I wonder what this will do for my 20DBi external wifi adapter.. I can already connect to networks over 600 meters away from my 13th floor apartment..
Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
41–50 of 70 posts
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#42This makes the antenna more directional. It increases the range in one direction while decreasing it in every other direction, so I'm not sure how well this would work for most people without relocating the router/AP. That being said, it's a clever bit of engineering.
Given that it's only somewhat directional, this would actually be useful for the common case that the AP sits in a corner of a one-story house. No sense sending all that RF energy outside, so direct it inside.
> the common case that the AP sits in a corner of a one-story house
I was going to make it the centerpiece of the living room but my girlfriend vetoed that.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#43Earlier quoted context omitted.
OK, so if by the time the signal exits my property it has dropped below mandated limits, there is no harm done right? If I aim my antenna such that I contain the illegal power region within my property, will there be an unintended consequence? To be clear, I'm referring to a house not an apartment so I don't have any concerns about upstairs or downstairs neighbours.
I think FCC laws technically apply within your property as well. Hypothetically, what happens if your non-compliant device blocks a visitor on your property from calling 911?
I think this falls under the pragmatic category of "you're only breaking the law if you get caught."
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#44[deleted]
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#45This makes the antenna more directional. It increases the range in one direction while decreasing it in every other direction, so I'm not sure how well this would work for most people without relocating the router/AP. That being said, it's a clever bit of engineering.
This would be great if you lived on a boat, then you could have a wifi router on the shore/marina with signal directed at your boat.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#46Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think FCC laws technically apply within your property as well. Hypothetically, what happens if your non-compliant device blocks a visitor on your property from calling 911?
I think this falls under the pragmatic category of "you're only breaking the law if you get caught."
Oh of course, and there's actually a surprising number of FCC rules you'll never get caught breaking. GMRS license violation is another.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#47This makes the antenna more directional. It increases the range in one direction while decreasing it in every other direction, so I'm not sure how well this would work for most people without relocating the router/AP. That being said, it's a clever bit of engineering.
My current (rental) place has the router and AP in one corner of the apartment, so signal strength at the other end is terrible. Is there a better (cheap but effective) option than this?
I bought a WiFi extender for this and works perfectly. I don't know why I didn't do this earlier. Mine is a Xiaomi one for $9.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#48Earlier quoted context omitted.
Given that it's only somewhat directional, this would actually be useful for the common case that the AP sits in a corner of a one-story house. No sense sending all that RF energy outside, so direct it inside.
> the common case that the AP sits in a corner of a one-story house I was going to make it the centerpiece of the living room but my girlfriend vetoed that.
When you upgrade from consumer-grade equipment into dedicated APs, they start looking more like something you can put into the center of your living room without being ashamed of it.
The Unifi APs for example look like oversized smoke detectors. They have obnoxious blue LEDs like seemingly all modern equipment, but you can turn them off and then it emits no light at all, and fits quite well into the living room when mounted on the ceiling.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#49if my router has 3 antennas, is there any point to installing it only on one of them? my intuition that's based on exactly no RF experience whatsoever tells me that it'll do more harm than good. (case is weak 5GHz signal in the corner of a house.)
Depends. Some routers have multiple antennas because there are multiple transceivers inside it, and some technologies (i.e. MU-MIMO in 802.11AC) will most likely react strangely having one of their antenna modified. In the end, it would probably make your performance even worse.
Re: Simple Wi-Fi Yagi (2014)
#50Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yep. Specifically you'd need to adjust your TX power down to 27 dBm (from a max of 30 dBm) for an AP, or 29 dBm for a station. http://www.air802.com/fcc-rules-and-regulations.html gives a nice summary. Basically APs on 2.4 GHz are only allowed 36 dBm (4 W) EIRP, no matter what antenna shape. This is usually not a problem though, since stations tend to have weaker transmitters anyway, but will still benefit from the A…
OK, so if by the time the signal exits my property it has dropped below mandated limits, there is no harm done right? If I aim my antenna such that I contain the illegal power region within my property, will there be an unintended consequence? To be clear, I'm referring to a house not an apartment so I don't have any concerns about upstairs or downstairs neighbours.
No, that is incorrect.
The domain of the FCC extends to all property of the United States of America, be it public or private.