During the last couple of weeks I have been asked on a few occasions if the old wireless routers that you were using on Smallworld are of any use and what to do with them.
The answer depends on which wireless router you were using and how old it is.
If the wireless router that you had was bought within the last 4 years then it is likely to be a Wireless N 300 Mbps cable router. If this is the case then you can still get use out of the router as a wireless repeater / access point.
If you have an older Wireless G 54 Mbps router then you may still be able to find a use for it but there will be bandwidth limitations that prevent you achieving the maximum speed supplied by Virgin.
So if your router is relatively new and lists Wireless N on the base then here is a suggestion to continue using it:
If you have any “Wifi Black Spots” or “Wifi Dead Zones” around the house (areas that don’t receive a good signal or no signal at all) then you could use your old router as a repeater and effectively create a second wireless network in your home.
The main Virgin Superhub will provide the initial internet and Wifi for one area. By taking a hard wire line to the old router, it will rebroadcast the signal to another area of your home.
Powerline Homeplug Twinset
Ideally if you could get an ethernet cable running from one (Virgin Hub) to the other (old router) to provide this signal. However this isn’t usually practical so the alternative may be a set of Home Plug adapters.
Home Plug adapters utilise the electrical ring main wiring of the house to carry the signal from A – B.
Example Diagram (Please excuse the poor graphic diagram)