Wireless Extender?

Question

Is there any booster or range extender that could get a standard WLAN signal to reach about a square mile in any direction?

Thanks for the replies. This is a home network. The product I heard about that can do this is http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/wireless-range-extender.php?PHPSESSID=de8d5667d28806df63f200fa2ea9807e

My goal is to increase my range for the purpose of using Zonerider.Net

Thoughts?

Answer 1

Yes, you can do this and you don't need a hundred access points, but there are other things to be aware of. First, there's no single piece of equipment that would boost a WLAN signal to cover a square mile without breaking the FCC rules.

Not sure if you mean by "standard" WLAN signal you mean a home network. Because the first problem is that you're not going to accomplish this with consumer-grade wifi equipment from linksys or netgear. If you want to cover a square mile in any direction, and this is a commercial/enterprise design, you should be looking at something like an outdoor wireless mesh network, such as a Cisco 4402 wireless LAN controller with 1500 series outdoor mesh APs and high gain omnidirectional antennas.

If this is actually a home network you could attempt to do this with consumer grade equipment using high gain antennas and range expanders. But note that a range expander is just a wireless repeater, runs on the same channel, and because of how the wireless protocols work, you roughly cut your performance in half for every repeater you add. There are also things you will not and cannot achieve with consumer equipment in terms of reliability, security, management, scalability, high availability, dynamic RF management, etc. If you post additional comments with specifics I can give you a parts list if you like...

[Follow-up on additional details]: Ah, ok, thanks for clarifying. Well, this product is known to work although I have not used one myself so cannot comment from personal experience. But beware of this issue: There is amplification (active gain) happening here, which is a lot different from high gain antennas which is passive gain. This can create a situation where wireless clients, say 800 feet away, can hear your access point loud and clear, but the little 20 or 30mW radio in the client's wireless card doesn't have the power to send a signal back to the AP. This also can create the classic Naer-Far problem when you have wireless clients separated by larger than normal distances. In Near/Far, the stations close to the AP drown out the signals coming from clients much farther away. Still, if there's a 30-day money-back option I say go for it and give it a try... But I still seriously doubt you're going to be able to cover a whole square mile. Maybe a 1,000 to 1500 feet or so.

Answer 2

Add a wireless repeater.Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you to add any wiring. Just place the wireless repeater halfway between your wireless access point and your computer, and you'll get an instant boost to your wireless signal strength. Check out the wireless repeaters from ViewSonic, D-Link, Linksys, and Buffalo Technology.

Answer 3

in case you could run a lan cable you could connect yet another on the spot router upstairs, The installation is diverse than the first you ought to no longer connect with the wan port connect with between the lan ports somewhat and reproduction the settings for on the spot in the first router. And wala you've both on the spot connections operating at the same time/ i don't have a lot faith in extenders.

Answer 4

No, not unless you had an open area and a hundred of them.