So for a reasonably large office building across 4 floors, which needs WiFi in every room.

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Additional Details:

• The building is about 20 years old, and has pretty thick walls, so I guess it'll need many access points.
• The existing network is just one WiFi router in a single room, which everyone has to go to to get wireless, there is Ethernet sockets in most the rooms.

I don't know much about networking, so it'd be helpful if someone could point me in the right direction to get started.

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closed as too broad by Kevin Panko, Tog, Dave, random♦Feb 28 '14 at 0:06

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3 Answers

I think what you are looking for is a WiFi router that supports a technology called WDS, or Wireless Distribution System.

Here is a bit of background on WDS

A wireless distribution system (WDS) is a system enabling the wireless interconnection of access points in an IEEE 802.11 network. It allows a wireless network to be expanded using multiple access points without the traditional requirement for a wired backbone to link them. The notable advantage of WDS over other solutions is it preserves the MAC addresses of client frames across links between access points.

• An access point can be either a main, relay, or remote base station.
• A main base station is typically connected to the (wired) Ethernet.
• A relay base station relays data between remote base stations, wireless clients, or other relay stations; to either a main, or another relay base station.

A remote base station accepts connections from wireless clients and passes them on to relay stations or to main stations. Connections between 'clients' are made using MAC addresses.All base stations in a wireless distribution system must be configured to use the same radio channel, method of encryption (none, WEP, or WPA) and the same encryption keys. They may be configured to different service set identifiers. WDS also requires every base station to be configured to forward to others in the system.WDS may also be considered a repeater mode because it appears to bridge and accept wireless clients at the same time (unlike traditional bridging). However, with the repeater method, throughput is halved for all clients connected wirelessly.

WDS may be incompatible between different products (even occasionally from the same vendor) since the IEEE 802.11-1999 standard does not define how to construct any such implementations or how stations interact to arrange for exchanging frames of this format. The IEEE 802.11-1999 standard merely defines the 4-address frame format that makes it possible.

Here is a list from CNET of commerically available wireless routers that support WDS. I am partial to TRENDNet routers, but that is just my personal preference

Also, if you do decide to implement WDS be sure to buy several of the same model of router. Like the above description says, WDS compatibility is spotty between devices from different vendors, and sometimes even different devices from the same company.

How many routers you will need to purchase all depends on how big each floor is. With your current setup, does a single router cover all points on that floor without issue, or is connectivity spotty in certain areas? If connectivity is spotty, I would recommend either trying to place each router somewhere close to the middle of each floor so the radius of connectivity is much higher per floor, or buying 2 or more routers per floor and placing both routers in the middle facing away from each other so each covers 180 degrees in one direction and the other covers the other 180 degrees.

Richie086Richie086

How To Get Remote Wifi

It largely depends by the size age and existing networking installation of the building.

• Older buildings, with thicker walls, tend to require more and/orbetter Access points.

• Size and shape of the building influences greatly the choices you canmake.

• Existing cabling or switches on site can simplify the installation and reduce the costs.

While I didn't have as much room to cover, I ended up solving this with multiple routers with different SSIDs. If you already have ethernet around the building, you really just need a main router with enough grunt to handle all the connections you're getting and a handful of lower cost routers. I'd have at least one a level (Ideally with different SSIDs) - I'd go with and adjust the channels for as low overlap as possible (inssider on a mobile phone or tablet is perfect for this). Physically, I'd try for central locations if possible, but with multiple APs, to keep them as far away as possible.

Test for signal strength on a walkabout, and add more routers to cover weak spots. Make sure folk know what's the best router to use, and what the wireless key is (unsecured wireless is a bad idea, even if you're having a 'public' network).

You don't need expensive routers - those tiny USB powered ones may work, but without testing and walking about, you may not be able to find the best locations for them

Journeyman Geek♦Journeyman Geek

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Wireless access points (APs or WAPs) are networking devices that allow Wi-Fi devices to connect to a wired network. They form wireless local-area networks (WLANs). An access point acts as a central transmitter and receiver of wireless radio signals. Mainstream wireless APs support Wi-Fi and are used in homes, public internet hotspots, and business networks to accommodate wireless mobile devices. The access point can be incorporated into the wired router or stand-alone router.

Options For Wifi In Remote Areas

What Is a WAP Used For?

Stand-alone access points are small physical devices that closely resemble home broadband routers. Wireless routers used for home networking have access points built into the hardware and work with stand-alone AP units. When you use a tablet or laptop to go online, the device goes through an access point, either hardware or built-in, to access the internet without connecting using a cable.

Several mainstream vendors of consumer Wi-Fi products manufacture access points, which allow businesses to supply wireless connectivity anywhere they can run an Ethernet cable from the access point to a wired router. AP hardware consists of radio transceivers, antennas, and device firmware.

Wi-Fi hotspots commonly deploy one or more wireless APs to support a Wi-Fi coverage area. Business networks also typically install APs throughout their office areas. While most homes require only one wireless router with an access point built in to cover the physical space, businesses often use many. Determining the optimal locations for access point installations can be a challenging task even for network professionals because of the need to cover spaces evenly with a reliable signal.

Use Wi-Fi Access Points

If the existing router doesn't accommodate wireless devices, which is rare, the network can be expanded by adding a wireless AP device to the network instead of adding a second router. Businesses can install a set of APs to cover an office building. Access points enable Wi-Fi infrastructure mode networking.

Although Wi-Fi connections technically do not require the use of APs, they enable Wi-Fi networks to scale to larger distances and numbers of clients. Modern access points support up to 255 clients, while old ones supported only about 20. APs also provide the bridging capability that enables a local Wi-Fi network to connect to other wired networks.

History of Access Points

The first wireless access points predated Wi-Fi. Proxim Corporation (a distant relative of Proxim Wireless) produced the first such devices, branded RangeLAN2, starting in 1994. Access points achieved mainstream adoption soon after the first Wi-Fi commercial products appeared in the late 1990s.

Improving Cell Reception In Remote Areas

While called WAP devices in earlier years, the industry gradually began using the term AP instead of WAP to refer to them (in part, to avoid confusion with Wireless Application Protocol), although some APs are wired devices.

How To Get Wifi In Remote Areas

In recent years, smart home virtual assistants have come into wide use. These include products such as Google Home and Amazon Alexa, which fit into a wireless network much like computers, mobile devices, printers, and other peripherals: via a wireless connection to an access point. They enable voice-activated interaction with the internet and control home-related devices including lights, thermostats, electrical appliances, televisions, and more, all through the Wi-Fi network that the access point enables.