Adding desktop PCs to home wireless

Question

I've got the FIOS router in my basement.  Part of my home network is wired with 1000 base-T nics, IPs assigned through DHCP.  I would like to add two computers two floors upstairs to the network wirelessly.   The computers are probably about 100ft away from the router.
The computers should be able to access the other computers on the network as well as the internet just as though they were wired.
Is this possible to do?   If so, what kind of equipment do I need to get the best performance?  Any brands/suggestions would be appreciated.
Note: the computers upstairs are connected to each other through nic's (they used to be part of the wired network)  is it possible to get a single "wifi hub/router" to connect both back into the network?

Answer 1

Yes, what you want to do is possible, but it is probably going to be a bit difficult if you want high LAN speed.  Home class wireless access points generally do not propagate signals as well up and down as they do horizontally, so available signals to upper floors may be quite weak.  In addition, any material through which the signal must pass (such as floors and walls) will attenuate the strength, and all construction types are not equal.
Note that you can get good speed over wireless if it is set up correctly, but you will never approach the speed you should have over a gigabit wired connection.  With the right equipment and a perfect setup, you might get a 300M connection MAX, but I doubt it.  Do not count on anything over 100M (and you may not even get that).  Your speed will first be limited by the specific equipment you use, and secondly by the strength of the signal and type of network security (along with other configuration decisions).
There are lots of different products available to you that could help in setting up the network you desire, but it is difficult to suggest anything at all without more information.  At a bare minimum, you need to at least tell us the model and revision number of your router.  Have you even tried to activate the wireless on the router and checked for a signal upstairs?
If you cannot see a signal from your router to the upper floors, you might consider powerline adapters to set up an access point near your new computers.