Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 I have a brick house with thick walls and even though I have a great wireless router, I don't have great signal in my garage. I decided to finally add a range extender and it made a big difference. My questions now are, does anyone else have any sensitive electronics in their garage/shop and how to you keep the dust out of them? I considered a gallon size zip lock bag, but I don't want it to overheat. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnarlyCarl Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Calling @WigWagWorkshop would you know this? We have one at work in the warehouse, and I wondered that sometimes as well.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DR99 Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Ubiquity makes nice stuff pricey but really nice. https://www.ubnt.com/ Like Protool mention you can buy a Nema enclosure to house more a consumer unit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 http://www.walmart.com/ip/Netgear-Universal-Dual-Band-WiFi-Range-Extender/20636830 This is the extender. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 I plan to move it around as needed so I don't want anything permanent. I assume a dust free box would have to be sealed and I was concerned about the heat. Maybe it's not an issue? Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 You can make a box with a filter, just don't make the box too tight. It has an external power supply so it shouldn't get too hot. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 Cool. I will try to figure something out for it. Thanks Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 It's ok. I only bought it so it would sync with my netgear router. My speed is 30-35 in my house but it was 2.5 down at my patio. With the extender I get 10 which I can live with. Much better than it was, but having 4 different signals is a pain. My router is an Ac1200 dual band so it has 2 and the extender has 2. I have to switch my network at the patio to run off my extender then back to my router when I go back inside to keep the full signal. I can live with it though. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 The best part is the reason I have that router is my wife and I both play Call of Duty on Xbox on side by side tv's so we wanted the fastest speed at the time so our games didn't lag. Haha. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
regopit Posted April 25, 2016 Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 You did not say what you are using out in your garage but I put a wireless wifi card in a desktop and it has been out there for 3 years now with no problems. I pop the side off every now and then and blow it out. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 I bought this for my desktop in my basement, the card in it is weaker than my xbox's, ipad, phones, etc and since I moved my router to the second floor my computer hasn't worked. I rarely use my computer so it wasn't a big deal. I get better range through my house and outside with the router upstairs, but my office/game room is in the basement. After installing the extender in the basement I decided to try it in the garage since I usually have spotty signal in there and it made a big difference down at my patio as well. In my garage I use a tablet to play pandora on my radio and when I do yard work I wear ear buds and play pandora on my phone. We have a lot of parties in the summer so now that I have good signal down at the patio I may bring a tv and xbox down for the kids to watch netflix/hulu/prime or play a game. I haven't checked my computer since I moved the extender to the garage, but if it still works well I plan to leave it out there. That is why I was curious about the saw dust. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 7 minutes ago, PROTOOLNUT said: OK, so here's the deal, the reason you got a dual band extender, is because your using a fancy dual band router. lol I however am using a standard single band wifi router, and when I saw how good the reviews were for this thing and how cheap it was, it was a no brainer. Its supposed to be easy to setup with WPS too. http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704187 For those of you who are looking for an easy solution to expanding your wifi signal, that be the cheapest way to go. Because extenders that are larger, and have 2 or three external antenna's, can cost you anywhere between 80 to 150 bucks, so this is the more economical choice, especially if your network is only topping out speed of 300. Also, keep in mind Dano, wifi extenders have to be placed half way between your wifi router, and the the unit you need the signal to reach to be effective. So, you might find that you don't need to place the unit outdoors, and thus you can save on money for a box, if you just put the unit in an outlet somewhere near inside the house. We run a lot of devices at a time, that's why I got the dual band. I have a metal roof on my patio and my retaining wall is about 5.5' tall so I have had spotty signal down there even with my router upstairs in a spare bedroom on the back side of the house close to a window. Now with the extender on the back wall of my garage it helps much more than it could if it was inside my house. I used to have my router in my basement and it would barely reach my garage 20' away through block walls, nothing outside and even my smart tv in our bedroom had terrible signal. Our house is old and big and most walls are concrete since our chimney is in the center of our house and the fireplace in the living room is big enough I can sit in it plus there is one in our bedroom, so between the two the brick is 12' wide or so from the basement to the attic creating a problem for wifi signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted April 25, 2016 Author Report Share Posted April 25, 2016 That will look better than a cardboard box I was leaning towards! Haha. I was thinking I could cover it when I am cutting or sanding then uncover it once the dust settles. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 I wouldnt even waste the money on a box or whatevs for it.,we got routers and stuff all over the shop up high on shelves they've been up there for ages with no issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano123 Posted June 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Yeah it has been fine so far without one. I haven't made much since I got it, but I am sure I was worried about nothing. Sent from my SCH-I545 using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMack37 Posted June 5, 2016 Report Share Posted June 5, 2016 Routers/WIFI Range Extenders are low heat units so it shouldn't be an issue, but on the record, use compressed air to blow it out and safety blah blah blah. Humidity is the only thing you really have to worry about but you have a low current application(hence low heat) so all risks are minimal. Edit: By "risks" I mean failure of the unit. A firefighter may warn you about sparks, starting a fire but this is probably the safest thing in your shop of power tools. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fazzman Posted June 6, 2016 Report Share Posted June 6, 2016 ^^^ I agree with compressed air to blow the stuff off here and there,even if its just a can of air which are really handy actually around the garage. I usually get a multipack at sams club or somewhere like that. I think a 4 pack is like $12 bucks or something. If you have an air compressor and a safety blow gun for it that can work well too,just make sure no condensation is in lines. The safety guns lower the pressure coming out with the addition of holes in the nozzle end of the tip. I like to make my own tips out of brass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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