ok so i got the repeater from the mail, i did what it said in the booklet, i connected it to the house wi-fi and...
it randomly disconnected a minute in.
i paid $45.99 for it.
welp, this means i have both a bad wifi signal AND an wifi chip with bad linux support. even the internet screws up when I'm downstairs where the best wifi signal is. funny thing is, even when i started linux with ubuntu mate on the laptop, i don't remember the wifi issues being this bad.
i honestly don't think there's anything to fix this other than ditching anymore money. I just want a good connection and privacy as well, but i guess i can't get that. God. i hope when i get to build my own pc, i would get a wi-fi chip and signal that actually works for even better, just use ethernet.