When my home was being constructed, we had the option of having networking cable pre-wired throughout, for a cost. We opted against it based on the success I expected to have with a wireless network. In my case, wireless turned out to be a perfectly equitable choice, however, larger homes in particular might not have had this same networking success. If you don’t have the luxury to simply run CAT5 or CAT6 cable throughout your home, you may be looking for alternatives.

Now this begs the question: how do you make sure your wireless signal works in all parts of your house? Depending on where your wireless router sits in your home, you may have wireless dead zones that can’t be reached by a single access point. Thankfully, there are a few options to extend your wireless network and eliminate those dead spots.

Wireless Repeaters or Extenders — it’s a win

First and foremost, I have found the myth about buying your stuff from a single wireless routing brand to be exactly that: a myth. I find what really matters is properly cooled quality hardware from any brand. Buy decent equipment from Linksys, D-Link, Buffalo, or any other trusted brand, bridge the wireless off from the router separately, and things should work great. The biggest challenge you’re likely facing in configuring your wireless network is getting a signal to your computer in the first place.

To make sure you have adequate wireless coverage, I highly recommend going with decent wireless repeater. A repeater is easy to install; places like Best Buy almost always have them in stock at a variety of price ranges. If you don’t live near a store, Amazon and Newegg.com both carry wireless repeaters.

cc licensed ( BY ) flickr photo shared by @boetter

Antennas — keeping it simple

Beyond using a wireless repeater, you may simply need a better wireless antenna for your existing wireless router. A good example of this might be when trying to get a signal over a large distance, such as between buildings on a farm or large tract of land. When looking for an antenna, consider whether you need an omni-directional antenna or one pointing in a single direction. Omni-directional antennas boost your signal in all directions while a directional antenna extends your signal to a specific point, which is useful when you need to send your wireless signal to a second access point.

There you have it. Two good solutions to your wireless signal strength woes. For the most part, I have found repeaters are best for indoor use with the two listed antenna solutions working great for large properties where you need to get a signal to a remote location.