[kwlug-disc] Extending WiFi Range

[B.S.]

Just remember, wi-fi is something like 15 times slower than physical 
wire. Divided by the number of wi-fi devices you have.

 > 3. How did you turn off OpenWRT routing ...etc. on it?

Disconnect the WAN. Done. Of course, set your gateway and other details 
on the internal net. [My OpenWRT hardware had gone flaky, so already had 
another retail router doing that. In implementing it, OpenWRT became 
dedicated to providing wi-fi, no longer 'routing'. And a spare switch 
for the room in which it is now in. DMZ, potentially. I wasn't using the 
statistics of OpenWRT anyway. In my case, the 5GHz kept overheating and 
shutting the unit down - my ultimate solution was to turn off 5GHz.]

- if I ever become interested enough in the statistics and so on, I'm 
more likely to take an old laptop and dedicate it to the purpose. 
OpenWRT will always be underpowered and hardware limited, and we always 
want to do more with it. Let alone yet another oddball thing to 
maintain. (I get your experience is different, and you have space - in 
my case I don't even have space to implement usb storage.) OpenWRT runs 
on PCs too, if that interests you.

- subsequently I moved to (50Mps) Bell (much cheaper than Rogers or 
associated wholesalers), which put yet another router in front of the 
mess. Being near the TV on the main floor, it also provided a switch to 
connect other wires into.

Long before though, I had the same issue as you describe. But along the 
way, a couple other things happened. First, I came across a Canada 
Computer Xmas sale on small UPS', so bought a few and put them on 
switches and phones in various rooms - just want to survive the 
momentary power glitch without having everything in the house suddenly 
go down. For anything much longer continuing to work in the dark is 
problematic, even if the bigger ups in the basement keeps service up. 
And if I'm not home, it don't matter. Second, I got voip.ms, thus an 
ATA, and had to have something to plug it into, anyway. Later, that 
became the Bell router it plugged into. Being a multi-handset cordless 
phone, it has the same wireless coverage issues.

So, first 'easy' step - separate OpenWRT routing and wi-fi. Any 'ol 
router will do. Move OpenWRT upstairs to your TV STB. Ignore any 
ugliness - it will soon become background noise. (Tape over the lights. 
Put it in the back of a shelf, and books or other doodads in front of 
it. Or a lavalamp?)

Couple other considerations for you that have come along since we both 
did OpenWRT, Khalid. First - multi-antenna units. Which means channels 
(pairs?) can be 'dedicated' to devices, and throughput is no longer 
total bandwidth / # of devices. Apparently today's devices sort 
themselves out in this way. e.g. Two phones ('pesky teenagers') will end 
up coming off different antennas / channels / frequencies, and so not 
impede each other.

Second, powerline, 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power-line_communication, has evidently 
made great strides since we did OpenWRT. I see units at Canada Computer 
for ~$50, 
http://www.canadacomputers.com/advanced_search_result.php?category_name=Networking&keywords=powerline&page=1&sort=3a 
. You may want to give a pair a try and see if you find it sufficient - 
e.g. trial between basement and TV STB; if happy, add a wi-fi router. 
IIUC, they are not all created equal, so others on the list may be able 
to better advise you on specifics.

Moving my OpenWRT up a floor made it equidistant, and I didn't need a 
2nd wi-fi unit, or have to deal with meshing. Just remember, no matter 
where you put it, throughput will diminish with distance and barriers. 
Let alone with the number of devices on it at any one point in time.

Notes on external antenna or outside repeaters may also serve you well. 
Bearing in mind it also improves the ability for 3rd parties to 
penetrate your home. On tests I did at the time, OpenWRT let me reduce 
channel power - such that just outside my yard reception becomes negligible.

YMMV.


On 03/29/2017 07:29 PM, Khalid Baheyeldin wrote:
> WiFi reception in my house, using the OpenWRT powered D-Link DIR-835, is
> generally adequate, but could be better in some spots. Reception is
> intermittent in the backyard, where I am pondering a project that would
> need it. Perhaps the basement's concrete is interfering?
>
> I like OpenWRT and plan to stay with it. Also the router itself has lots
> of storage (flash) and RAM, so will be here for the future. It is in the
> basement, near the cable modem, and other equipment, and connected to
> the UPS in there.
>
> Moving it to the main floor is not likely since it would involve finding
> a power outlet and running Ethernet, as well as losing the UPS connection.
>
> So, my questions are:
>
> 1. What does one do in this case? Do you buy another router, possibly
> one capable of running OpenWRT and turn off the router features, and
> keep it only as a WiFi hotspot and put it near the spots where good
> reception is needed?
>
> 2. If so, what are good routers that you tried this on?
>
> 3. How did you turn off OpenWRT routing ...etc. on it?
>
> 4. Does the new WiFi hotspot have its own SSID or can it use the same
> SSID as the main router?
>
> Any other thoughts/ideas welcome.
> --
> Khalid M. Baheyeldin
> 2bits.com <http://2bits.com>, Inc.
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