ot: wireless router range question

jerrod · Post #1 » by **jerrod** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:21 pm

so, quick synopsis: my aunt's house and my grandma's house are ~150' of open space apart and my aunt wants to see if she can have a wireless router set up at her house and then use her laptop wirelessly at my grandma's house. there would be a total of 2 walls (one of which would be like a glass patio door, i don't know if that makes a difference) and 150' of open space between the router and laptop.

is this doable? anyone know?

Post #2 » by **MickeyDavis** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:33 pm

There are variables but it very well could work. I get several of my neighbors signals. Just make sure to secure yours so no one else can hack in.

jeremyd236 · Post #3 » by **jeremyd236** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:40 pm

I pick up my neighbor's nextdoor as well, but it is ver weak. It could work, however I'd go to Best Buy and ask them about routers that have extra long ranges (they differ in ranges, some are very large). And like MD said, with a router covering this much area make sure to password protect it.

JoeHova · Post #4 » by **JoeHova** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:44 pm

I believe you can also buy antennas that will extend the range of a router, though I don't know how well they work.

Whether a signal will carry 150' depends greatly on the router itself and also the interference in the area. I think you'll possibly have to do a bit of trial and error to find one that will work.

Post #5 » by **MickeyDavis** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:44 pm

It's amazing how many people don't put a password on their wireless connection. Maybe they think you have to enter it every time and don't want to be bothered with it. But you don't have to enter it every time and even if you did it would be well worth the protection.

jerrod · Post #6 » by **jerrod** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:47 pm

thanks guys, i just hate to buy the stuff and then have it not quite work.

this is at the edge of a really small town so i don't think interference would be a problem.

i was thinking maybe a directional antenna would be the best bet.

smauss · Post #7 » by **smauss** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:50 pm

I just purchased a router and in the process of researching was very impressed with the range they get on some of the newer models. The DLink Xtreme appears to be quite good. Don't forget to make sure to have a higher end card to receive the signals, and as MD said, secure your network!

REDDzone · Post #8 » by **REDDzone** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:51 pm

I'm pretty sure most routers have the range printed on their package before you buy them.

Just give it a look before you make the purchase.

Post #9 » by **MickeyDavis** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:56 pm

They do but there are several factors involved, there really is no way to know ahead of time without trying it out.

jerrod · Post #10 » by **jerrod** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 8:59 pm

MickeyDavis wrote:They do but there are several factors involved, there really is no way to know ahead of time without trying it out.

bummer, i was hoping the lack of walls thing might really improve it but maybe not.

i guess i'll have to run to store and talk to someone there

Post #11 » by **MickeyDavis** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 9:56 pm

The less obstacles the better absolutely. But there is no way to be sure without trying it. The router may state a distance but it will say something like "range UP TO XXX feet". And a salesman will probably tell you what you want to hear. Make sure you can return it if it doesn't work.

Chapter29 · Post #12 » by **Chapter29** » Wed Apr 30, 2008 10:05 pm

There are several factors at play here.

1st the range of the wireless AP itself. 2nd the range of the wireless adapter to talk back to the AP. And finally the greater the distance the lower the data rate. Walls, metal, glass etc all behave differently when talking about signal absorption. Our office for example I can put a high gain antenna on an AP and place it right next to the window and only have about 20' of range outside, that glass is from Krypton or something. Directional antennas or high gains will extend the range of the AP, there is no doubt on that, but the directional antennas will have poor coverage outside of the area that its pointed in.

If you extended your cell (range of the AP) too large you're client will have trouble talking back to the AP and have tons of wireless retries.

Now if you implement the 802.11n standard (both client and AP) you will get better range for a variety of reasons including some features to contend with client range issues and retries.

In all it will probably work if there aren't many walls or obstacles to contend with, but your throughput may not be ideal. Very much worth a try.

beyond_the_arc · Post #13 » by **beyond_the_arc** » Thu May 1, 2008 1:30 am

MickeyDavis wrote:It's amazing how many people don't put a password on their wireless connection. Maybe they think you have to enter it every time and don't want to be bothered with it. But you don't have to enter it every time and even if you did it would be well worth the protection.

Incorrect, setting up a password and locking a network is ONLY needed if you intend to create an actual network of devices for sharing content. You can't touch my laptop with yours even if we're sitting at the same table in Panera using their wi-fi. The computers have to individually join a network created by the admin. When your wireless router is open configured, people can use the internet, like when a friend brings over a laptop and then you don't have to go through the pain in the ass of unlocking the network and verifying the computer ID and allowing them to connect (i.e. even them having the password will not allow them to connect to the network).

Post #14 » by **paulpressey25** » Thu May 1, 2008 1:53 am

BTA....I'm not 100% positive that you are correct on that. I think the guy that has the router can pick up any and all signals coming through it. There was a big story on this the other day in USA Today or the like. It essentially said that some hacker guys set up unprotected networks in apartment buildings or near hotels and sucker people into using them, while then mining data that goes through the router.

Jerrod, I've had tremendous success with the Belkin N router and then a separate card with antenna plugged into the PC. See the link below. It isn't cheap but works extremely well and I have tremendous range. I think this might work in a rural setting with normal wood construction homes.

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5D8231-4- ... B000FPIVLU

jerrod · Post #15 » by **jerrod** » Thu May 1, 2008 2:27 am

paulpressey25 wrote:.

Jerrod, I've had tremendous success with the Belkin N router and then a separate card with antenna plugged into the PC. See the link below. It isn't cheap but works extremely well and I have tremendous range. I think this might work in a rural setting with normal wood construction homes.

http://www.amazon.com/Belkin-F5D8231-4- ... B000FPIVLU

awesome, thanks pp. i'll check with her and see if she's willing to spend that much.

Post #16 » by **MickeyDavis** » Thu May 1, 2008 2:30 am

Yeah PP he is not correct on that at all. Maybe most people couldn't get into his computer but I sure could and so could many who know how to do it

Post #17 » by **paulpressey25** » Thu May 1, 2008 2:53 am

Jerrod, here is a good review on the Belkin.

http://news.idg.no/cw/art.cfm?id=A13080 ... 4D6D68859C

The model I have is the one in the Amazon link with three antennas on it. You could buy it, set it up and maybe take it back if it didn't work.

In regards to the discussion on security, there may be a couple concepts here as I re-read BTA's post. I think his post is implying that using your wi-fi at Panera would not allow another user to access your computer. That may be accurate but maybe someone else can weigh in.

However, I do believe that it is possible for other users or Panera themselves to pilfer your data if it is not encypted. So that they could obtain passwords, financial data, etc that you might be accessing via the wi-fi.

This blog post addresses some of the security issues with using an unsecured wi-fi network.

http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/networking/?p=489

smauss · Post #18 » by **smauss** » Thu May 1, 2008 3:12 am

Your correct PP. Take a step back and think about this; if your data is being transmitted through the air to the router, is it hard to think that that data couldn't be intercepted, and retransmitted to the router by another computer without one realizing it? The answer is "absolutely!" I'm not an encryption expert but if your data was encrypted, it would at least protect your data to some level.

beyond_the_arc · Post #19 » by **beyond_the_arc** » Thu May 1, 2008 7:39 am

MickeyDavis wrote:Yeah PP he is not correct on that at all. Maybe most people couldn't get into his computer but I sure could and so could many who know how to do it

Great, let's meet for lunch as I could use the entertainment of watching you waste an hour.

Chapter29 · Post #20 » by **Chapter29** » Thu May 1, 2008 10:22 am

beyond_the_arc wrote:Incorrect, setting up a password and locking a network is ONLY needed if you intend to create an actual network of devices for sharing content. You can't touch my laptop with yours even if we're sitting at the same table in Panera using their wi-fi. The computers have to individually join a network created by the admin. When your wireless router is open configured, people can use the internet, like when a friend brings over a laptop and then you don't have to go through the pain in the ass of unlocking the network and verifying the computer ID and allowing them to connect (i.e. even them having the password will not allow them to connect to the network).

This is 100% incorrect.