Long-range Wifi transmitters. Wifi routers radius and range

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As practice shows, such a parameter as the range of a wifi router plays an important role when choosing a router. After all, the future operation of your wireless network will depend on this.

Imagine, it will not be very pleasant if the WiFi signal does not reach some point in your home, or if there is a signal, but the speed indicators will be weak. Therefore, let's look at what the maximum range of a WiFi network can be, and how it can be increased.

Why increase the range of a wifi router?

Usually, for an ordinary city apartment, a very ordinary router is enough; its signal spreads to all corners of the home. But if you want to do single network with a neighbor, this is where problems can arise.

It happens that a person lives in a private house and wants the Internet to be present in the garage and summer kitchen. This is where you have to think about how far your router will “reach” and how this distance can be increased.

What is the range of action?

If we draw an analogy, then work wireless router can be compared to the work of a tower mobile operator, with the only difference being that the router has a much smaller coverage area and communicates via WiFi. Radius of action standard router approximately 100-200 meters, and then this is if there are no obstacles, and if there are reinforced concrete walls or metal structures in its path, then the coverage area can be reduced to 50 meters.

Factors affecting network range:

Protocol type 802.11
Antenna gain
Transmitter power
Obstacles and interference in the signal path
Length and attenuation of antenna cables

Dependence of radius on 802.11 protocol

You can increase the range of your wireless network different ways. This parameter is affected by both the location of the router itself and its settings. Let's figure out what you can do to increase your network coverage.

Correct router configuration

The coverage area of your wireless network may be significantly reduced due to airborne interference. neighbors WiFi devices, a microwave oven, or even a regular baby monitor.

To avoid this, you should pay attention to what channel your router is operating on. If the channels coincide with a nearby router, then there may be problems with the network and a significant reduction in the range. So go into your router's settings and see what channel it's on.

Setting up the router channel

The most ideal option would be if you set the channel selection to automatic mode. Then the router will independently analyze the channel congestion and select the optimal one for better work networks.

It would be nice if your router and its receivers can operate at a frequency of 5 GHz, then you can switch to this frequency range. The reception range will decrease slightly, but there will be less interference, and the network will work more stable and faster.

Correct installation of the router

The router should be placed in the center of the building on an elevated place. In this case, you should take into account where your receiving devices will be located and the number of obstacles in front of them. After all, if in some distant room there is a laptop with a weak receiver, and there are several reinforced concrete walls and a closet located in front of the router, then the signal may not reach it. Then you can move the router a little closer to this room, the main thing is not to overdo it and not move it too far from other devices.

It also happens that you don’t move the router, but the signal does not reach some point, then you can use a wireless repeater (repeater). This device should be placed so that it can reliably receive the signal from your router. There is one drawback here - if the router operates in repeater mode, then its throughput is halved.

Correct repeater location

Using an optional antenna

Stores sell special antennas that can increase the range of the network. They also have one advantage: with the help of a cable, they can be placed higher than the router itself, thereby increasing the coverage area.

Microwave cable for connecting antennas

For owners of country houses you can use parabolic antenna directed action. Everything is simple here - install the antenna outside the building, connect it to the router, and point it in the direction where the receiving device will be located. Several such antennas can be installed.

Parabolic antenna

Firmware update

It also happens that the router has outdated firmware. As a rule, updating the firmware leads to a stronger signal and an increase in data transfer speed. To download the firmware, visit the manufacturer's official website. It is usually written on a sticker located on the back cover router.

How to strengthen the signal of a Wi-Fi router

Weak WiFi signal - current problem for residents of apartments, country houses and office workers. Dead zones in a WiFi network are characterized by: large rooms, and small apartments, the area of which even a budget access point can theoretically cover.

The range of a WiFi router is a characteristic that manufacturers cannot clearly indicate on the box: the WiFi range is influenced by many factors that depend not only on technical specifications devices.

This material presents 10 practical advice that will help eliminate physical reasons poor coverage and optimize the range of your WiFi router, this is easy to do with your own hands.

The radiation from the access point in space is not a sphere, but a toroidal field, shaped like a donut. In order for WiFi coverage within one floor to be optimal, radio waves must propagate in a horizontal plane - parallel to the floor. For this purpose, it is possible to tilt the antennas.

The antenna is a donut axis. The angle of signal propagation depends on its inclination.

When the antenna is tilted relative to the horizon, part of the radiation is directed outside the room: dead zones are formed under the “donut” plane.

A vertically mounted antenna radiates in a horizontal plane: maximum coverage is achieved indoors.

On practice: Mounting the antenna vertically is the easiest way to optimize the area WiFi coverage indoors.

Place the router closer to the center of the room

Another reason for the occurrence of dead zones is the poor location of the access point. The antenna emits radio waves in all directions. In this case, the radiation intensity is maximum near the router and decreases as it approaches the edge of the coverage area. If you install an access point in the center of the house, the signal will be distributed throughout the rooms more efficiently.

A router installed in a corner transmits some of the power outside the house, and distant rooms are at the edge of the coverage area.

Installation in the center of the house allows you to achieve even distribution of the signal in all rooms and minimize dead zones.

In practice: Installing an access point in the “center” of the house is not always feasible due to the complex layout, lack of sockets in the right place, or the need to lay a cable.

Provide direct visibility between the router and clients

WiFi signal frequency is 2.4 GHz. These are decimeter radio waves that do not bend well around obstacles and have low penetrating ability. Therefore, the range and stability of the signal directly depend on the number and structure of obstacles between the access point and clients.

Passing through a wall or ceiling, electromagnetic wave loses some energy.

The amount of signal attenuation depends on the material the radio waves travel through.

*Effective distance is a value that determines how the radius of a wireless network changes in comparison with open space when a wave passes an obstacle.

Calculation example: WiFi 802.11n signal propagates under line-of-sight conditions over 400 meters. After overcoming the non-permanent wall between the rooms, the signal strength decreases to 400 m * 15% = 60 m. The second wall of the same type will make the signal even weaker: 60 m * 15% = 9 m. The third wall makes signal reception almost impossible: 9 m * 15 % = 1.35 m.

Such calculations will help calculate dead zones that arise due to the absorption of radio waves by walls.

The next problem in the path of radio waves: mirrors and metal structures. Unlike walls, they do not weaken, but reflect the signal, scattering it in arbitrary directions.

Mirrors and metal structures reflect and scatter the signal, creating dead zones behind them.

If you move interior elements that reflect the signal, you can eliminate dead spots.

In practice: It is extremely rare to achieve ideal conditions when all gadgets are in direct line of sight to the router. Therefore, in a real home, you will have to work separately to eliminate each dead zone:

find out what interferes with the signal (absorption or reflection);
think about where to move the router (or piece of furniture).

Place the router away from sources of interference

The 2.4 GHz band does not require licensing and is therefore used for the operation of household radio standards: WiFi and Bluetooth. Despite the low bandwidth, Bluetooth can still interfere with the router.

Green areas - stream from the WiFi router. Red dots - bluetooth data. The proximity of two radio standards in the same range causes interference, reducing the range of the wireless network.

The magnetron of a microwave oven emits in the same frequency range. The radiation intensity of this device is so great that even through protective screen furnace radiation from the magnetron can “illuminate” the radio beam of the WiFi router.

Microwave oven magnetron radiation causes interference on almost all WiFi channels.

On practice :

When using Bluetooth accessories near the router, enable the AFH parameter in the settings of the latter.
Microwave - powerful source interference, but it is not used very often. Therefore, if it is not possible to move the router, then you simply won’t be able to make a Skype call while preparing breakfast.

Disable support for 802.11 B/G modes

WiFi operates in the 2.4 GHz band devices of three specifications: 802.11 b/g/n. N is the latest standard and provides higher speed and range compared to B and G.

The 802.11n (2.4 GHz) specification provides greater range than legacy B and G standards.

802.11n routers support previous WiFi standards, but mechanics backward compatibility such that when a B/G device appears in the coverage area of the N-router, for example, old phone or a neighbor's router - the entire network is switched to B/G mode. Physically, the modulation algorithm changes, which leads to a drop in the speed and range of the router.

In practice: Switching the router to “pure 802.11n” mode will definitely have a positive effect on the quality of coverage and bandwidth wireless network.

However, B/G devices will not be able to connect via WiFi. If it is a laptop or TV, they can be easily connected to the router via Ethernet.

Select the optimal WiFi channel in the settings

Almost every apartment today has a WiFi router, so the density of networks in the city is very high. Signals from neighboring access points overlap each other, draining energy from the radio path and greatly reducing its efficiency.

Neighboring networks operating at the same frequency create mutual interference, like ripples on the water.

Wireless networks operate within a range on different channels. There are 13 such channels (in Russia) and the router switches between them automatically.

To minimize interference, you need to understand which channels neighboring networks operate on and switch to a less loaded one.
Detailed instructions for setting up the channel are provided.

In practice: Selecting the least loaded channel is an effective way to expand the coverage area, relevant for residents of an apartment building.

But in some cases there are so many networks on the air that not a single channel provides a noticeable increase in WiFi speed and range. Then it makes sense to turn to method No. 2 and place the router away from the walls bordering neighboring apartments. If this does not bring results, then you should think about switching to the 5 GHz band (method No. 10).

Adjust the router transmitter power

The power of the transmitter determines the energy of the radio path and directly affects the range of the access point: the more powerful the beam, the further it hits. But this principle is useless in the case of omnidirectional antennas of household routers: in wireless transmission There is a two-way exchange of data and not only clients must “hear” the router, but also vice versa.

Asymmetry: the router “reaches” to mobile device in the back room, but does not receive a response from him due to the low power of the smartphone’s WiFi module. The connection is not established.

In practice: The recommended transmitter power value is 75%. It should be increased only in extreme cases: turning the power up to 100% not only does not improve the quality of the signal in distant rooms, but even worsens the stability of reception near the router, since its powerful radio stream “clogs” the weak response signal from the smartphone.

Replace the standard antenna with a more powerful one

Most routers are equipped with standard antennas with a gain of 2 - 3 dBi. The antenna is a passive element of the radio system and is not capable of increasing the flow power. However, increasing the gain allows you to refocus the radio signal by changing the radiation pattern.

The higher the antenna gain, the further the radio signal travels. In this case, the narrower flow becomes similar not to a “donut”, but to a flat disk.

Available on the market big choice antennas for routers with a universal SMA connector.

In practice: Using an antenna with high gain is an effective way to expand the coverage area, because simultaneously with the signal amplification, the sensitivity of the antenna increases, which means the router begins to “hear” remote devices. But due to the narrowing of the radio beam from the antenna, dead zones appear near the floor and ceiling.

Use signal repeaters

In rooms with complex layouts and multi-story buildings, it is effective to use repeaters - devices that repeat the signal from the main router.

The simplest solution is to use an old router as a repeater. The disadvantage of this scheme is that the throughput of the child network is half as much, since along with client data, the WDS access point aggregates the upstream flow from the upstream router.

Detailed setup instructions WDS bridge presented .

Specialized repeaters do not have the problem of reducing bandwidth and are equipped with additional functionality. For example, some Asus repeater models support the roaming function.

In practice: No matter how complex the layout, repeaters will help you deploy a WiFi network. But any repeater is a source of interference interference. When there is free air, repeaters do their job well, but when high density neighboring networks the use of relay equipment in the 2.4 GHz band is impractical.

Use 5 GHz band

Budget WiFi devices operate on the 2.4 GHz frequency, so the 5 GHz band is relatively free and has little interference.

5 GHz is a promising range. Works with gigabit streams and has increased capacity compared to 2.4 GHz.

In practice: “Moving” to new frequency- a radical option that requires the purchase of an expensive dual-band router and imposes restrictions on client devices: only work in the 5 GHz band latest models gadgets.

The problem with WiFi signal quality is not always related to the actual range of the access point, and its solution is general outline comes down to two scenarios:

In a country house, most often it is necessary to cover an area in free air conditions that exceeds the effective range of the router.
For a city apartment, the range of a router is usually sufficient, but the main difficulty is eliminating dead zones and interference.

The methods presented in this material will help identify the causes bad reception and optimize your wireless network without resorting to replacing a router or the services of paid specialists.

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Quantity wi-fi points access as well as users wireless internet is growing and now many of them have become increasingly concerned about issues of communication quality. One of the most critical issues— what is the coverage area of the routers and what affects this indicator.

Content:

To answer the question, you can consider one of the router communication standards - 802.11n. The maximum achieved declared transmission speed of devices of this type is from 150 Mbit to 300 Mbit per second. Respectively, possible zone coverage for such speed is about 100 meters. The indicator can reach up to 300 meters if the space is open. For example, the range of a tp link wifi router in an open space with these indicators is 150 meters. If the space is closed, then the range is 50 meters.

Approximately the same wifi range asus router. Such figures are stated by manufacturers and are theoretical. In practice, these figures are slightly less. Effective method determining the actual coverage area - walk around the room with the connected device and monitor the presence of a signal.

The range of a wifi router can be artificially increased or decreased by several factors:

Location of the access point and router. The device emits a signal omnidirectionally, which means its waves will move in all directions equally. Based on this feature, the best option router placement - the center of the room.
Materials from which coverings and walls are made. The greatest difficulty for radio waves is passing through drywall and reinforced concrete structures.
Finding nearby devices that clog the airwaves. If, for example, there is a large radio antenna next to the router, even behind a wall, it will certainly cause interference and poor quality of the router’s operation. Televisions, microwave ovens, and devices with electric motors have an equally detrimental effect on work.
Large number of channels wireless communication. If your neighbors have Wi-Fi on the landing and on the nearest floors, the reception speed will be low. You can check the availability of connections in the settings of your device in the Wi-Fi - Connections section. If the list consists of more than 13 names, this will negatively affect the quality. The problem can only be solved with the use of equipment operating in the 5 GHz range.
Characteristics of the device itself. The range is affected by the type of antennas of the router and the power of the transmitter.

Device for home use With fundamental differences In terms of power, it is quite difficult to find from others, but the antennas differ from each other in their quality. Routers from low price category work with antennas with a gain of 2dbi. This model is more suitable for a small one-room apartment. More serious areas are served by routers with powerful antennas about 5dbi. Some devices work with only one antenna, which makes the coverage even weaker.

Advice: There are a few simple ways increase the router's coverage area without additional equipment and changing device settings. To do this you need:

install the antennas in a vertical position;

place the router as close to the center as possible or away from interference;

replace the antenna with a more powerful one;

use a device with the new 802.11 AC$ standard;

use models that support two bands - 2.4-5 GHz.

3 routers with long Wi-Fi range

Netgear Wndr4500. The router has enormous speed, reaching 900 Mbit per second. The device is equipped with six internal antennas, allowing you to easily download megabytes of data. Here it is used powerful processor at a frequency of 600 MHz. There are additional transceivers that improve signal reception.
TP-Link TL-WR2543ND. The device can operate in two frequency bands and is equipped with three antennas that can be rotated 360 degrees. The device works reliably anywhere in the apartment.
ZyXEL KeeneticGiga2. The antennas of the device receive a signal at a speed of 300 Mbit per second. Thanks to external buttons, the router can be quickly reprogrammed. The high-frequency processor (700 MHz) ensures stable signal quality from anywhere in the apartment.

How to increase wifi range in router settings

Due to own settings router, you can figure out how to increase the range of wifi. To do this, you need to select the optimal radio channel and thereby increase the coverage area. The setup process can be considered using the example of any model from the popular manufacturer D-Link - DIR-300 NRU.
Algorithm of actions:

Go to the settings section. To get to this section, you need to enter the device’s IP address in the browser line. After going to the address it will appear electronic form, where you need to enter your login and password. Tip: The IP address, login and password for device settings should be found on the router case.
Select the section located on the left side - Wireless Setup.
Activate Manual Wireless Connection Setup to change the Wi-Fi setup method.
IN Wireless Network Settings find the Wireless Channel line and select the channel.
Activate Save Settings to confirm the changes made.
Restart your device and reconnect to Wi-Fi.

We increase Wi-Fi coverage using special devices

You can expand your coverage area using special, third party devices. Choice specific method depends on the situation, sometimes a combination of methods is required.
What methods can be used:

Change the router antennas. The easiest way to improve signal quality. If the device has removable antennas, there is nothing simpler than simply replacing them with more powerful analogues. More directional antennas can also be used. If the antenna works in a specific direction, it will be able to transmit over an impressive distance.
Using a wireless repeater. Special devices can be connected to the network and expanded with their antennas. The repeater can be used in the room with the poorest signal.

Please note that some software may be presented in the form of demo versions and have shareware distribution.

Finally, let's make a retreat. One of our customers, having become acquainted with our device, was very surprised by it possible application and wrote to us - you have made equipment for WiFi theft!

Of course, an attacker can use the “WiFi Agent” for illegal purposes. But, with the same success, one can blame the ax sellers for the fact that the new “Raskolnikov” will buy an ax and attack the old money-lender. And dishware sellers are generally accomplices of criminals. There are knives, rolling pins, and a terrible weapon - a cast-iron frying pan.

In light of recent laws, it should be noted that our device does not contain any cryptographic encryption tools and is not a WiFi router. USB WiFi adapter with a directional antenna, “WiFi Agent” does not use any means to hack other people’s networks and does not make the process of “theft” one iota easier than a standard laptop WiFi adapter.

We believe that the issue of using any devices within the framework of the law is the direct responsibility of the consumer. Therefore, of course, when performing any action, it is always necessary to remember the legal side of the issue.

We recommend using "WiFi Agent" in situations where the standard WiFi adapter of your laptop or PC receives a WiFi network signal from low level, as well as in cases when you need to use your WiFi network, being at a great distance from the router.

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