Using network extender to connect to WiFi network that also requires user name

Question

To connect to my university WiFi, eduroam, I need to type my user name and password into Windows' network configuration app (system tray, no web GUI). The WiFi signal is however weak from my current indoors location, and only strong enough on the balcony. I'd therefore like to place a repeater (extender) or antenna on the balcony, in order to have the same (unattenuated) signal strength indoors as well.

I have a TP-LINK TL-WA854RE repeater that unfortunately only provides, on its admin webpage, a place for me to type a password for the network I want to extend, but no user name. It's possible to change the network's security protocol (WEP, WPA/PSK etc), but eduroam actually uses EAP, a protocol that probably implies the existence of a user name in addition to a password.

There seems to be no firmware upgrade for this extender model, and TP Link's support suggests their product can not be used to extend public networks, only private ones where access to the router exists.

Is there any other way in which I can use this (or some other) network extender to boost this particular public WiFi network, in other words, to be able to also specify a user name?

Solution 1

As a fellow victim user of eduroam in the past, I highly recommend using a high-gain antenna for better results, such as this one

If you think about it, your WiFi extender will have the same weak connection to eduroam. Sure, your connection will look stronger when you connect to the extender as the signal between your system and it will be very good - but your speed and reliability is always going to be limited by the weakest point in the chain: in this case the WiFi extender - eduroam segment.

This is why an Antenna is a better solution - this directly increases the signal strength without adding the overhead of a secondary WiFi network from the extender.

Edit:

Images taken from the software utility provided with the linked WiFi antenna to show the possibility of connecting to a WPA2 Enterprise network:

You will need WPA/WPA2 802.1X, or WPA/WPA2 Enterprise to connect to eduroam, unfortunately that's not listed for the TPLINK TL-WR940N. This one list's Enterprise connectivity though so should be fine! Based on the reviews you may find a better model now you know what you are looking for, this one is unlikely to exceed 2MBps, which may or may not be a little slow for your purposes.

Solution 2

You are looking for an outdoor wireless bridge that supports 802.11 EAP (wpa2 Enterprise). Something like this https://m.ebay.com/itm/Two-Engenius-EOC5610-600mW-11a-b-g-Outdoor-Dual-Band-Client-Bridge-AP-POE-DD-WRT/362233995461?hash=item5456d420c5:g:f2IAAOSwMGVaeRor

The model doesn't really matter, you want something that's in an outdoor enclosure, Poe for power, and something with at least a +6-9dbi antenna.(and supports dd-wrt) You probably want to find mounting hardware for the repeater to mount it on your balcony.

Comments

[Tim_Stewart]

You are looking for a wireless bridge/repeater that supports 802.11 EAP. Sometimes advertised as WPA2-enterprise. DD-wrt routers support this.

[z8080]

Many thanks! I've edited my post, as I had left out one important detail. Please let me know if this changes your recommendation in any way.

[z8080]

Your observation makes total sense, thank you! I realised that, in trying to be concise, I was not 100% accurate in my OP, which I've edited. The connection to eduroam is actually fine from my balcony, so if I can connect from indoors to a repeated signal of the strength that I have on the balcony, it should be fine. Do you think the antenna is still a better solution than the standard extender/repeater? It too should have an interface whereby I can specify an eduroam login (including a username in addition to the password). Hard to tell if the model you recommended can do this..

[Tim_Stewart]

And why would the extender have the "same weak" signal strength? I've never used one that had less then a +6dbi antenna (that came with it)

[Unencoded]

Good point @Tim_Stewart, it might actually get a stronger signal. Although the signal quality may well improve the wireless repeater would halve the available bandwidth due to having to communicate with both the router and connected devices (unless the repeater allows simultaneous use of two frequency channels, which I haven't seen before but that doesn't mean it doesn't exist!). So as I understand it, unless the improved signal of the repeater can more than double the current connection speed it would be better to get a more powerful antenna to cut the middleman.

[Unencoded]

@z8080 The antenna I linked does indeed support logging into eduroam through the normal Windows network configuration GUI, and also allows you to use any setup software your university may provide to automate the setup of the network. If you do decide to pick one up and need any help you can always reach me through this site, I'll get back to you as soon as I can :)

[z8080]

Unfortunately, where I live (DE) such models seem to not be readily available (at least amazon.de returned nothing for 'repeater eap' or 'dd-wrt'). Also, these past posts seem to conclude that EAP networks cannot be extended with standard extenders. Are you sure that this can be done with the type of extender you mention? reddit.com/r/techsupport/comments/2fz675/… tomshardware.co.uk/answers/id-2344154/…

[z8080]

Thanks so much! I found this model on amazon.de, it looks it might be the same one? amazon.de/SUMGOTT-433Mbps-150Mbps-Windows-10-4-10-12/dp/… Strange it's not advertised as an actual repeater/extender though, and it also does not mention support for extension of EAP networks!

[Unencoded]

You're welcome! I've updated my answer to show the capability of the device to connect to a WPA2 Enterprise networks. That certainly looks like exactly the same model you've found. The reason it isn't described as a repeater is that it isn't one! It plugs directly into your computer and should result in a significantly stronger connection, and therefore a higher network speed. Tim's idea is also perfectly valid, just a little more complex and expensive. On a side note, your English is superb if you are a deutscher Staatsangehöriger.

[z8080]

That's really useful info, thank you! I should have actually mentioned (conciseness aim in the OP really backfired haha!) that I'd like to get more devices than just my PC connected (also my smartphone, tablet) through that same repeated/amplified eduroam signal. So am I correct that an EAP repeater (as @Tim_Stewart suggests below), placed at the mid-point where the eduroam signal is still acceptable, is in fact more suitable than the antenna?..

[z8080]

Oh and thank you for complimenting my English! :) I am actually a Romanian Staatsangehöriger but have studied&lived in both these 2 lovely countries (UK, then DE) :-)

[Unencoded]

Haha we appreciate efforts to be concise nonetheless, don't worry. Tim's suggestion would definitely work for multiple devices and it is probably your best option then! If dual-band repeaters are available, go for those as you will get much better speeds. It sounds like you are a well travelled person, I wish you well in the future!

[z8080]

Still not having any luck .. I bought the TPLINK TL-WR940N router/repeater, however for some reason, with it I cannot even see the eduroam network (whereas my older non-EAP router, as well as my mobile, do see it, from the balcony). Might it be that eduroam is "repeater-proofed", such that it will not let itself be extended by EAP routers?

[z8080]

Regardless, it seems that for the (many) host networks the TL-WR940N does see, it cannot take any user name to connect to them (but only a password), therefore probably does not really support the EAP/WPA2-enterprise protocol.

[z8080]

I'd be happy to exchange it for another repeater and give this another shot, but it seems to me from the product descriptions quite hard to tell if a product is likely to do the job (support this protocol) or not, for instance see amazon.de/300Mbps-Repeater-Wireless-N-Extender-Booster/dp/…

[z8080]

Thanks again for your contributions! I'm still not having any luck with my new router, if you have time please do see my notes above following Sam3000's answer, any new ideas would be greatly appreciated!

[Unencoded]

Answer edited, needed images :)