Any Macbook (the name for all the Intel Mac laptops) support 5GHz. Older ones supported this via 802.11a (54mbit), and newer ones support it via 802.11n (150mbit). The iPad (either version) also supports 5ghz via 802.11n. The iPhone/iPod touch only support 2.4ghz, and I believe pretty much every other WiFi smartphone also only supports 2.4.

Keep in mind a device may support 802.11n, but not support 5ghz, and only support 2.4ghz. Read the specs carefully.


Access point = device that provides a WiFi network and allows clients to join. Once joined, clients pass their messages to the access point to then be sent onto another client. The alternative would be ad-hoc, where each wireless computer talks directly to each other.

Bridge = device that joins two different types of networks together, converting between the two physical types of networks. WiFi to Ethernet, Ethernet to Coax, Ethernet to Powerline, etc.

An access point is also a bridge. It's providing a WiFi network for wireless clients, and also bridges them into a wired ethernet network. Bridges just send over whatever traffic they see on either side of the connection to the other when appropriate.


No real downsides to this approach, if the router can go into pure access point/bridge mode.

I'll describe my previous setup where I did something similar, using two Airport Express devices. They can be a router, or just an access point/bridge device.

In my basement I had the cable modem, and it plugged into a router. The router had no wireless function, just wired. Router was set to hand out DHCP addresses from 192.168.0.10 to 192.168.0.200. The router then connected into the 24 port switch in the wiring cabinet. From there, ethernet in the walls provided two or more connections per room.

On one side of the house upstairs, I had an airport express (AE1) plugged in via ethernet to the wall. It was set to access point/bridge mode, channel 1, and just picked up an IP for it's self with DHCP from the router.

On the other side of the house, I had a second airport express (AE2) plugged in via ethernet to the wall. It was set to access point/bridge mode, channel 11, and also picked up a DHCP IP from the router.

Both AE1 and AE2 were set to the same wireless network name, and the same security settings. If I turned on a laptop, it would pick whichever one had the best signal. It would switch if I moved between AE1 to AE2 sides of the house. The laptop could also talk to any wired devices, no matter which AE it connected to. The entire network was one network, wireless via AE1, AE2 or wired.

For my setup I picked DHCP on the Airport Express units since they use a configuration utility that can discover them. I never needed to know the IP, so I didn't set a static IP.


For your use if you go with DLink equipment, and based on the one downstairs already, I'd recommend the following:
Main DLink in router mode in the basement, 192.168.0.1. Use channel 1, 6 or 11.
Second DLink in the attic, 192.168.0.2, set to access point/bridge mode, and the same 2.4ghz wireless network name/security setting as as DLink in the basement. Change the channel to 1, 6, or 11, and set this differently then DLink in the basement.

Reason I recommend 1, 6 or 11 is that the WiFi channels overlap a bit. 1 also talks a little on the frequency range of 2 and 3 (as well as some frequency space below channel 1). Channel 6 overlaps on 4, 5 7 and 8. Channel 11 overlaps a little on 9, and 10. You really don't want overlap especially between your two wireless spots in the house.

For 5ghz, there are many more channels available, so overlap is much less of a concern. If the access point in the attic does support 5ghz, I'd recommend setting that on a separate wireless network name. I for example have "Network 2" and "Network 5" to make it clear, and to let me join the 5ghz easily. Not all wireless clients pick between 2.4 and 5ghz properly if the networks are named the same.