How Do I Extend Wi-Fi Reach?
August 28, 2019 5:27 PM Subscribe
I live in the Hollywood Hills in a mobile home on spacious property 75 feet from the main house. The homeowner has a Spectrum business account and has added an extender to increase the reach of the wi-fi. While I am in the mobile home, I get a strong signal yet no internet. I have tested outside around the mobile. I do get a connection which leads me to believe that the metal structure is preventing the connection.
I have spoken with Spectrum. They have suggested to look into a mesh network. How is a mesh network different from an extender? What other options might I have?
I have spoken with Spectrum. They have suggested to look into a mesh network. How is a mesh network different from an extender? What other options might I have?
You probably need something that lives outside the metal of your structure with a wire that runs in to your computer, moving the receive antenna to the outside.
The device you want is generally called a "WiFi to Ethernet Bridge". Basically you can think of it as a WiFi access point but in reverse; it connects as a client to another WiFi network and then lets you connect to it via wired Ethernet (which you would snake through an opening somewhere into your house, bypassing the metal sheathing). Inside you can plug it directly into a computer or you can plug it into another AP to give yourself a little bubble of WiFi inside your home. (If you go this second route, make sure you disable DHCP and NAT when setting up the AP.)
Many WiFi APs will work as bridges, but you want one that can go outside. I can't vouch for it personally, but this one gets pretty good Amazon reviews and is only $40. It's probably what I would get and try out.
It's entirely possible that if you install this and point it at your landlord's house, you may not actually need to use the "extender" they currently have turned on, because the outdoor bridge has a highly-directional antenna that's good enough to pick up the signal from their main router directly. In that case, turn the extender off; the fewer devices in the chain, the better.
I would not fuss with mesh networking. It's complex and overkill for what you are doing. Just get some sort of outdoor AP with a directional antenna that can be put into bridge/client mode and you're good to go.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:49 PM on August 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
The device you want is generally called a "WiFi to Ethernet Bridge". Basically you can think of it as a WiFi access point but in reverse; it connects as a client to another WiFi network and then lets you connect to it via wired Ethernet (which you would snake through an opening somewhere into your house, bypassing the metal sheathing). Inside you can plug it directly into a computer or you can plug it into another AP to give yourself a little bubble of WiFi inside your home. (If you go this second route, make sure you disable DHCP and NAT when setting up the AP.)
Many WiFi APs will work as bridges, but you want one that can go outside. I can't vouch for it personally, but this one gets pretty good Amazon reviews and is only $40. It's probably what I would get and try out.
It's entirely possible that if you install this and point it at your landlord's house, you may not actually need to use the "extender" they currently have turned on, because the outdoor bridge has a highly-directional antenna that's good enough to pick up the signal from their main router directly. In that case, turn the extender off; the fewer devices in the chain, the better.
I would not fuss with mesh networking. It's complex and overkill for what you are doing. Just get some sort of outdoor AP with a directional antenna that can be put into bridge/client mode and you're good to go.
posted by Kadin2048 at 6:49 PM on August 28, 2019 [2 favorites]
Warning. Ungrounded connections between buildings is an electrocution hazard. Use fiber, or be very careful. You need a hefty common ground over distance or the electrical potential might be vastly different and fry your equipment or yourself.
An AP with an antenna that can be placed outside the structure. Or a whole heavy duty AP in an enclosure that lives outside. Either way you drill a hole and run a cable to the inside.
I Might do just an ethernet cable but I would do something like run a bit of steel cable between the two places first and make sure both ends were tied into the appropriate ground on each end and run the cable around the wire (if you do this right, it's crazy easy), and make sure the building grounds were tied together. Electrically conductive paths between distant places can have wildly varying potential differences if you don't do something to manage it.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:04 AM on August 29, 2019
An AP with an antenna that can be placed outside the structure. Or a whole heavy duty AP in an enclosure that lives outside. Either way you drill a hole and run a cable to the inside.
I Might do just an ethernet cable but I would do something like run a bit of steel cable between the two places first and make sure both ends were tied into the appropriate ground on each end and run the cable around the wire (if you do this right, it's crazy easy), and make sure the building grounds were tied together. Electrically conductive paths between distant places can have wildly varying potential differences if you don't do something to manage it.
posted by zengargoyle at 4:04 AM on August 29, 2019
Ungrounded connections between buildings is an electrocution hazard.
Ethernet transceivers have isolation transformers typically for 1500 volts of common mode voltage on each end. There is not going to be a 1500 volt ground potential difference over a distance of 75 feet (unless there is a direct lightening strike, in which case all bets are off). You aren't going to get electrocuted or fry your equipment if you string an Ethernet cable across your yard.
posted by JackFlash at 7:51 AM on August 29, 2019
Ethernet transceivers have isolation transformers typically for 1500 volts of common mode voltage on each end. There is not going to be a 1500 volt ground potential difference over a distance of 75 feet (unless there is a direct lightening strike, in which case all bets are off). You aren't going to get electrocuted or fry your equipment if you string an Ethernet cable across your yard.
posted by JackFlash at 7:51 AM on August 29, 2019
Is there a difference in signal strength "outside around the mobile", where you get an Internet connection, and inside the mobile, where you're also reporting a strong signal?
Seems odd that metal would let through a signal yet interfere with the more subtle aspects of the wifi.
posted by alittleknowledge at 8:20 AM on August 29, 2019
Seems odd that metal would let through a signal yet interfere with the more subtle aspects of the wifi.
posted by alittleknowledge at 8:20 AM on August 29, 2019
One thing to keep in mind is that there is both a sending and receiving component to WiFi; you may be getting great signal from the extender to your devices, but your devices may not have enough power to send good signal back. A WiFi bridge, where there is a transceiver on both the main building and the mobile home sides is likely your best bet for wireless. A mesh networking setup is one way to set that sort of thing up, but it isn't the only way. The device suggested by Kadin2048 is likely a better bet, since most mesh networking kits don't have transceivers designed for outdoor use (and are also a more expensive solution to your problem, most likely).
(Nthing that a wired Ethernet or powerline Ethernet connection is likely to perform better, but I understand if there are reasons you can't do it that way.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:17 AM on August 30, 2019
(Nthing that a wired Ethernet or powerline Ethernet connection is likely to perform better, but I understand if there are reasons you can't do it that way.)
posted by Aleyn at 12:17 AM on August 30, 2019
Cool to know the detail JackFlash, I stopped at probably at least optoisolation. We used to hack transceivers to fit a battery and a button to make cable testers.
posted by zengargoyle at 1:28 AM on August 30, 2019
posted by zengargoyle at 1:28 AM on August 30, 2019
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by Freedomboy at 6:00 PM on August 28, 2019 [3 favorites]