Probably a dumb computer/network type question

[joetron]

The wifi that we have at work is really shitty, constantly going in and out, and I need my Pandora and Spotify. The wifi is for the lodge, but our shop is tucked away in a dank corner and the signal is sketchy.

We do have an Ethernet cable that we use to plug in a laptop now and then. Would it be possible to just plug in a wireless router to that Ethernet cable so we have our own little network?

[dumpy]

Probably, depends on how tight network security is.

if plugging in any old laptop works, then yes, go for it. If you need to do any type of network registration, supply a MAC address to the tech folks or in any other deal with an IT person to make it work, probably not unless they help you out.

[Obstruction]

This little son of a gun worked amazingly well for me when we rented a ski condo last year that had a wired internet connection but no wireless (which did me fuck all good with an ipad.)

TP-Link 150 mps Wireless N Nano Router TL-WR702N http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2405056,00.asp

You have to set it up in advance of use from a PC it has mutiple modes- bridge, router, etc. but it defaults to the wired to wireless usage I believe. Fired right up for us.

Best of all it was $20 on amazon.

[RShea]

Dumpy has discussed some of the issues, however the Mac address of the laptop could easily be cloned and duplicated on some routers that have this feature. However if the IT people want to eliminate using the rouge router (and know anything about their network) they could detect it other ways and shut it down.

It is worth testing to see if the issue is in fact the weak wifi signal.

[mobygrape]

wifi booster can help extend range if you get signal, but it is weak.

Can you just use that ethernet cable or extend it? If this is for a cell phone, yeah, guess not