Getting wifi 100Ft

matt the mic · 30 Aug 2020 at 09:16

I have a small home power line network running strait from the providers hub, I can get good speeds upstairs ( 50mb + ) and around the house. When I go 100Ft down the garden to the office and garage I get a wifi drop out and no signal, the power line gives me about 1-10 mb connection that is very choppy and not a stable connection speed at all.

I am wondering if getting a better wifi router like a TP link archer AX600 will throw a signal that far, I know we need to look at how the RF wave propagates and interacts with objects. Plus if they say the signal goes 300m then real life is going to be on average a lot lower than that due to walls, interference, other wifi items and obstacles. Has any one got any suggestions?

Terminal_Boy · 30 Aug 2020 at 09:49

You’re going to need something like this:

https://www.tp-link.com/uk/business-networking/outdoor-radio/cpe210/

I have 2 on the roof of my house providing WiFi coverage for our gites and the pool terrace over ranges between 25 and 50 metres with some trees in the way. Mine are 2.4GHz models that do manage to penetrate the thick stone walls of the gites to give some indoor coverage.

As for effective range, they claim several kilometres for the CPEs, but I think you’d struggle to get reception on a phone or similar device without a high gain antenna over 100 metres.

No idea what bandwidth you’ll get as I share a 12Mb DL/2 Mb UL connection across the property and get pretty close to this outdoors when I’m the sole WiFi user.

WJA96 · 30 Aug 2020 at 16:55

Mikrotik Wireless Wire is pretty much the default option for this. You get a true 1GbE connection up to 100m and it’s very easy to Install with zero configuration.

visibleman · 31 Aug 2020 at 11:13

For 100ft/30m, i'd go with mounting a decent outdoor wireless access point as @Terminal_Boy said, albeit i'd go for a dual-band product to cover 2.4GHz and 5GHz.

But a point-to-point solution like @WJA96 mentioned is great for throughput (and long distances) but FYI, you'll also need an access point (WiFi) and/or switch for ethernet in your office/garage for your devices, plus (ideally) direct line-of-sight, with little in the way, between the buildings.

Both solutions work though, so it depends what you're after.

WJA96 · 31 Aug 2020 at 16:43

A CPE isn’t an access point. You’ll always be limited by the wireless range of the client, not the transmitter. Those CPE links are for building-to-building solutions, like the Wireless Wire system.

Daaaavvveee · 31 Aug 2020 at 16:50

matt the mic said:
I have a small home power line network running strait from the providers hub, I can get good speeds upstairs ( 50mb + ) and around the house. When I go 100Ft down the garden to the office and garage I get a wifi drop out and no signal, the power line gives me about 1-10 mb connection that is very choppy and not a stable connection speed at all.

I am wondering if getting a better wifi router like a TP link archer AX600 will throw a signal that far, I know we need to look at how the RF wave propagates and interacts with objects. Plus if they say the signal goes 300m then real life is going to be on average a lot lower than that due to walls, interference, other wifi items and obstacles. Has any one got any suggestions?

Can you just run an Ethernet cable down there?

Rroff · 31 Aug 2020 at 17:13

I have a cheapy aftermarket 7DBi "high gain" antenna that I replaced the WiFi one with on my router and stuck it above the window - most WiFi devices get an OK signal the other end of the garden (100feet) from it and using the same antenna on a WiFi dongle (TP-LINK TL-WN722N) that has a removable antenna I can get very good results - even the stock antenna on the TP-LINK does a pretty good job.

(Though if you want to use a range of devices at the end point then some kind of repeater would be needed instead).

EDIT: Things get a bit hairy much beyond that - if I go out in the street beyond the garden it pretty quickly drops off.

WJA96 · 31 Aug 2020 at 20:32

Rroff said:
I have a cheapy aftermarket 7DBi "high gain" antenna that I replaced the WiFi one with on my router and stuck it above the window - most WiFi devices get an OK signal the other end of the garden (100feet) from it and using the same antenna on a WiFi dongle (TP-LINK TL-WN722N) that has a removable antenna I can get very good results - even the stock antenna on the TP-LINK does a pretty good job.

(Though if you want to use a range of devices at the end point then some kind of repeater would be needed instead).

EDIT: Things get a bit hairy much beyond that - if I go out in the street beyond the garden it pretty quickly drops off.

Ive got a Pringles tin that does the same thing, but it’s basically a loud hailer. You need the same antenna at both ends otherwise you’re just screaming at someone a long way away who can’t hear you.

The Wireless Wire is exactly that. Balanced transmission/reception giving a full duplex 1Gbps connection. Just like running a CAT5e cable.

visibleman · 1 Sep 2020 at 12:00

WJA96 said:
A CPE isn’t an access point.

But they can, from my knowledge, be set to act as an AP where as 'Wireless Wire' is purely a PtP 60GHz link from skim reading the blurb (could be wrong).

Personally i'd opt for a Draytek 918R AP considering the distance (which isn't particularly far) and whilst they do work, they aren't a particularly cheap outdoor AP (~£200) for home usage.

Either way, a decent outdoor AP or a PtP link, and then an AP (if needed for WiFi), both work as solutions and only @matt_the_mic knows what's best for his needs.

WJA96 · 1 Sep 2020 at 14:57

visibleman said:
But they can, from my knowledge, be set to act as an AP where as 'Wireless Wire' is purely a PtP 60GHz link from skim reading the blurb (could be wrong).

Personally i'd opt for a Draytek 918R AP considering the distance (which isn't particularly far) and whilst they do work, they aren't a particularly cheap outdoor AP (~£200) for home usage.

Either way, a decent outdoor AP or a PtP link, and then an AP (if needed for WiFi), both work as solutions and only @matt_the_mic knows what's best for his needs.

CPE are highly directional and are designed to beam a VERY narrow signal from one box to another. While you can make them work as an access point, they don’t work very well in that mode. They’re also working in the existing 2.4GHz and 5GHz bands so you have very narrow channel choice whereas the Wireless Wire is 60GHz and that’s been empty every time I’ve scanned the frequency in a domestic environment.

[edit]It’s actually illegal in the UK to use a CPE as an access point because you can basically wipe out any home router you point it at. The reason they go miles between CPEs is because they have massive gain antennae and (relatively) powerful amplification.[/edit]