Reddit reviews D-Link WiFi Range Extender Gigabit Ethernet Port AC1200 Dual Band Wireless MediaBridge and Access Point (DAP-1650)
We found 6 Reddit comments about D-Link WiFi Range Extender Gigabit Ethernet Port AC1200 Dual Band Wireless MediaBridge and Access Point (DAP-1650). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.
Simultaneous dual band Wi-Fi: Extend both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi at the same time for greater flexibility and reduced interferenceSuperior range: Multiple antenna (MMO) technology provides superior coverage for hard to reach areasGIGABIT Ethernet ports: 4 Gigabit LAN ports for high speed wired connectionsWi-Fi Protected setup: Push button for easy connection to a wireless networkFlexibility: Compatible with virtually any wireless router brandBackward compatible: Wireless 802.11n/g/b/a backward compatibilitySecure wireless encryption: Offers WPA or WPA2 security
If this is a house, not an apartment, just hire a professional to run the cable. It should be about $100 per cable run anywhere in the house, so long as it's possible.
Get the cable run up to the 2nd floor, then put in a good 5MHz access point on the second floor. You could even set up two access points in wireless bridge mode (one on the second and one on the third floor) and have a switch up on the third floor for hardwiring more devices. These DLink 1525s are great access points with built in switches and can run bridge mode. The newer and more expensive one is the DAP 1650. If you don't need the switch ports on the back, I suggest sticking with the cheaper TP Link AP.
Also, you could see about moving your cable modem upstairs.
Just FYI, the term "Access Point" implies that the device is wired to the network. An "Access Point" that is connected to the network with Wi-Fi instead of Ethernet isn't an Access Point at all, it's a Range Extender or Repeater. These are bad as they halve the bandwidth of anything connected to them, while Access Points are fantastic.
Normally I would recommend the UniFi AP AC Lite, but you also need a switch. In your case, the D-Link DAP-1650 is the best choice, as it has a switch built in. It's basically a wireless router without the router part, which you won't be using here. Make sure to configure it to act as an Access Point, NOT as a Range Extender!
like this?
You could buy a router, but if you don't have any issues with the network itself, and only with the wireless access signal, purchasing a dedicated access point might be more for your money.
Here's one I found for about the price I can find the model you mentioned, it's only an access point, but it's got almost twice the throughput and its a more recent model.
Would this be more useful than this?
Just get one of these and be done with it. The idea of putting a WiFi card in a desktop computer has always baffled me. It doesn't make any sense to be dealing with crappy antennas stuck to the back of your computer under the desk or crappy little antenna wires that are impossible to replace and cost a fortune. Put the bridge wherever it gets a good signal and plug in an Ethernet cable. Done.