Okay on my travels I often visit a large building with 1-1˝ft thick walls and there is appalling wifi there as a result. The broadband comes in at the top of the building at one end (don't ask) and the signal is not reaching the other end. So I bought one of these wifi repeaters https://www.amazon.co.uk/Netgear-WN3...1642874&sr=1-3 which didn't work at all, because it said that you should see all the lights lit up at the end of the set up procedure. Sadly no matter how many times I tried or how many settings I changed I could not get all the lights to come on and returned it. Plus it couldn't be placed in a very handy location as it needed to be within range of the existing signal.

I replaced them (at very short notice ) with a powerline set so that anyone who went out of wifi range could connect their laptops but people now have tablets and therefore no ethernet socket. So can anyone think of a clever way to connect the powerline ethernet cable to wifi router giving wifi down there? There was at one point a wifi powerline set ) which gave up the ghost a bit quickly, but having shelled out for the set we've currently got, just adding say a cheap router would be better.

I've never tried this approach so can anyone suggest what router we could use (preferably available in the UK/EU) by just plugging in an ethernet cable - Thanks.

Since powerline network is already working for you, what you need is an powerline networking unit that bridges to the WiFi signal at the far end of the building. Something like this TP Link TL-WPA281 AV200 Powerline Extender with Wireless N Access Point or one of the many others like it in the PowerLAN category. This adapter creates a WiFi hotspot at the outlet of your choice, and backhauls the traffic over the powerline through another adapter to your internet access device.

Ideally you want to match the powerline network technology version and possibly the maker for compatibility. If your existing powerline network adapters are much older and slower, you might as well get a new set. The current speeds are 200 Mbps and 500 Mbps.

Setup the powerline WiFi access point on the powerline adapter with the same SSID and key, but on different non-overlapping channels.

Or just plug a small wifi router or access point into your powerline adapter.

Yeah there was one of those there before and it was that that stopped working after a couple of years full time use and they're not keen to have them back. The pair that are in now are only 5 months old which I know in technology terms can be a lifetime but in terms of return on investment for a small business it's not great.

Thanks, that's exactly what they'd like to do, but can you suggest a cheap reliable product/make?

If you want a big router with extra LAN ports, get a Asus RT-N10. If you want a tiny router with only one LAN port, get the Edimax one we were discussing in the "small travel router" threads.

The Asus will be doubly reliable if you install the free and excellent Tomato firmware on it.

If you just want wireless access, then get a wireless access point.

These are just suggestions. Anything will work, really.

Thanks someone has just suggested this one to me as being a good bet, so I think I'll order one of these.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Buffalo-AirS...1654923&sr=1-8

Oh and congrats on your becoming a full on Mod.

NetGear makes a set of two powerline adapter that does exactly this. One end acts as a router, the other end acts as a port adapter to the powerline network.

Keep in mind powerline can be quite unreliable depending what's between the two ends. Basically, if it works spotty, it's going to stay spotty.

I think a couple of years is perfectly acceptable lifetime for a technology product, but it is the siteowners' call.

I would recommend getting an access point instead of a router as the other side of the building already has one. There are far more routers than access points on the market. Most of the routers can disable the routing function to behave as an access point.

Given the thickness of the walls, I would also look for something that has higher transmission power or high-gain antennae or detachable antennas that you can replace with high-gain antennae, to make sure you can cover the area. I would avoid "travel routers" as they often transmit at lower power than standard access points.

Sure, looks fine. Realize that you probably don't need a full on router - just a wireless access point. You will still want to be able to access other things on the building's network, presumably, and a router could interfere with that.

It was with great reluctance that I accepted this highly paid, glamorous position that is vital to world peace and harmony.

The edimax one has a very limited range if there any barriers. I plugged it into my switch (in the next room) and barely got a signal at my computer 12 feet (3m) away. Granted, it was up with some HVAC ductwork and had to go through two walls, but still weak. The netgear wireless router that use for most everything else penetrates those walls just fine.

With no barriers, the range is great. Perfect for a hotel or conference room.

I've generally been happy with Buffalo routers that come pre-installed with DD-WRT. The firmware is very flexible and allows you to very easily run in "Access Point" mode.

Try to get one with a removeable antenna.

This was my exact thought... A couple of years is a good lifespan for any small computer electronics. If they need to be replaced after that then replace them. It would be very easy for a lightning strike or power surge/sag to kill these devices.

As for access points/routers remember that if you set the wireless mode to "B" only it will go further and through more stuff (instead of B/G). Your internet speed will be slower but you will have less signal drop as you move around.

Also as it was said above in the thread if you get a device with a external antenna pick up a set of high gain antenna which should help you get more distance as well.

Yeah I don't get to make that call though, I was more than happy to just replace the wifi pair but after the wifi repeater that I had to return, a decision was taken that a wired version was better. I'm hoping to borrow the same model of access point from the from the same person who suggested it, to test the ideal place to put it and see what coverage we get with the different modes. Thanks for all the suggestions, I'll let you know what the outcome of this is.