I picked up a refurbished Netgear WN3000RP “universal” WiFi range extender on Amazon figuring that $40 was worth a shot to see if I could fix my wireless signal strength issue around the house.
I’ve tried this before by getting a new wireless router, but the location of my network closet just isn’t conducive to equal coverage since it’s not in the middle of the house. As a result, the signal strength dips sharply on one side of the house which causes occasional issues with devices (like my outdoor cameras) in that area.
The WN3000RP promised an easy way to extend the wireless … just plug it into an outlet between the router and the “dead zone,” make a few web-based configuration changes, and enjoy increased signal strength. As is usual for me, however, it wasn’t that easy … but I did finally get it working.