless network outside, upstairs, in the basement or from your how to boost from your neighbor.

Boosting WiFi Signal From Neighbor Or Extending To Guest House

These two extender options are for sending a wireless signal a far distance, such as across the street from the neighbors house. They rely on line of sight and really can cast a signal the furthest. If your neighbor can see your house from their window, they would use this to hook up and point at your house to extend the internet.

(1) Booster Antenna – Best Solution
The easiest and cheapest way for you to extend your neighbors wireless outside or across the street long range is to have them attach this antenna to their router and point it at your house. This will send a much stronger signal in your direction. It is the standard way, a directional antenna with more power in a line of sight.

(2) Stronger Wireless Receiver – Alternative Answer
If you do NOT have access to the neighbors router, you can use a better antenna for your computer to pick up the signal. This should work but the better option is to send a stronger signal if you can. Both of these options together will be the strongest. Cheaper knock off.

Best Home Wireless Extender Options

These options are for those who do not have a direct line of site. Say they are a floor above you or next door through some walls or who knows. These options are for a stronger wireless network in your own home or through walls of a neighbor. Check them out and see which option is best for your home network.

boost neighbors internet device

  • (3) Best Wireless Router – Most Common
    This is your best option if you are in control of the incoming internet connection. It is highly likely that you have an old Wireless N router so you need Wireless AC to get better speeds. To check your router, find the model number on the bottom and Google it, it will tell you if it is WIreless N or Wireless AC.
  • (4) Build A Mesh Network – Best Performance
    There is no better option than this on the market. It is the newest home business class mesh network for homes up to 4,000 square feet or more. The way to go if you control the connection and have the funds. Peak performance.
  • (5) Wireless Range Extender – Budget Lower Performance
    The is the option to “boost” the transmission broadcasting from your neighbors house if they already have a router. It is also the option if you are trying to extend the wifi to a guest house, basement, garage, upstairs, etc. It is much weaker than the wireless mesh option but also much cheaper. You will not get full speeds as recasting will always half the original speed. It is better than no signal though. If you want to recast the signal without halving the speeds, the wireless mesh option is the only way to do this.
  • (6) Cheap WiFi Phone Extender – Phone Only
    This is only for phones and would be too slow for computers and TV’s.

Extending Your Neighbors Wifi For A Better Signal

Now we will discus extending your neighbors wireless internet into your apartment next door. For this to work, you do need access to begin with. You can’t get on the wifi unless you have their password or they have an open network. If it is open or you have the password, you can boost their signal with any of these methods.

Antenna Booster Explained: Get A Stronger Wireless Antenna

To boost the signal from your neighbors house, this is the only true option. The directional antenna literally sends a stronger signal from point A to point B. It is directional though so you will need to point it in the direction you would like to send the signal. This is a best first bet if you already get signal from them but want it to be stronger. They will need to screw this antenna into the back of their existing router and place it where it has a line of sight with your house. If you do not have access, you can use the stronger wireless adapter on your computer which will pick up a better signal if it is your only option.

Stronger Router Explained: Get The Best WiFi Router Technology

First, it could be your ancient wireless router. Technology has changed a bit over the last few years and there are many standards with different throughput, ranges and powers. You should find out which you have and upgrade if need be, this could be your only problem. Generally the model number will display an N for Wireless N or AC for wireless AC. At this point you need AC. You should not try to extend Wireless N because it will continue to be an under performer.

  • 802.11a: The oldest, toast, throw the router away. No longer out there.
  • 802.11b/g: Also old and not worth investing in. Replacement time. No longer out there.
  • 802.11n: aka Wireless N is the most common problem when it comes to weak signal. Last Gen WiFi.
  • 802.11ac: The newest and best wireless technology. It is backwards compatible so your device will still connect if it’s not AC ready. Needed for fast speeds at range.

If you already knew that and have Wireless AC, on to the next step. A simplistic Wireless Extender to carry and extend the signal to remote locations of your house or apartment.

Wireless Repeater Explained: Recasting The Wireless Signal

This is the best way to make the wifi signal stronger from across the way. The image below demonstrates how it works. The Netgear Extender makes it really easy to recast the signal to the rest of your home. There is a simple one time setup page. If your neighbor has a password on their wifi, you will need to know it. You can not actually “steal” internet. You will need access to recast it. In some cases you may find an open network and attach the extender to this. I still suggest you ask for permission.
extend

The router effectively logs into your original WiFi router, grabs the signal and recast it from it’s current location extending the range by a lot. This is the easiest and most common method for extending the internet range in a large house or from a neighbors apartment.

Phone Extender Explained: Weak Signal For Phones

This is the cheapest option because it is fairly old and weak but will do great for a person on a phone browsing Facebook and the news. It would not be a good option for TV, laptops, etc. But with this, like the last, you must have the neighbors wifi password in order to boost the signal further. As with the Netgear Extender, it will also work with your own home router as far as extending into your upstairs, guest house, basement, etc.

Steal / Boost Neighbors Wireless Internet

As you know by now, you can’t actually steal your neighbors internet. It doesn’t work that way. There is no magical device you can buy that is going to bypass their password. Would anyone pay for internet if that were the case? You must have the password or find an open unsecured wireless network. The repeater will attach to the open network if that is what you are looking for.

Share Your Internet With Neighbors
On the other hand, if you know your neighbor, you could really work out a deal for both of you. You can lower the cost of your monthly internet bill by sharing it with them. If you live in an apartment building you can maybe even get 2 or 3 neighbors in on the wireless sharing. Sometimes you simply don’t need all of those high download speeds to yourself and can’t justify spending $60 a monthly internet bill.

Downfalls?
There are downfalls to sharing your internet and it can have a negative impact on your performance. If you are savvy enough, you can use your routers software to limit the amount of bandwidth proportioned to your neighbors and this will not be an issue. You still face the risk of your neighbor(or even friends who visit) performing illegal activities under your account and getting in trouble with your provider– or worse– the law.

If you already have a router

Repeater Mode
If you already own a router and want it to cast your neighbors signal or extend your own, just open up the settings page and select “repeater mode”, enter the existing wifi password or connect to the open network and you’re on. Simple way to get sharing internet in no time!

Access Point Mode
My preferred method as it truly extends the range the furthest possible. How is this mode different? Well for one, you need physical access to the primary router. Instead of a mesh like wireless network as used with Repeater Mode where the two networks meet in the middle, you will actually have a long cat5 cable from your main router to the secondary router. The secondary wireless router will then cast out its own wireless signal. So instead of 2 signals meeting in the middle and connecting, you get 2 full strength signals for a much stronger connection. This is exactly how I have mine set up in Access Point Mode. This way if you have to set the second device in a room on the other side of a thick say stone or brick wall you take no loss. You just run the long cable along the wall into the area you wish to set the router up in and plug it in. If you can do this I suggest it. If not the method above, wireless repeater will work. I just prefer a zero loss situation and extending as far as I can via hardwire before casting my second SSID. However this is not going to be an option for most people so the repeater mode will suffice.

Below is the ASUS Router Firmware and just how easy it is to do this. I mean could it get more simple? Click Administration and pick your mode. It’s that intuitive and easy enough for anyone to do with no technical expertise.
extend wireless configuration
Electrical Wireless Extenders Suck
To be fair I should mention the more expensive unreliable method of plugging into your electrical outlet to extend your wireless to any room in the house. I myself have never and would never use this method. I have read enough to find out they constantly fail, operate at high temperatures, consume a lot of power, disconnect from the main router all of the time forcing you to troubleshoot and so on. So why spend more for something that isn’t going to work? I mean it sounds like a great idea but the bottom line is that it’s not. Proceed with caution, read others reviews and know I do not recommend this method. To each their own though.

Why ASUS Routers Are The Best

Now, about my beloved ASUS and why I love this router / firewall combo so much.
As someone who has owned everything from a Linksys / Cisco to Dlink, Microsoft, Belkin and even other off the wall brand routers, I have never had a better router. Not only have I owned all of these brand name devices, I have also worked Tier II Tech Support and helped people with brands I have never even heard of.

The ASUS Firmware is so easy to use and provides so many options. The biggest and most awesome thing about my router is the fact that it has 2 USB Ports built into the router itself. Do you even understand how awesome this is? No? Well let me tell you. I am able to plug an external USB hard drive into my router and access it from any computer in my home and even if I am away from home I can get my files via a private FTP Server. It’s so easy to set up that it’s almost plug and play. This serves as a hard drive backup for me so that I do not loose any data if my PC crashes as well. Another cool feature is the fact that it has up to 8 guest network SSID’s. So I am able to mess with my neighbors and make a bunch of fake WiFi names like “no one likes you” and “move out already”. OK, he tried to get me evicted so I did not like that guy. But you can make any names you want with all of those extra SSID’s. It’s fun. Just don’t do “FBI Van”, it’s very played out.

how to boost your wifi

Table of Contents

  • Easy How To Guide – Extend Your Wireless Range
  • Boosting WiFi Signal From Neighbor Or Extending To Guest House
  • Best Home Wireless Extender Options
  • Extending Your Neighbors Wifi For A Better Signal
  • Antenna Booster Explained: Get A Stronger Wireless Antenna
  • Stronger Router Explained: Get The Best WiFi Router Technology
  • Wireless Repeater Explained: Recasting The Wireless Signal
  • Phone Extender Explained: Weak Signal For Phones
  • Steal / Boost Neighbors Wireless Internet
  • If you already have a router
  • Why ASUS Routers Are The Best
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Ask a question!
  1. Barb

    I am in a rural area – and have to use Verizon MiFi device in order to get any internet. My Dad is line of sight – is there a good option to boost my signal from my MiFi so when I am at his house I can use my wifi without bringing my wifi device with me? I am there every day. I did buy the wall plug in to boost it- and it was like you said, it gets hot, it does not boost far enough and it continually needs re-set. A piece of junk.

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      Correct, electrical extenders are junk, as I mentioned. Thanks for confirming that for the rest though. People always fall for the marketing of these.
      I imagine the MiFi having an internal antenna, so boosting the signal coming out does not seem like an option. You could try option 2, getting a better receiver for your presumably laptop. An external receiver will always get a better signal than an internal wifi card. So with this stronger receiver, you will likely solve the problem of extending your MiFi within a line of sight.

  2. brad casr

    I am dealing with a bit of a tricky situation. I live about 600ft from my closest neighbor with internet, but there is a clear sight of the house from mine. I am trying to access her internet and currently have a dish with a phone plug ready to insert into a repeater or booster. (the dish was previously used to access our local internet service provider tower 5 miles away). I am trying to figure out my best option to utilize the dish and use a repeater to access the internet.

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      I couldn’t tell you.
      Not sure what a dish with a phone plug is all about. Sounds like it was something for that service only.

      The booster antenna installed on their router pointing straight at your house should work in theory.
      It’s kind of like a tower from them to you.

      But if it is coming in your window and you need internet in your back room, you would need a router connected as a repeater catching that signal and recasting it.

  3. Paige McCroan

    Can I connect inside my home from my next door neighbors Wifi? If so,what is the best solution? He is letting me use his password.

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      Yes, as long as you get a signal. You should read the article for solutions based on your situation.

  4. StickyStatic

    Yes, in theory it will catch the neighbors signal and recast it but plugging into it directly is better as recasting halves the original signal. The closer you can get it to theirs, the better.
    If their sits near a window and you have a legit line of sight, their are directional antennas that can shoot a stronger signal straight across but it takes some setting up and testing and I have never had a real good result from it at long range.

    Reply
  5. Ross

    All well and good, but the reality is that you are opening a can of worms in allowing someone else to access your Internet. How well do you really know your neighbor (or anyone who visits them)? If they access certain types of porn or make online threats, all that will lead the cops to YOUR IP address and account, and YES, you can and will likely be charged.

    Also, data caps are a reality or will soon be. While most ISPs have a pretty high one, who’s to say that your neighbor might binge watch Netflix, stream Spotify 24/7 or do bittorent downloading huge files?

    The idea of selling your Internet and splitting the costs is appealing, but it is in fact illegal and could get you into more trouble than you think.

    The problem here in 2017 is that in an effort to steer consumers to their “bundles” of video, Internet, and phone services, they do not offer a basic high speed (25 Mbps or more) service for a reasonable price. Here in NC, now that Spectrum has taken over, their lowest speed tier is 60 Mbps and costs $65/month (highway robbery). Most households containing one to three people could easily get by with 25 Mbps for streaming Netflix and doing two more things simultaneously. (Netflix HD only needs 5 Mbps).

    As a condition of their getting to merge, these companies should have been required to offer a medium speed tier at a reasonable price, but nope, they greased the hands of the legislators in the Congress and got exactly what they wanted.

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      Yes, all very true. I would not actually ever open my internet up to anyone and even in the past with housemates, I have gotten warnings from Comcast for their actions and recently Cox because a friend was over and his laptop was already torrenting when he turned it on. Granted those warnings are just fluff, things could change.

    • 2ShareOrNot2Share

      Thank you everyone, so far, for your comments. You have been very helpful and have convinced us NOT to share our internet with our neighbors. We told our neighbor that the two homes using our internet would eat up some of our bandwidth and he told me, “I know the physics of this stuff, and there is no way you would lose bandwidth”, Given your information, I guess he is wrong!

  6. 2ShareOrNot2Share

    Question… We have Comcast Business Class Deluxe 50Mbps Internet Service for our Home-based Business. Two of our immediate neighbors with 3500 sq. ft. homes on 2-3 acres each, want us to let them set up repeaters to share our internet service. Would their usage reduce my Bandwidth? Will my internet service in my home be slower than 50 mbps?

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      Yes, they could eat up your bandwidth based on their activities and 50Mbps is not a lot so I would not do it. If 2 people in each house are streaming at the same time you want to stream, there will surely be a problem. You can limit them with an advanced router like the RT-AC5300 though to say 5Mb each. At least they can browse! Mesh would be the only way to transit full speeds across the distance.

  7. Anthony Marks

    My ps4 and tv wont pick up the network. I’m not very far from the router but it’s my neighbors wifi and I can pick it up on my phone but not the ps4 or tv. Can you help me? I’m not trying to spend infinite amounts of money though.

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      It’s hard to say what is up here. Some PS4’s and even TV’s only pick up the 2.4GHz band but usually the 2.4GHz band has more distance than the 5GHz band. So if your phone is grabbing a 5GHz channel but the 2.4GHz is not making it, it is hard to say. The likely best option is get the wireless extender router to pick up the signal and hardwire from it.

  8. Israel Everett

    I recently got rid of my internet ( cause the internet service around my area are expensive and I am in a fixed income) so my neighbor was nice enough to let me use his internet. I can go on my phone check Facebook, news etc….. But the signal is to weak for me to watch my ROKU (Television). Would a range extender work? I guess I am not getting what you wrote. I have a hard time reading and understanding things cause of my ADD. Please help.
    Israel Everett

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      Yes, the range extender should work but not as good as an antenna directing the signal to your home or even a wireless mesh between you guys(best option).

  9. Douglas Grendahl

    I live in a 4-plex, two story, old bldg. (1875). One tenant has the router, and the other three would like to share the expense. But, even with the router set at peak, the signal, for one reason or other, is too weak in the other units. None of us is internet savvy, therefore I am needing help here on selecting the best unit and getting it hooked up, etc. Can someone take the time to help me out here? Thanks!

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      It is really going to depend on where the main router is placed. Ideal would be to have it in the middle and use a wireless mesh network like the Netgear Orbi.

  10. Laurel

    What should I buy to use for my iPhone wifi to pick the signal up better?

    Reply
    • StickyStatic

      If it is really just a phone, then you can use the old slower phone extender.

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