Hi Everyone, thank you for any help you can offer!!

1. Please understand that I have just about 0 knowledge and haven’t been able to really understand or work with technology in 15 years, so everything needs to be explained like I’m a silent generation idiot ;).

2. I am renting a temporary space, that came set up with internet already, and have been unable to get a hold of the apartment owner to discuss what internet package they may be paying for or if they may be willing to upgrade while I am here, so I am mostly on my own in finding a solution.

I am renting a 3rd floor apartment for the winter, my lease in only 6 months so anything I do needs to be temporary. The apartment is probably about 600/700sq ft or less and consists of a front living room, a center kitchen, and two back bedrooms. Comcast internet was already set up when I arrived. There is a cable box, a Netgear C3700 modem/router combo, and a FireTV in the living room. One bedroom has a smartTV and a cable box, the other room has a wifi extender I added (and cable access in the wall). I use a 2019 iMAC in the room with the extender and work from home on zoom meetings all day. There are approximately 100 units in this complex but only about 20 of them have full week renters, occupancy increases on the weekend as this is a complex on the beach, in a quiet, more isolated area. I do notice the internet gets worse as people return in the evening or on the weekends.

Both TV’s use HDMI cords to plug into the cable boxes, which plug into the cable outlets in the wall, and often have a lag when changing channels or access streaming services. Not sure if that is a TV issue or a connectivity issues.

My computer was previously used on another wifi network and was pretty consistent in video speed and quality. Since arriving here it has been really spotty, often freezing, or having poor video or sound quality. My work depends on these meetings and face time with clients, so this has been a big issue. The wifi extender seems not to be helping much and moving the computer to the living room is not really an option due to space.

Internet on my phone also is awful. It does not have any better connection than the TV or computer on the wifi network. I recently switched to T-Mobile and this particular area does not get a strong signal for them either, so hotspots have not been an option.

I did a speed test over the wifi (I do not have an ethernet cord) and my download speed is 57.54, upload is 11.91, and pings are 14…I don’t understand most of that but do know that without an ethernet cord these numbers may not be accurate.

I tried to login to the router to see if it needed to be updated, but it wanted me to change the password and security questions, and as I am not the router owner, I did not want to touch that. It wouldn’t let me bypass the requested security changes.

My Questions are:

1. How do I increase my speed or stability despite not having access to the service or account?

2. Do I need a second router? A upgraded router? An powerline (I’m not sure what that is or how to use it)? 400 ft of ethernet cable strung from the living room, through the kitchen, to the back of the apartment? Is there a way to bypass the available internet and get something better, like a little satellite gadget maybe?

For additional information: I do not game…I just watch Disney+ and Youtube, surf the internets, and utilize telemeetings for 5-8 hours a day. Again, any help, using tiny words and possibly even pictures, would be appreciated!

Thank you!!