I live in a house with many plaster walls and want a device that will duplicate the wireless signal sent out of an AP/router to act in tandem with other AP/routers on the same network. From the client perspective, it should be physically equivalent to placing multiple antennas throughout a space. It would by definition use the same SSID and somehow manage the multiple received signals.
I can't seem to find such a device or software feature. Does one exist? There seems to be much ambiguity about the terms "repeater," "range extender," etc. Is there a well-established name for this feature?
Alternately, I don't mind if there are "roaming" handoffs between access points, but they must be forced by the APs rather than waiting for the client to realize that the connection is poor.
Best Answer
To increase your Wi-Fi coverage, you could add a wireless repeater ("range extender"). You should place the repeater at the outer range of your existing router’s coverage where it still receives good signals. This would repeat the network signals between the existing router and any connected wifi equipment.
The problem with this approach is that it significantly reduces the network speeds for those connecting via the repeater.
A better alternative would be to use so called MoCA adapters (Multimedia Over Coax) that allow you to use existing copper cables in the house to bridge your network to the electrical/cable lines in various configurations.