Alice Broadband Wireless Modem

08/11/2009 - 09:27

Can anyone tell us if there is such a thing as a booster for an Alice Wireless Modem? We have been told that the range is 100m but  there is no signal inside our farmhouse and we are presuming this is because our walls are so thick.This is much less than 100m from where the modem is installed. Would appreciate any advice. Thanks.

Comment

You can (I'm fairly sure) get a longer antenna which may help a little, and I THINK you can get a 'relay' device which in effect sends on the signal (can't quite recall ever seeing one of these for a router though!)....................the only other option is a repositioning of the base location ?Good luck,S

I would recommend returning the Alice wireless router and buying one yourself (cheaper in the long run anyway). Ooops, just remembered you have the Alice business one don't you, where you have to insert the card? You may be stuck with it then. Normal ones come in different strengths you see. Ask Alice/Telecom if they have anything to offer you as you have no way of knowing if anything else you buy will be compatible with it. If you fancy trying anyway, have a look here Amazon are pretty good. You could always try it and send it back if it doesn't work.

Hi Sarah and MarkI am assuming here you are on cabled broadband, and what you propose is to connect up another PC in the farmhouse to your existing Alice modem - am I correct?Most of these routers will not transmit anywhere near the stated range of 100m, with full signal, and nearly all are affected by walls, metalwork, even other routers nearby can greatly reduce the signal. You should be able to change channels if you have "co-channel" interference, (by accessing the router menu via the software) but I do not think this is your real issue.You can buy extenders, both here and in the UK, but just be careful, you still need a very good signal where you are proposing to site the router, otherwise, the onward "boosted" signal will be worthless. The other point I am making, the ideal location for the booster would be say, halfway, but this might be right in the middle of a driveway, or even a garden! Not very practical, as the extender  would need a 240V power supply.   Have you considered a cable network? You could run up to 100m on an ethernet connection, with no loss of signal - a port (up to 4 on some devices) is provided on the back of your router. . Better still, why not try a directional antenna outdoors, i.e. line of sight? Most Alice routers have detachable antennas, so this should not be a problem. The signal will be more "focussed" resulting in increased range. It would be wise to have a directional aerial at the other end of course to pick up the narrowly beamed signal. ALWAYS remeber, the nearer you are the modem, the better the conection EVERY time. People make the silly mistake of thinking these devices can be pushed to the outer limits, but in my experience of RF transmission, these estimates of "total range" are far from the real world.       Food for thought, before you start shelling out!!!ED 

Very good post Babyeddiedog. Alice modems are actually pretty good. Your problem is almost certainly that you have thick stone walls as you state. No modem will operate even remotely close to maximum operational distance in these circumstances.

Yes, babyeddiedog spot on.2 solutions1 Use long ethernet cable, disadvantage - trailing wire2 Use home plug system, large plug thingy connected to modem at one end and plugged in to mains at the other and same arrangement with the laptop any where in the house with a socket.Very solid, secure and fast - made by various manufacturers, can't see any reason why it should not work in Italy.Good luck

Thanks so much everyone - lots to look into.  Have totally forgotten how to find my Alice wireless 26 letter password for other people to use the internet - Penny if you are there???? Sorry to be a pain but I know you sent the link to the website before. Thanks