@LEEINBLACK 

Hi,

I don't use Bitorrent myself and therefore can't test it, but the way these "works-with-any-WiFi-router" range extenders are designed (I mean all of them, not just the one's from TP-Link) it can be a problem to reach devices behind the range extender from an external connection (e.g. the Internet). If Bitorrent relies on being able to access your local client from the external side, then this can be a problem.

"Mesh" systems on the other hand are designed to create a standard-compliant network between all Mesh nodes. So, if your Linksys router supports whatever type of "Mesh", then you are better off with a range extender that supports the exact same type of Mesh as the Linksys router. 
 

  @woozle 

Thanks for the reply.

I was advised to get the TPLink extender by the engineer who installed my wifi (from Community Fibre), stressing how important the mesh aspect was. I'm no techy guy so I had no clue what thatg meant and took his word for it and it does the trick in terms of getting signal to my room. I guess I now need to read on my router and its mesh compatabilty then.

Thanks again!

  @LEEINBLACK 

What the engineer apparently didn't tell you is that there are numerous different Mesh variants (basically every manufacturer has their own) and none of them is compatible with another Mesh variant. The only manufacturer independant variant is "EasyMesh", but apart from TP-Link it is still not widely supported. Linksys has only released a few models with EasyMesh and those were sold only in "select markets".

Can you please post the model number of your Linksys router?
 

  @woozle 

It looks like the router is an Adtran SDX 611 attached to a Linksys node (painted up with Community Fibre logos), model no: SPNMX56.

Surely they wouldn't pair them up if there is a chance of a conflict? 

  @LEEINBLACK 

According to Google the Adtran SDX 611 is just a GPON ONT.

The Linksys is the router and would be the main node if you were to setup a Mesh network. According to its product website the Mesh standard it supports is called "Intelligent Mesh™", which is not compatible to the OneMesh and EasyMesh that the RE300 supports.

https://support.linksys<dot>com/kb/article/951-en/        (replace <dot> with . )

  @woozle 

Thanks for the info.

I did notice in the Tether app when I looked at "One Mesh" option that it says the main router isn't compatible. But I did have a thought - as my PC is conected to my extended network for its wifi and not the route directly, when setting up my dynmaic IP, should the gateway IP address be that of the node and not the main router?

  @LEEINBLACK 

The gateway IP address must still be the one of the main router. If you were to specify the IP address of the RE300 as gateway, then you would most likely end up with no Internet connection at all.

By the way, even if it is not feasible to lay an Ethernet cable all the way from the lounge to your room, you might still want to check if you could at least move the Linksys router closer towards your room by whatever amout is possible (even if it's just 2 or 3 meters) and then check if the PC receives enough signal to establish a stable connection. Extending the antennas of the PC's Wi-Fi card may improve the signal further.
 

  @woozle 

Okay thanks. Makes sense I guess that my PC does list the main router IP address and not that of the node or the extender. It just occured to me since my PC, phone and Firestick are shown as connected to the extender via the Tether app that maybe this distinction also needs to be made in setting up port forwarding. I wish I knew enough about that and torrenting to know if this was the case, but unfortunately all tutorials and troubleshooting articles don't cover these situaitons, they just parrot the same information with no solutions.

My PC came with two antennae that are in the back of it which is why I have the back of the tower faced outwards, literally on my desk (it used to be in a cosy subsection on the base of my desk) and the only reason I get reasonable speeds from the extender (beyond the "guaranteed" 35 mbps of my ISP). 

My house is very old and the walls are thick (like me when it comes to computers!) but I have wondered if moving the router and node a few feet over would help but everytime I do connect to the main router my speeds are dreadful hence the extender, which is why I am pursuing the node/extender as a possible cause before I give up completely. 

Thanks again for your help thus far.

  @LEEINBLACK 

I know many desktop computers have their Wi-Fi antennas mounted at the rear of the case, right next to all the interfaces and cables for connecting peripheral devices (which are potentially a source of interference). 

While this is probably the worst possible location to place an antenna, it is the most convenient and hence most cost effective for the manufacturers.

Provided the Wi-Fi antennas are of the detachable type (usually RP-SMA connectors), then extending them with high quality extension cables can potentially improve the reception a lot.
 

  @woozle 

Yes, they screw in on the back. I don't know why the sockets aren't at the top and near the bottom - perhaps they expect people to have their routers on low levels or something?

I've contacted my ISP's tech guys to see what they think about my extender theory but I am not confident they'll have an answer beyond the default "try plugging directly into the router" despite me explaining numerous times why this isn't possible. I do wonder if the signal strength is a deciding factor in connecting to trackers as people can still connect with low bandwith; I did try a few minutes back switching to the direct router signal and not the extender one and it didn't make a bit of difference to the BT client connection status. That said, when I stil had my ethernet fibre broadband connection, my new PC still worked like a charm on torrents which is why I suspect the node or extender has to be the issue.

Maybe I am living in vain optimism that there is a solution and I should prepare for the worst case scenario of going without a fully working torrenting schedule from now on...