Internet service on computer not dir...

I have had ATT dsl service for 3 years, and my desktop (directly connected) and my laptop (in an upstairs room) have had excellent internet service. Then I switched over to U-verse TV, and a 2-wire 425 modem was installed in my basement for my computers. The desktop (no longer directly connected to the modem) was having internet connectivity problems, so ATT subsequently directly wired the desktop on the first floor to the modem in the basement, which more or less resolved that issue. However, the laptop, whether used upstairs or on the first floor, now gets very sluggish internet reception. One friend suggested a better Ethernet card for the laptop, but I think ATT U-Verse service should be able to provide signals as strong throughout my house as the regular ATT dsl service did. I have TVs on both floors, and they seem to function equally well now that they are "on" U-Verse. The ATT service person who was here last evening said that signals don't travel so well upward, and he made an appointment to return in order to "rewire the whole house", relocating the modem to the first or second floor rather than in the basement. This all sounds very strange to me. Couldn't he provide a "router" for the first and/or second floor computer users? I'd like some suggestions before I have ATT here for a 4th time. Thanks.