Using router to boost WiFi signal

Question

I am in a residential with a central Wireless internet, but the signal is weak in our unit. I plan to buy a booster "Range Extender", but I wonder if a router can also do this? Booster can replace a device WiFi driver, can cannot directly provide the internet for other devices in home.

It also happens to be somewhere with one Ethernet cable, and a router is quite useful to provide the internet for more devices (laptops, phones).

I am looking for a device with both cable and wireless input to provide the internet around the home when the receiving internet is weak and limited (with cable or wireless).

Do routers have this capability to rout the internet from wireless input? or their wireless is only for output. Or I should buy a Range Extender for wireless input, and a router for cable input?

Answer 1

It depends, if the router supports 'repeater' or 'bridge' modes it can use the wifi as an 'input'. In repeater mode it will use the same SSID (wireless network name). In bridge mode it will create a new SSID but still use the same IP range and you should be able to reach machines on the other wireless network.

Finally, you said there is a cable, so you could just use your router as a regular access point. It will use NAT to route the machines through the single IP you will be getting from that cable. This means you cannot easily do port mapping or access machines on the other wireless network. This will be rarely a problem.

HTH