Motorola SB5102 / WIFI extender

[c4eb1z]

To resolve Wifi dead zones of the Hitron modem, would a Wifi extender connected to the Ethernet port of a Motorola SB5102 modem fix the problem?  Cannot relocate Hitron modem to central location or run coax / Ethernet cable to desktop and Chromebook locations.

[mdk]

@c4eb1z -- would a Wifi extender connected to the Ethernet port of a Motorola SB5102 modem fix the problem? 

It depends. The worst location for the WiFi Extender are within arms-length of the cable-modem, or within arms-length of your WiFi device.

The best place for the WiFi Extender is "half-way" between the cable-modem and your WiFi device (like a baseball outfielder throwing to the cut-off infielder who then relays to the catcher). As a compromise, how far can you run an Ethernet (not a coaxial) cable from the cable-modem to the  repeater?

>  Cannot relocate Hitron modem to central location or run coax / Ethernet cable to desktop and Chromebook locations.

Why not relocate?   Have you throught about Ethernet-over-power adapters:

Cable Modem --> Ethernet cable --> EOP adapter  --> 110V wall-socket --> house wiring --> wall-socket in other room --> EOP adapter --> Ethernet cable --> third party wired/wireless router --> up to 4 "wired" devices and up to 100 "WiFi" devices.

[rstra]

@c4eb1z  I am a little confused, do you have a Motorola modem or do you have the Hitron? I like the Netgear Nighthawk, it is a mesh extender and does a great job of covering the dead spot in the house. The extender would work with the Hitron, but not the SB5102 as it needs to connect to a router. 

[c4eb1z]

I've got the Hitron modem with the desktop connected via Ethernet and also have a Chromebook at the opposite end of the house that connects to it via Wifi. To increase Wifi strength I saw on Youtube that old routers (not modems) could be used to extend the range. Since I had an old Motorola SB5102 modem kicking around, I was wondering if it could be configured with a Wifi extender to boost the signal the Chromebook gets. Since on Internet 5, at the best of times it can get 5Mbps/1Mbps download/upload but at times it has gotten as bad as 0.23Mbps/0.58Mbps.

[rstra]

@c4eb1z You would need to get Shaw to provision the Motorola on your account, and they won’t do that. A range extender configured to use the Hitron should do the trick. 

[c4eb1z]

Thanks for the info. Thought it was worth a try. As it is, I have one 2.4G extender configured to the Hitron (and 2 rooms away) and a second 2.4 extender configured to the first extender (and at the other end of the house). I didn't find out until recently that there are 2.4G/5G extenders available. When the Chromebook is connected to the 2nd extender I have strong Wifi signal, but if I connect to the 1st extender (which is 2.4G) or either the Hitron 2.4G or 5G signals, the Chromebook gets a weak signal.  Another problem - it's an old house and limited available 110 sockets.

[c4eb1z]

Thanks for the info, but in checking up on EOP I don't think it will work as the wall-socket near the modem is on a different circuit breaker than the wall outlet near the Chromebook and the several wall-sockets near the Chromebook have GFi sockets. It's an old house with limited available wall-socket and instructions restricts use of power-bars.

[mdk]

@c4eb1z -- To increase Wifi strength, I saw on Youtube that old routers (not modems) could be used to extend the range.

Yes. The input to such old routers is an Ethernet connection, not a coaxial-cable connection.  So, if you could run an Ethernet cable from one Ethernet port on the Hitron (in your bottom floor) to the "WAN/Internet" port of an old WiFi-capable router on the middle floor of your house, the WiFi signal from that router should reach the Chromebook, on the top floor.

The Ethernet cable between the Hitron and the old router will give you either 10 or 100 Megabits/second connection. A "not-so-old" router will give you a 10/100/1000 connection. Of course, the speed incoming to the Hitron is the "bottle-neck". The WiFi speed between the old router and your Chromebook will be at least 56 Mbits/second, if that is the speed incoming to the Hitron.

In your case, having "Internet 5" will limit the Chromebook to that speed. I would check with Shaw, to see how much more it would cost, to upgrade to slightly-faster speeds (10? 25? 50? 75? 150? 300?) -- your Hitron's maximum-speed is 300 Mbps.

Your Motorola is a cable-modem, having coaxial input, not Ethernet input.  So, it is not compatible with the above scheme.

[mdk]

@c4eb1z --  the wall-socket near the modem is on a different circuit breaker than the wall outlet near the Chromebook

If that really is a restriction of Ethernet-over-power, that extremely limits the value of using Ethernet-over-power.

In most rooms in my house, all the outlets in that room can be traced back to one circuit-breaker. All the outlets in any other room trace back to a different circuit-breaker. So, are you saying that Ethernet-over-power cannot be used from one room to the adjacent room? That is a severe restriction.

> instructions restricts use of power-bars

Who makes this restriction? Shaw? The Electricians Wiring Code?  I have a UPS, which is much more than a "plain" power-bar, between the wall-outlet and my computer/screen/printer/cable-modem.  Is it a "bad" thing to use a UPS ???

[c4eb1z]

Got my info from the following websites:

https://www.hns-berks.co.uk/blogs/power-line-adapters-pros-and-cons

https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/everything-you-need-to-know-about-powerline-networking/