Wifi How Far???

[JCsPlumbing]

How far can Wifi travel? I turned on my Wifi on my laptop just for the heck of it. I have a "piggybacked" signal off of someone that I'm using right now. The amazing thing is that the closest house with a computer at all is around 100' away with a house between me and them. Yes, this IS true.

So how far can Wifi travel?

J.C.

(Yes, I'll cut it off soon as I don't feel right using it.)

[drtyhands]

Would you like me to take a laptop stroll?

[JCsPlumbing]

Would you like me to take a laptop stroll?

Yes, that's exactly what I need. Take your laptop and walk around the neighborhood. Don't forget the measuring wheel so you can measure from your laptop to the router. :p

J.C.

[drtyhands]

Or are you perhaps worried alliens are going to align your interests with hitler's first radio projection back in the thirties?

[PLUMBER RICK]

it's got to be a few hundred feet as i too have used unsecured wireless access from the road.

problem i find is that the majority of networks are now secured.

best luck is coffee shops, fast food, schools.

so, if you see me on during the day, it's not because i'm home:rolleyes:

rick.

[JCsPlumbing]

Or are you perhaps worried alliens are going to align your interests with hitler's first radio projection back in the thirties?

No worries there brother. Already got the roof covered in tinfoil.

J.C.

[drtyhands]

Yes, that's exactly what I need. Take your laptop and walk around the neighborhood. Don't forget the measuring wheel so you can measure from your laptop to the router. :p

J.C.

I'd rather use the hilti laser tape

[JCsPlumbing]

I'd rather use the hilti laser tape

Sounds expensive.

J.C.

[plumberscrack]

In the city, some people use their address as WiFi name. I can easily pick up signals 2 blocks away which is sometimes 500 feet or more. EVERY city block has an unsecured wifi signal

[JCsPlumbing]

That's amazing to me for whatever reason. Maybe I should make a plumbing trade with my neighbor. Use their wifi for some repair. Hmmmmmmm

J.C.

(I do know a little about key counters & password protection)

[drtyhands]

That's amazing to me for whatever reason. Maybe I should make a plumbing trade with my neighbor. Use their wifi for some repair. Hmmmmmmm

J.C.

(I do know a little about key counters & password protection)

I'm seeing a new level of Cheap.
Do you take home the paper coffee cups from McDonalds to wash and hang with the paper plates and towels?

[JCsPlumbing]

I'm seeing a new level of Cheap.
Do you take home the paper coffee cups from McDonalds to wash and hang with the paper plates and towels?

Now you're giving me ideas! :D

Wonder what the "levels" of cheap are.....?

J.C.

[ToUtahNow]

When I am in Utah I can pick up signals from the resort and/or a local diner from about a 1/4 mile away.

Mark

[JCsPlumbing]

When I am in Utah I can pick up signals from the resort and/or a local diner from about a 1/4 mile away.

Mark

Signals hitting us from everywhere.

You can drink all the red wine, eat organic vegetables, & taking a pomegranate enema-but these signals will probably be what gets us.

J.C.

[garager]

I have a friend that bought a special antenna, reception has gone a tad further than a 1/2 mile, but it loaded real slowly. It was pricey but to him, well worth it. I might have to do the same thing, out there on the road. And I thought I was going this morning, but my trainer truck broke down. Now I'm sitting in the lobby for him to pick me up, whenever that may be.....

[cpw]

I have a friend that bought a special antenna, reception has gone a tad further than a 1/2 mile, but it loaded real slowly. It was pricey but to him, well worth it. I might have to do the same thing, out there on the road. And I thought I was going this morning, but my trainer truck broke down. Now I'm sitting in the lobby for him to pick me up, whenever that may be.....

Pringles cans make excellent Wifi antennas.

[SlimTim]

Signals hitting us from everywhere.

You can drink all the red wine, eat organic vegetables, & taking a pomegranate enema-but these signals will probably be what gets us.

J.C.

I prefer to drink the pomegranate juice and take a red wine enema--you get a quicker buzz:grin:

[darius]

The distance can be quite large. At 11.b (11 mbps max) it could be several miles given proper antennas. The trick though is that both ends need the same capability to both send and receive signal. It's not enough for a laptop to see a strong signal from some neighbor, but that laptops needs to be seen by the other end.

And cpw is correct. That empty pringles can works wonders. A few years ago I tinkered with that and I had a 3 mile range in straight line.

[BHD]

I am 12 miles out and my signal is a wifi signal, and I get OK reception, I have a directional antenna, and it is on a short tower, and clean line of sight, between the antennas, the antenna in town is on top of the grain elevator, about 200 feet tall,

now it is my understanding they have "assigned" the receivers to the "transmitters" so open use if not feasible.

[cpw]

I am 12 miles out and my signal is a wifi signal, and I get OK reception, I have a directional antenna, and it is on a short tower, and clean line of sight, between the antennas, the antenna in town is on top of the grain elevator, about 200 feet tall,

now it is my understanding they have "assigned" the receivers to the "transmitters" so open use if not feasible.

On the other end of the spectrum, it can be remarkably short distances too. At the building I'm in the executives who have corner offices tell us they get very poor Wifi reception, because the people who set it up purposefully made it so that the parking lot would not get a strong signal.

My parents house (only 1200 sq ft., and a length of at most 50-60 ft.) has two access points too, because the bedrooms on one side of the house don't get good signal from the APs in the basement on the other side of the house.

[BHD]

Like I said there are special directional antennas and towers and so on that make it happen, even on 100 Milli watts of power. I do not know the power of the unit the is on top of the elevator, I am guessing much greater as it is all directional,
but even with all of this I am nearly at its limit,

If I was using a built in antenna or one of the little rubber units I would not have 100 yards is my guess,

[darius]

My parents house (only 1200 sq ft., and a length of at most 50-60 ft.) has two access points too, because the bedrooms on one side of the house don't get good signal from the APs in the basement on the other side of the house.

Basements are usually not the greatest locations for Wireless AP. Attics work better, but PoE is much preferred for this kind of setup.

[JCsPlumbing]

Just wanted to add a recent "unbelievable" thing about WiFi around me.

I moved the laptop to another room. Opened it up and the automatic connection connected to WiFi again. I paid attention to the pop up this time saying it was connected and read the info.

It said connected to my Local Public Library (which does offer free WiFi) and the connection speed was very low. The lowest it could go but it WAS/IS connected.

What's so "unbelievable" about that? The library I'm speaking of is about 3 to 4 miles away. :eek:

I'm only reporting what happened.

J.C.

[plumberscrack]

FYI

The library will block all porn access. Don't ask me how I know this, I just do :rolleyes: