Ari

Extending WiFi range

I currently have a broadband/wifi setup at home. I'd like to extend the signal over to a guest house at the other end of my property (around 200 yards away). What would be the best way to do this?? Hi-gain outdoor antennas at both the main house and at the guest house?? A bunch of bridges?? Any specific products that have worked for you???

Kimmo Jaskari

Re: Extending WiFi range

Seems to me you want to go directional, ie have something at your access point end that "shoots" the signal towards the guest house. That way there won't be a lot of spillage into areas where it won't be needed and you'll get as much of the signal as possible used where it is needed.

You might want to try a simple home-build variant before going with pricey outdoor antennas; anybody can make a Cantenna out of a can and a few parts. That might be all you need to get a decent signal at the guest house.

Otherwise of course buying a directional outdoor antenna seems like a good option, I guess.

"If we do happen to step on a mine, Sir, what do we do?"
"Normal procedure, Lieutenant, is to jump 200 feet in the air and scatter oneself over a wide area." -- "BlackAdder 4"

Paul_Sjordal

Re: Extending WiFi range

If you don't mind waiting a bit longer, 802.11N will have 2.5 times the range of the current 802.11G standard. That could solve your problem right there unless you have a lot of interference.

“It’s great to be known, but it’s even better to be known as strange.” —Takeshi Kaga

Kimmo Jaskari

Re: Extending WiFi range

Improved antennas are never a bad idea if one really needs great signal strength, though.

"If we do happen to step on a mine, Sir, what do we do?"
"Normal procedure, Lieutenant, is to jump 200 feet in the air and scatter oneself over a wide area." -- "BlackAdder 4"

Ari

Re: Extending WiFi range

I'm thinking of going with a 15db omni at the transmit side and a 15db dish on the receive side. The reason being that it would be nice having a signal at the pool & lawn between the two houses.

I'm looking at stuff from Radio Labs (www.radiolabs.com). Any experience with them??

Kimmo Jaskari

Re: Extending WiFi range

I'm not in the US so no, but I seem to recall someone else here mentioning that they had a good experience with that company. Take that for whatever its worth though, a vague memory of what someone possibly said at one time or another. You can always do a search here too.

You should be able to get more than 15 dbi for the dish too. No point in not getting the greatest amplification you can get for the directional one.

Not that you'll really need that, I guess, with directionals. I read somewhere where they took two Cantennas, fired those into a couple of left over parabolic dish antennas and had a wlan link over some 20 miles or something like that, so your 15 omni + 15 directional should be plenty enough. Never had a chance to test myself, but it definitely seems like a good option.

"If we do happen to step on a mine, Sir, what do we do?"
"Normal procedure, Lieutenant, is to jump 200 feet in the air and scatter oneself over a wide area." -- "BlackAdder 4"