Pretty basic questions about home wireless network

[Citadelgrad87]

I have comcast cable internet for the house, it runs through an exterior wall to a spot very near that wall, and is connected to a wireless router, it was a decent one I got maybe 3 years ago. This is a fairly large 2 story home, the master bedroom is on the other side of the house and upstairs, as far as you could be from the router.

When we got it, there was a desktop and a laptop using the network, not sure it matters, but now there's an Xbox, 2 bluray players, a kindle fire, and 2 smart phones.

There are a couple issues, the first is the range. The Xbox is in a familt room at the far side of the house, it usually hooks up no problem, but the bluray in the same area has difficulty. A laptop on the couch in that room is another 15 feet away, no hookup, nor will phones. Same with the bedroom directly above the TV room, intermittant at best.

My main issue is range, the floor under the kitchen is a raised foundation, I could run network cable from the cable modem under the house and put the wireless rounter in a vertical crawl space adjacent to the chimney stack, literally in the center of the house, including between the first and second floors. I might get some shadow from the chimneys, but the rooms are to the sides and the chimneys would not block the signal.

Should this solve my issues with range? Should I get a router that will enable me to use a repeater?

Can anyone recommend a specific router for my needs?

Thanks.

[the86d]

What is the longest run of wireless signal?
60-100ft?

Wired is always best. WEP encryption will be hacked in minutes, someone was bumping my WiFi Camera in order to get my WPA passphrase (well handshake I guess) and got it a few days later. Have you checked your router to see if anything else is on it (maybe leaching?) and what encryption are you using (WEP, WPA, length of passphrase, and does it include special characters "@*$%@")?

You should get wireless 100ft easy in all directions, however the antenna sends signal like a doughnut, and a Cisco Tech told me the top and bottom of the antenna is the hole as it progresses outward. See if you can point the antenna "side" toward the problem area. (((i)))
I have only seen moderate changes when changing the orientation of my antenna, and the only time I have seen real wireless issues, is when someone is disassociating a device to crack the pass-phrase by getting enough handshakes upon reconnection, unless the distance is great (>150?) or obstructions are present.

If you have no wired computers to the Modem(/router combo, is it?) you COULD relocate it to say a room in the middle of the home (on any functional coax connection? [with a wireless AP/router if your cable-modem does not have an antenna])

[Citadelgrad87]

Yes, nothing is wired to the modem except the router, so I think if I just get a longer cable, I could move that. There's a chimney stack in the center of the house, and the modem is on one side, while most of the devices, not all of them but most of them, are on the other side of the house.

The run is probably about 80+ feet, with the chimney about 2/3 of the way over there.

[glockman19]

Wireless signals go down better than up...

I also have a modem and wireless router downstairs in a 2 story home at one end of the house. I was able to boost my wireless signal from the front bedroom to the Upper back bedroom just by raising the wireless router toward the ceiling.the distance is 100' through walls and floor.

[ldivinag]

if you could, wire the entire place.

that crawl space is a wonderful thing. get the proper tools to terminate also.

nothing beats wired.