Enhancing WiFi reception?

[ericm979]

Your neighbor is very trusting to give you his wifi password. So much can go wrong with that for both of you. For example the neighbor's kid searches for jihadi material or kiddie **** and now everyone whose devices have used that wifi are suspect.

What you need is internet service to your house. It's separate from cell phone service(*). Depending on what's available in your location you can go with DSL, Comcast, some form of radio, or satellite. Internet is a requirement for both me and my wife to work from home. Being in a remote area it's been a challenge at times. 21 years ago it was not easily available in our area and I had to purchase a commercial connection and gear. The phone company had five trucks on our road for a week to drag special wires a couple miles up the road. Currently we're using a radio based deal that hits a repeater antenna on the next ridge which sends it up a canyon to another antenna.

Once you have internet service you can use whatever router you want to get Wifi to your end devices. Some wifi routers have multiple transmitters that communicate between themselves on a different frequency. So if you have a big house or want to cover the barn or back yard you can add a transmitter near by. We're using Netgear Orbi units and they work well.

(*) there are also cellular data plans and most cell phones can be turned into wifi hotspots for your laptop to connect to. You say you have poor coverage but that often differs between carriers. I find that Verizon has the widest network but in an specific spot it could be any of the carriers that covers you best.

 

[ultrarunner]

Hi Eric...

Vacant property... no one lives there... it is just a place where I store some of my antique cars.

These days I am lucky if I can spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning there.

The neighbors are a retired couple that built their home years ago... they do have two adult grand daughters that visited for Christmas... so no little kids around or people coming and going.

Last year I used my Deere Backhoe to dig a pad for their 5,000 gallon water tank and rough in a trail they had been trying to do it all by hand and my Backhoe made short work of it... they were just being neighborly offering their WiFi.

Having Internet where I store my cars would be a huge convenience but paying for it doesn't pencil out.

On a separate note... I do have a rental in Washington State where I rented to the kids of the family up at the road... they set up a sky bridge for Internet and when it worked it worked well... the downside was several times a month they would need to reset the Router so it was not dependable... and if the parents were away or late at night it was just an imposition.

When they vacated I had Comcast run underground to my rental for the price of 14k... but was able to roll the cost into a long-term $290 monthly provider contract which is still in my name.

 

[Diggin It]

I will need to re-read as there are many good suggestions.

I'm afraid if I modify or add anything at the source (Neighbor) that I will be involved anytime should something happen...

Right now I can use my laptop perfectly on his property like his driveway... and this is why he gave me the password.

My laptop gets real shaky when I go inside my barn and the connection drops out all the time and I can only get it with the barn doors open... or near the one window.

My thought is to see if a simple inexpensive device to enhance the signal emanating from my neighbor on my end so it would be strong enough so I could use the lap top at my property reliably...

There is always the option for me to subscribe to my own service but so far I only need 10-15 minutes in a week and basically frugal when it comes to recurring expense...

I do have power and there is a Fry's store that I visit... I bought my laptop at Fry's...

They should have devices from the manufacturers I mentioned, or from others.

 

[SirMaxwell]

Hi Eric...

Vacant property... no one lives there... it is just a place where I store some of my antique cars.

These days I am lucky if I can spend a couple of hours on a Saturday morning there.

The neighbors are a retired couple that built their home years ago... they do have two adult grand daughters that visited for Christmas... so no little kids around or people coming and going.

Last year I used my Deere Backhoe to dig a pad for their 5,000 gallon water tank and rough in a trail they had been trying to do it all by hand and my Backhoe made short work of it... they were just being neighborly offering their WiFi.

Having Internet where I store my cars would be a huge convenience but paying for it doesn't pencil out.

On a separate note... I do have a rental in Washington State where I rented to the kids of the family up at the road... they set up a sky bridge for Internet and when it worked it worked well... the downside was several times a month they would need to reset the Router so it was not dependable... and if the parents were away or late at night it was just an imposition.

When they vacated I had Comcast run underground to my rental for the price of 14k... but was able to roll the cost into a long-term $290 monthly provider contract which is still in my name.

Yea, sounds like you can do with just a repeater/booster that has POE. Now us tech folks would like to do all kinds of nifty things, but I'm betting you just wan a basic reliable WiFi.

So get a device like https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07KYDRHGQ/ref=twister_B07N2LD4CK?_encoding=UTF8&th=1


Mount it, plug in 120VAC Power, Configure.

All you need to do is put it up as high and clear of obstructions, as close to neighbor source as possible. Run a single Ethernet cable within a 200- 300 hundred feet (POE - power over Ethernet). Ethernet cable runs into place/Barn with power, plugs into a POE adapter. Adapter plugs into wall. You configure as Repeater/Booster and Bobs your Uncle.

Basically it will get the WiFi out of the air and boost it, then re-transmit. Will cost you some speed but likely not noticeable. Device's like that Wavlink are a Full Watt+ (1000 mW), vs the Comcast box which could easily be 100mW or less). So you will probably gain Smart Phone WiFi access as well.

If that doesn't work, you could try configuring as an A/P (Access Point) and adding your own network switch. or router, or wireless, but likely just repeating/boosting will do you for 100 bucks. and an hour or so.

 

[ultrarunner]

Sounds like it will do the job and easy for me to take with me later.

Several reviews said it was good around pool areas to boost WiFi...

 

[aczlan]

Personally, I would put a Ubiquity Nanostation M2 Loco ($46 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-NanoStation-locoM2-2-4GHz-Outdoor/dp/B00DCNRTAG/ ) on the wall of the shop pointing towards the neighbors house in client mode. That is powered over the Ethernet cable that connects to it, so you can snake the cable into the shop.
Bring the cable inside, then connect it to a $20 router inside the shop https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N300-Wireless-Wi-Fi-Router-TL-WR841N/dp/B001FWYGJS
That is how I setup a guy at work who has a pole barn style shop across the street from his house. He now has a very good wireless connection in the shop.

Aaron Z

 

[ultrarunner]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J65G9D...&pd_rd_r=4dc0c092-2816-11e9-bd5b-dfbc5f26256b

Something like this?

 

[aczlan]

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07J65G9D...&pd_rd_r=4dc0c092-2816-11e9-bd5b-dfbc5f26256b

Something like this?

I would avoid that, its probbaly a cheap piece of junk.
If you want to go that route, just get the $20 router I linked to ( https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N300-Wireless-Wi-Fi-Router-TL-WR841N/dp/B001FWYGJS ), update it to the latest firmware and set it up as a wireless repeater.

Aaron Z

 

[SirMaxwell]

Personally, I would put a Ubiquity Nanostation M2 Loco ($46 on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-NanoStation-locoM2-2-4GHz-Outdoor/dp/B00DCNRTAG/ ) on the wall of the shop pointing towards the neighbors house in client mode. That is powered over the Ethernet cable that connects to it, so you can snake the cable into the shop.
Bring the cable inside, then connect it to a $20 router inside the shop https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-N300-Wireless-Wi-Fi-Router-TL-WR841N/dp/B001FWYGJS
That is how I setup a guy at work who has a pole barn style shop across the street from his house. He now has a very good wireless connection in the shop.

Aaron Z

No disagreement with me, if it was mine, personally, I'd do it quite different. I was under the impression that the OP wanted minimum parts, minimum effort, minimum knowledge, minimal cost, and would like to still use WiFi around the property, not only the Barn. In which case, can't beat 1 Part plus a cable, which will likley give him 500-1000 ft around the device. Assuming it is relatively clear.

 

[SirMaxwell]

I'm with Aaron on this. Be careful, I've seen most of these types of devices work no better than, and sometimes worse, than the internal radio. How much quality radio tech can be had for 20 bucks, as well, how much power can it transmit with? Might be 5dbi gain on receive, but you gotta send.....Though might work, and only cost 20 bones. :/

 

[LittleBill21]

nano, will work great like suggested. will need a secondary AP to rebroadcast.

Nano's are set and forget, and use poe, meaning just a network cable and no power.



the repeater will prolly also work as well, but i don't know that brand specifically to be able to recommend it.


gl

 

[SirMaxwell]

nano, will work great like suggested. will need a secondary AP to rebroadcast.

Nano's are set and forget, and use poe, meaning just a network cable and no power.



the repeater will prolly also work as well, but i don't know that brand specifically to be able to recommend it.


gl

But, will also require a router, and if he wants WiFi (which I think is the point), then he needs at least a wireless router, and/or a router, and an A/P. Now that gets into worrying about double NAT'ing, secondary networks, DHCP conflicts. Unless he sets it as a switch, or can the Nano be connected to a dumb switch, in which that's the better way to go. Then he might also need a secondary nano at neighbors location, but that's an unknown.

 

[plowhog]

If you don't have enough responses, perhaps you can also ask the best way to add an electrical circuit to power something.

The device from Amazon you commented about looks good. I presume it is omnidirectional which is not as desirable for you as something that points the signal. And beware POE, as doing that would require your neighbor to have a switch that provides POE, which he probably does not have. That could be solved with a POE injector.

If you made a trip to Fry's and described your situation, you would likely walk out with something that might work. And might be returnable if it doesn't.

If you want to get the strongest best signal from your neighbor to you, a Nanostation at his side (xmit) and a Nanostation at your side (receive) is probably your best route. Once you have a strong signal at your end, you can then do anything you want with it. Either plug the laptop directly into the Nanostation (cabled) or add a wireless capability to serve your laptop and any other devices you might want to add.

I have a Nanostation on my residence (xmit) which points to the barn. A second Nanostation at the barn (receive) establishes a high speed bidirectional internet connection. It's so good I can view multiple video cameras through the link. Doing video over wireless is one of the most taxing things you can do due to the bandwidth, and the Nanostation works well even for that. (Actually the Nanostation at the house is more of a host, and one on the barn more of a client, since it is a bidirectional connection. Not really one for xmit and one for receive, as both of them do both functions.)

 

[ultrarunner]

It is almost like learning a new language...

Funny at work I am often called to help with hardware problems... because I am available and have great success...

When it comes to software and configuring Corp IT comes out... sometimes it can take weeks for a simple request...

Someone once told me twenty years experience means very little in IT... as it is continuously evolving...

However when a new IT came out with a new printer he took down two floors of the old hospital not knowing anything about 10BASE2... I had to school him the breaking any connection when adding or taking away hardware brings everyone down... it was a strange feeling speaking from a position of knowledge but I do a lot of keeping legacy equipment functional...

 

[vvanders]

The ubiquiti nanos are fantastic, I run a pair here to avoid punching wires through my house. If you've got any trees between you and him highly recommend the 2.4ghz variant as that works a bit better.

Grab a second wireless router to cover your place, I'm a fan of ubiquiti however their gear is probably overkill for your usage. Any tplink, netget, etc will do(yes it's a double nat but rarely does that cause havok these days).

Set the nano into "station" mode, point at your neighbor, scan for their access point and plugin the password. Once that's done and you have working internet from direct cable to the laptop plug the nano into the WAN on the router. Note that you may need to set a manual ip(I use 192.168.1.2 with 255.255.255.0 subnet) to talk to the nano at 192.168.1.20. my only gripe with them is they don't do DHCP by default. Don't forget to switch back to DHCP once you have it configured.

Then setup the router with whatever wifi name/pw you want and away you go.

 

[SirMaxwell]

It is almost like learning a new language...

Funny at work I am often called to help with hardware problems... because I am available and have great success...

When it comes to software and configuring Corp IT comes out... sometimes it can take weeks for a simple request...

Someone once told me twenty years experience means very little in IT... as it is continuously evolving...

However when a new IT came out with a new printer he took down two floors of the old hospital not knowing anything about 10BASE2... I had to school him the breaking any connection when adding or taking away hardware brings everyone down... it was a strange feeling speaking from a position of knowledge but I do a lot of keeping legacy equipment functional...

Lol - yea you gotta keep up. I started with my first computer build in 1976, a Sinclair computer kit. Bag of parts, you assemble and program. Been on a computer every day since, from main frames to the introduction of the PC. But I digress...........

Lets clarify something,

1) You want WiFi for your laptop, maybe WiFi for a smartphone?
2) You have access to clean WiFi, just outside your Barn, and spotty WiFi, inside Barn?
3) You have 120VAC at the Barn?
4) You want to minimize interaction with neighbor?
5) This is very low use and perhaps even a bit temporary

If all are yes, do yourself a favor, find a repeater/booster/extender, at least 1W, Omni Directional Antennas, outdoor IP65 rating.

Many good companies. Available from 50 bucks to 1000 bucks. You decide. Me I figure about 100 bucks. Plus an Ethernet cable.
I think you can look through the Internet and find ratings as well as any of us, just be careful, its a deep rabbit hole.

Good Luck.

 

[ultrarunner]

https://www.amazon.com/AmpliFi-Mesh...1549261541&sr=8-3&keywords=amplifi+mesh+point

 

[aczlan]

https://www.amazon.com/AmpliFi-Mesh...1549261541&sr=8-3&keywords=amplifi+mesh+point

That might work, but I don't have any experience with them.
If you have a place where you can put the ones I linked to before, I think you will get a better signal for less money from those. I have 2 of the Nanostation Loco M2s at home that have been my internet connection since 2011. We also have a bunch of them at work and I have helped a couple of friends set them up for similar things to what you are trying to do.
If you need a hand setting them up, I can give you my phone number and I can walk you through setting them up over the phone.

Aaron Z

 

[LittleBill21]

amplified series is not outdoor rated. if you get service on your phone from you driveway a single nano station on your side will work. or the omni repeater unit as well

 

[LittleBill21]

But, will also require a router, and if he wants WiFi (which I think is the point), then he needs at least a wireless router, and/or a router, and an A/P. Now that gets into worrying about double NAT'ing, secondary networks, DHCP conflicts. Unless he sets it as a switch, or can the Nano be connected to a dumb switch, in which that's the better way to go. Then he might also need a secondary nano at neighbors location, but that's an unknown.

i mentioned he would need another router/ap for the wireless side.

double nat is not a issue, nor is triple or quad, he's not doing port forwarding so its a non issue. the nano's can be bridged, but he's better off running in router mode due to compatibility issues with bridge mode.

there are a ton of ways to do it. **** if he's on the same transformer side, he can even do powerline, but i digress