35 replies to this topic

[prasamin]

Need to buy a long range wireless router....or strong signal
Problem i face right now is lack of signal due to contruction here....solid concrete walls etc
Need signal to penetrate through 4 floors of concrete in my entire building so i can skype or surf when i am in my flat on the 4th floor, or on the terrace on the floor right above me, or in any one of the 8 flats in my building

Looking to keep my total cost under 100 dollars....around 50 even better lol...only need it for the 6 months i am here

[Mesoam]

some have signal strength built in have you checked the admin settings? by default I think they're on a lower setting

[Spanky]

I was pulling a signal in from a few miles away a couple of years back with a grid antenna and a couple of custom pigtails, and some low loss cable. I believe what your looking for is a "repeater/expander" but I could be wrong.

[prasamin]

I have a DD-WRT Linksys which I'm messing with right now. I'm cranking up the antennas, but I doubt it's going to do the trick. I'll report back tomorrow.

I'd like to keep it as simple as possible. When I leave, my parents will come stay here on and off, so if I can just get a single router with crazy antennas or the like, then it would make life much easier for them.

The Netgear I'm currently using does not have an option to crank the antennas up, nor is it DD-WRT or Tomato compatible. Let me report back on the Linksys. It has internal antennas also, which might be holding it back some.

[Mossback]

I sell industrial wireless, we traditionally use commercial WiFi access points with external antennas.

Some high gain antennas are available for home AP's (like this)
http://www.hdcom.com...hzantennas.html

If there is still a problem, you need to at minimum get the antenna to the other side of the wall. (Note: Rebar and mesh fencing can create a significant RF barrier.)
If you're trying to get further away there are also patch and parabolic (directional) antennas, but any way you cut it, internal antennas are a fail for this type of capability.

[prasamin]

Mossback, on 27 January 2012 - 05:10 PM, said:

I sell industrial wireless, we traditionally use commercial WiFi access points with external antennas.

Some high gain antennas are available for home AP's (like this)
http://www.hdcom.com...hzantennas.html

If there is still a problem, you need to at minimum get the antenna to the other side of the wall. (Note: Rebar and mesh fencing can create a significant RF barrier.)
If you're trying to get further away there are also patch and parabolic (directional) antennas, but any way you cut it, internal antennas are a fail for this type of capability.

we have rebar only in the supporting pillars...the walls are literally solid brick and concrete....


so can i get a typically dd-wrt/tomato flashable router and add an omni directional antenna and get significant gains?

I just tested the signal on my Linksys DD-Wrt with internal antenna, and i am only good within my flat and outside at the lift and down to the flat right below me....if i go to the terrace, or below the 3rd floor, no luck with connecting to my network

[db130]

with dd-wrt you should be able to increase the signal output

[Mossback]

prasamin, on 27 January 2012 - 06:26 PM, said:

so can i get a typically dd-wrt/tomato flashable router and add an omni directional antenna and get significant gains?

Make sure the antenna is rated for 5 to 9 db gain. another element is the 802.11 ratings have different range characteristics directly proportional to their bandwidth.
This is illustrated when we deploy WiFi at a truck yard. We set the radios exclusively to 802.11b (the least bandwidth) or G, to get the furthest range. This band tweaking process would be secondary to firmware and antenna upgrades.

[Hanks]

powerline ethernet then setup another router upstairs. ~100$ for both brand new.

[Aequitas_Veritas]

Hanks, on 27 January 2012 - 10:08 PM, said:

powerline ethernet then setup another router upstairs. ~100$ for both brand new.

agreed

[prasamin]

I have 3 routers sitting here...
i am now using the Linksys with DDWRT as my main router connected to my incoming WAN wire

Would it be possible to place the other 2 routers in different locations of my house and use them as range extenders without powerline adapters?

basically have the 2 routers connect wirelessly to the main router in the bedroom, so that if i am in closer range to either of them, i can get a strong signal?....use them as repeaters or whatever it's called...

db130, on 27 January 2012 - 06:57 PM, said:

with dd-wrt you should be able to increase the signal output

already went into DD-WRT and cranked the internal antennas all the way up...only getting a minimal improvement in signal

[Che'_Moderator]

You are going to need two devices at the min. You also are going to need to be in the 2 watt range if you are even dreaming of IEEE 802.xx. If you do not need a lot of bandwidth you can go to ULF bridges. Either way, you will need two devices as your mobile device will not have broadcast power you need. You are in India. Sure there is a 5watt cellphone jamming device of a router around there somewhere for under 5 dollars.

[prasamin]

Che, on 28 January 2012 - 03:28 AM, said:

You are going to need two devices at the min. You also are going to need to be in the 2 watt range if you are even dreaming of IEEE 802.xx. If you do not need a lot of bandwidth you can go to ULF bridges. Either way, you will need two devices as your mobile device will not have broadcast power you need. You are in India. Sure there is a 5watt cellphone jamming device of a router around there somewhere for under 5 dollars.

I just need to access the internet when i'm drinking on the terrace, or chilling downstairs....my internet connection is $75 per month, and I'm getting 1.5Mbps up and down...so I don't need any bandwidth...i just need to be able to surf the internet or watch my slingbox from anywhere in the building.....i would think a router with Tomato or DDWRT, and a strong pair of external antennae would do the trick??

[Che'_Moderator]

Issue is really power. Your laptop probably has a 200mw antenna, and your router maybe 800 if you are lucky. So even if your laptop sees your router the router will not be able to see the laptop. Hence you are going to need mulltiple WAPs.

[prasamin]

Che, on 28 January 2012 - 06:11 AM, said:

Issue is really power. Your laptop probably has a 200mw antenna, and your router maybe 800 if you are lucky. So even if your laptop sees your router the router will not be able to see the laptop. Hence you are going to need mulltiple WAPs.

Ok, so is it possible to use my extra router as an access point to sling around my wireless signal?

I guess kind of like a hotspot which gets it's internet connection from my main router?

yeah, the Linksys router i have with DDWRT is maxed out at 251mw.

Edited by prasamin, 28 January 2012 - 06:49 AM.

[prasamin]

So i was able to set up my ddwrt loaded linksys as a repeater, and placed it at the other end of the flat......works so far on both ends of my terrace, and need to check downstairs tmro.....
Unfortunately as soon as i crank the antenna up past 50mW, it takes a dive every few minutes.....assuming its heating up too much....need a ddwrt router with more extreme tolerance so it can transmit further

[Che'_Moderator]

prasamin, on 28 January 2012 - 01:30 PM, said:

So i was able to set up my ddwrt loaded linksys as a repeater, and placed it at the other end of the flat......works so far on both ends of my terrace, and need to check downstairs tmro.....
Unfortunately as soon as i crank the antenna up past 50mW, it takes a dive every few minutes.....assuming its heating up too much....need a ddwrt router with more extreme tolerance so it can transmit further

Yes and those are not under 50 dollars each. For distances you are talking I would say ~2000mw or hang what you have out the window.

[prasamin]

Che, on 28 January 2012 - 02:59 PM, said:

Yes and those are not under 50 dollars each. For distances you are talking I would say ~2000mw or hang what you have out the window.

yeah, looks like ddwrt goes up to 251mW....not gonna cut it on the linksys.....i need to keep an eye out for something that can get me atleast 1000mW and place them in different areas of the house.....i have seen outdoor antennas but i cant really keep a window open for wiring pass through.....i have the repeater and router at oppo9site ends of the house, adjacent to windows....i may need to rig up cooling for the repeater so i can experiment by turning it up to max

heard good things abt a hacked wrt54g linksys...gonna research that a bit

[bdimag]

can you throw some heatsinks or fans on it somewhere? didn't i see a write-up for that on the webs?

[PyROTech]

http://www.data-alliance.net/ got some nice stuff from them. have this http://www.data-alli...olic/Detail.bok

also if you want super easy...
http://home.cisco.co...1000/RE1000.pdf
have 2 of these and could not be more simple.

EDITED PART: i also have some alfa usb wifi adapters... have this http://www.data-alli...00mW/Detail.bok and this http://www.data-alli...-USB/Detail.bok

Edited by PyROTech, 28 January 2012 - 07:24 PM.