Recommend me a wireless booster?

September 10, 2009 5:30 PM

My boyfriend and I would like to play MMOs together, but unfortunately his wireless doesn't reach the basement where his PC is. We'd like to play in the same room, so I'm looking for some (~$30) USB wireless booster recommendations. I've searched google and amazon, and although I've found many products, there aren't many reviews about. I'm on a Macbook Pro, and his wireless router is a Linksys.
posted by biochemist to Computers & Internet (9 answers total)

A $20 ethernet cable that you can toss downstairs when playing will work a whole lot better than any wireless voodoo.
posted by rokusan at 5:56 PM on September 10, 2009 [2 favorites]

You can grab a used linksys router and install something like dd-wrt on it and configure it as a wireless bridge or repeater. That's what I have in my basement and it works wonderfully.
posted by true at 6:06 PM on September 10, 2009

Or you can use a used wireless router as a switch and wireless access point, I've been doing this for a while now.
posted by cropshy at 6:14 PM on September 10, 2009

I know you're asking about wireless but I want to add to rokusan's suggestion to use wired ethernet. Our Linksys router has four ethernet ports in the back, so it should be easy enough, and you may find that it's more reliable / faster - I always had a better WoW connection when plugged in to wired internet than when using the wireless.
posted by Lady Li at 7:40 PM on September 10, 2009

Use wired for any form of MMO playing. He will be much happier with the results.
posted by strixus at 7:59 PM on September 10, 2009

Response by poster: I should've mentioned that there isn't any room for another ethernet plug. The first one is running from the upstairs through a hole in the wall, so another one would = another hole.
posted by biochemist at 4:05 AM on September 11, 2009

Best answer: Buy a cheap switch, and plug your network cable into that. Then plug two network cables into the switch, and plug the other end into your computers.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 5:18 AM on September 11, 2009

Oh, and just to clarify, you're just not going to be happy with a 'wireless booster'. If the signal isn't there with your normal antenna, then a magic antenna might work, but it also might fade in and out, and cause latency or packet loss, which sucks. So either buy a wireless access point (or a router if you disable the router bits) and stick it down there on a different wireless channel than your other router, or just buy a switch and use wires. A cheap wireless router will probably make the most sense (if you disable the router bits) because it is switch and AP in one little box.
posted by Geckwoistmeinauto at 5:22 AM on September 11, 2009

Nthing the "go wired" suggestion. I can testify that some MMOs (e.g. City of Heroes) are simply unplayable over wireless because the client will think you've been disconnected when you really haven't.

MMO + Wireless = recipe for misery
posted by DWRoelands at 8:28 AM on September 11, 2009