Old house with plaster and lath slowing down airport express?

Question

Old house with plaster and lath slowing down airport express?

My airport express worked fine in my previous house. I recently moved and my new (older 1920's) house construction seems "thicker" and the wi-fi drops all the time. The house also may be a bit bigger but it seems like such a radical change from how well everything was working at the previous place. When I play itunes over the wi-fi to the living room surround sound it drops on and off as well. I have to go into the hallway to get a connection for my ipad from the bedroom. This is all driving me nuts! Do I need to get an airport extreme? If so will it really make a difference?

Airport-OTHER

Posted on Oct 24, 2012 12:12 PM

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Answer 1

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,114 points

Oct 24, 2012 12:29 PM in response to Lizfromsanjose

Plaster and metal lathe walls are like steel for a wireless signal.

Unfortunately, this is a "worst case" scenario for wireless in a home. In this type of constuction, you really need to have line-of-sight between your wireless router and wireless devices....or very close to it.

or

You need to run Ethernet cabling to the areas where you need more wireless signal and add AirPorts in those locations to provide more wireless coverage.

If you cannot run the Ethernet cabling, it is possible that Ethernet powerline adapters might be able to send a signal over the existing AC power lines in the home....but I'm not optimistic about this if much of the wiring is "original"

A different router will not help since the signal power of wireless routers is limited by law...they are all about the same.

If it were me, I would call in an IT specialist who can come out to survey the house, take some measurements with test equipment, and propose the right system for your needs.

Otherwise, trial and error can result in a lot more headaches..and more expense as well.

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Answer 2

Oct 24, 2012 2:02 PM in response to Lizfromsanjose

Yes, I was looking at the specifications for both the express and extreme and they look the same. I didn't want to simply go into the store and get sold something that was not going to work. I was also considering moving the router to a more central location to reach more areas. Not sure that I can run ethernet wiring, but I might consider the ethernet powerline adapter. Thanks very much for your comments. It's all making sense now. Darn that plaster and lath!

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Answer 3

Bob Timmons

Level 10

185,114 points

Oct 24, 2012 2:27 PM in response to Lizfromsanjose

Nothing is as good as a wired Ethernet connection, but I understand that it is not easy to run the wires and drill the holes.

Powerline adapters are always "iffy", even with newer wiring. They work fine for some users...not so great for others. One brand might work well while another does not. Or, they sometimes work well in one AC socket, but not in another across the same room.

If you decide to try them, it would be good idea to expect to experiment, and understand the store's return policy in advance in case you have to try different brands and models.

Good luck! Keep us posted on your progress.

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