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I have a storage unit which is in the basement of typical townhouse-style apartment building in New York City. I can't set up internet in this room and I can't tap into any of the tenants wireless signals. The room has no windows and is in the middle of the building. I can't set up any equipment outside of the room, such as an antenna because the landlord wouldn't approve. Is there anything I can use to boost the neighborhood wireless signals I receive. Time Warner cable has a plan called Access Pass, where you pay a daily, weekly, or monthly fee and you can use their neighborhood wireless signal. But when I'm in the storage room I'm not able to receive the Time Warner signal. When I step out on the sidewalk I can receive it.

Would a Wifi Range Extender be a good option for my circumstances?

EDIT: Since posting this question I've come to the conclusion that I can't get a normal internet connection in the room. However, I am able to get 1g data speed on my cell phone, which I use for light browsing. So I will get a mobile hotspot. Even if it's slow it will still be better than no internet at all.

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Unless I am mistaken, your goal is to get wifi where there is none. Now I assume from your question that you cannot put the wifi extender anywhere OUTSIDE the room (the no antennas part of the question). Assuming this, you would need to put the extender INSIDE of the room. The problem with that is there is no wifi signal in the room, so the extender wouldn't have anything to extend! If I am reading your question correctly, the only way to get wifi into the room would be to run an Ethernet cable into the room and attach a router to create your own wifi network.

TL;DR:. No, a wifi extender is not the hardware you are looking for.

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  • I do pick up many wifi signals in the room, just not the TWC signal. So I was thinking a range extender would pick it up.
    – whitewings
    May 23, 2017 at 0:59
  • @user8547 Range extenders can only extend what they pick up. So if you can pick it up in the room, you can extend it. But if you can pick it up, you probably don't need to extend it. And therein lies your problem.
    – NoahL
    May 23, 2017 at 3:23
  • So is there no solution to my problem?
    – whitewings
    May 23, 2017 at 14:06
  • Not that I can think of, @user8547
    – NoahL
    May 23, 2017 at 15:03
  • The room next to mine faces the street. I'll see if I can pick up the TWC signal in there. If so I could put a range extender in there. The landlord always keeps that room open.
    – whitewings
    May 23, 2017 at 15:15
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I live in a large house and we have used range extenders in the past. Currently we use an Edimax Pro like: https://www.amazon.com/Edimax-Dual-Band-Ceiling-Mount-Business-CAP1200/dp/B00UCKZ7SI

It's a little on the high end price wise. We actually have it hooked up to an ethernet cable now but I believe it can be used as a wifi range extender as well. Works great for us.

I want to verify: the Time Warner neighborhood wireless signal you refer to is a wifi signal, not a cell signal, right? If it's a wifi signal, you should just be able to choose a wifi range extender that's the lowest price for the range you need. However if you have walls and doors between the source, range extender, and your room (which is sounds like you do), then get one with a much larger range than what you think you will need. Our walls made the wifi die down pretty quickly, and we had to position the range extenders along long hallways to get network access where we needed it.

If the Time Warner neighborhood wireless signal is a cell signal, then you need to convert it to a wifi signal first using something like a MiFi in order to use a wifi range extender. That gets pricey.

Also, wifi range extenders really increase network latency, so playing games that aren't turn based will be frustrating.

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  • It's a wifi signal. But NoahL doesn't think range extenders will work.
    – whitewings
    May 23, 2017 at 0:58
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    NoahL is correct, in order for this to work at least one wifi range extender would need to be set up outside of your room where the regular wifi signal extends to. You'd have to find an unused out of the way power outlet you can use to power the range extender that is also within the regular wifi signal area. This may not be hard if you need your wifi signal temporarily. For a permanent solution, perhaps you could make friends with someone who has a storage unit within the regular wifi area, and ask to set up a range extender in their unit.
    – ElectricWhite
    May 27, 2017 at 22:37

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