Increase range of WGR614v9

[karaokeme1]

Hi, I've just had VM installed at home and have got our WGR614v9 up-and-running. It works fine in the house but not (contrary to the promises of the VM 'installer') in my home office about 40 feet down the garden. Down there, the signal is too weak - it pops up to about 2 bars occasionally, but not for long enough to use the internet.

So I want to find some way of extending the signal. I'd prefer to use an Airport Express as an access point, as I'm a mac user and I just like their stuff. But I understand that this requires WDS. The WGR614v9 has WDS as standard, apparently, but VM in their wisdom have seen fit to change the firmware in the models they provide, so that WDS is not available.

So I guess my questions are as follows:
1. Anyone had any luck putting the default firmware back on the router, so WDS is available? If so, would Airport Express then work?
2. If it's not possible to change the firmware, what are my other cable-free options? Can anyone recommend a wireless extender or wall-plugged extender that definitely works with this router and a Macbook 10.4?

Just a little more info about the position of the router: it is located at the front of the house, which then extends through 2 further rooms until you reach the garden. The home office is at the bottom of a 40-foot garden. I'd envisage putting some kind of extender/booster device in the back room of the house.

Many thanks!

[danielf]

Given the range involved, you might want to consider networking over the powerline rather than wireless networking.

http://www.ebuyer.com/product/150039

Connect one plug to your router and plug it into the mains. Plug the other one into the mains in your office, and connect the mac, and you're done.

[karaokeme1]

Thanks very much, Danielf - at that price, they're certainly worth a go! A further complication is that my home office has a separate electrical distribution board and I'm concerned that this will have an impact on their effectiveness - any thoughts on that front? If it doesn't work in the office, could I plug the second one in the back room of the house, and then plug a wireless access point into that? (I'd still have to deal with the WDS issue, I suppose?)

Thanks again!

[danielf]

I'm not sure about the impact of your electrical wiring. It may or may not work (others might know). Regarding the access point, some homeplug device come with an integrated access point.

http://www.devolo.co.uk/uk_EN/produkte/dLAN/dlanwirelessextsk.html

I have a pair of these, and they work well for me. They are a tad more pricey than the standard plugs though. I would think you can plug your own kit into the standard plugs.

[karaokeme1]

Great, thanks very much!

[Raistlin]

You should be able to plug an access point into the other end of the pair, thus moving it to a point closer to where you need to use it.

I would imagine that if your home office has it's own distribution board it's unlikely that the two will be connected in a way that will allow the plugs to route data between them.

[karaokeme1]

Thanks, Rob M - yes, that was the problem I feared with regard to the separate distribution board.

Another thought just crossed my mind - would one solution to the whole issue be simply to replace the Netgear router that VM provided (which isn't WDS-enabled) with another one that is? ie, one with a better range, or 2 that can be linked together to extend the range?

[Raistlin]

That might help.

I'd be wary of buying another router just in case the range still isn't great - it may be though that this is the only option for you if need WDS.