Get a different broadband provider.

Just get a different router - no need to change broadband provider.

Thank you chaps. Plenty to think about. TP keeps coming up and several people have mentioned them for power line adaptors to extend for wifi with lan ports for TV etc. We had NTL/Comcast/Virgin for many years and had mainly trouble free service. Unfortunately where we now live there is no Virgin cabling within 20 miles of us. Quite happy with BT in general, fairly close to our local exchange which is now all fibre connected so we gat around 35Mbps on our broadband. The new Hub6 router seems fine but struggles against the construction and layout of our house, hence the extenders. I have seen a TP kit of three units, one slave and two remote extenders which I think will do the job for about £65. Thanks for your experiences and suggestions. It gives me confidence that these electronic gizmos really do work.

Cheers Concrete

WiFi extenders and Powerline adaptors can both do the job, and I use both, but they are different animals.

A simple wifi extender needs a mains power socket to plug into, and must also be within range of your router to pick up the signal - it will then boost the signal to extend the range.

A powerline adaptor uses your domestic electricity ring-main to carry the signal around all sockets on the same ring-main, including areas outside of wifi coverage. You need at least 2 adaptors, one placed near the router and connected to the router by ethernet cable, and the second placed wherever you need to boost the signal. This can be linked to your IT computer / printer / etc either by another ethernet cable or by wifi. You can have as many adaptors as you need (I have 4). Its probably a good idea to buy all the same brand for compatibility, though this isn't necessary and you can add additional adaptors later. However they do conduct signals at different speeds and if you have a mix of adaptors they will default to the speed of the slowest adapter. A starter kit of 2 adaptors will cost £30-£40 and will come with instructions for setting up (not difficult).

I take a wifi extender extender with me when travelling, but Powerline adaptors give far better and more reliable coverage and these are what I use at home. Reliable, and reasonably inexpensive, brands are TP-Link or Netgear.