Category: Wifi

This process is only needed if your extender (‘Fred’) comes disconnected from the printer.

FRED

Plug Fred into a power source near to the printer and wait for top light to turn green.

PRINTER

Go to
SETTINGS
then
WIFI
then
WPS/AOSS

FRED

Press and hold the WPS Button until Lower Light starts flashing

PRINTER

Press OK

FRED

Relocate Fred to a suitable location, e.g. on landing as discussed.
Fred will survive being plugged in and unplugged.

You’ve got that vital Zoom meeting and your usual broadband or wifi is playing up. Sometimes so bad that you can’t continue the meeting. What’s to do?

There’s a short term solution to this and it uses your phone. A technique called tethering. It works if you are using a tablet, laptop or wifi enabled desktop PC.

Here are instructions. These are for a Motorola G series Android but will give you the idea. With other platforms you may need to delve a bit for what you need.

Make sure your phone is charged up first.

1. Go to Settings then the Wireless & Networks section.
2. Choose More then Tethering & Mobile Hotspot.
3. then Set Up Wifi Hotspot.
4. You’ll be asked to enter Network name. You can use what is offered or choose your own. Like ‘Fred’ or somesuch.
5. Enter a password. You can use the default one offered but it will be something like b0b5azaq44 which is impossible to remember. You may choose an alternative which is memorable to you but not guessable by anybody else.
6. Accept default values for Security and Band and hit Save.
7. Flip the Mobile Wi-Fi hotspot option to ON.

What has happened?

You’ve just created a Wifi Router.

On your laptop (or whatever) go to your wifi list, select the name you entered at 4 above and the password at 5.

You are now connected to mobile broadband via your phone!

It may not be as quick as your usual connection (though it might be) and I can’t guarantee that it will be more reliable (though in a good 3g/4g reception area it should be OK).

You’ll also accumulate data charges from your mobile provider if you exceed any free monthly allowance.

Good news is that you are back on the net and back into your meeting.

You can use your phone at the same time, by the way.

When you’ve finished….

Turn off the hotspot (see 7 above) to save on battery and also for security purposes.

1. Plug the extender in near to the router and wait for it to go green. Yes, I do mean near at this time.
2. Press the WPS button on the extender until the tell tale lights change or start blinking (2 seconds should suffice)
3. Press the WPS button on your router until the tell tale lights change or start blinking (2 seconds should suffice)
4. Wait until extender goes green
5. Check available wifi stations, there should be a new one in the style of router_name_EXT. For example, if your router is called ‘sentinel’ then the extender will be named ‘sentinel_EXT’
6. Relocate the extender to a power point somewhere between the router and the target computer (see below)
7. Log in using the same passkey as the main router.
8. See how it goes!

With regard to (6) above, there is no point in having the extender too near the router nor the target computer. A typical situation is connecting to a computer in an upstairs room. Experiment with the extender on the stairs, in a room above the router or next door to the router under the target computer.