Does Wi-fi Range Only Depend On The Router or Does The Device Matter Too?

[rlinick]

I recently purchased a Ubiquiti high-powered access point. During testing, I noticed that my phone maintains a Wi-Fi connection for over 100ft outside of my house (which is a vast improvement over my router). However, when at these long distances, my connection speed is slow and spotty. Even when I still have 2 or 3 bars of Wi-fi, simple network apps such as SpeedTest aren't able to connect.

My concern is that the powerful antennas on the access point are able to reach my device but that my smart phone's wi-fi radio isn't as strong, therefore giving me connection issues as it can't return the signal. Is this possible? If you have an extremely long-range access point, can you still have distance issues with your device?

Thanks in advance,
Ryan

 

[fkr]

use this app to tell how good your connection really is.

wifi analyzer
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.farproc.wifi.analyzer%26hl%3Den&ei=O8y9U5aUKpDvoATv7oHwDw&usg=AFQjCNGuhSKCw9j58od1CADG25AU4bN2QA&sig2=vramKJR1N8idmVweCLyD-Q&bvm=bv.70138588,d.cGU


also try a different channel if needed.

 

[rlinick]

use this app to tell how good your connection really is.

wifi analyzer
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=1&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=0CDIQFjAA&url=https%3A%2F%2Fplay.google.com%2Fstore%2Fapps%2Fdetails%3Fid%3Dcom.farproc.wifi.analyzer%26hl%3Den&ei=O8y9U5aUKpDvoATv7oHwDw&usg=AFQjCNGuhSKCw9j58od1CADG25AU4bN2QA&sig2=vramKJR1N8idmVweCLyD-Q&bvm=bv.70138588,d.cGU


also try a different channel if needed.

Thanks! I will try that now and get back to you!

 

[sykozis]

WiFi range depends on the router/AP, antenna, obstructions, interference, and devices.

A smartphone isn't a good indicator of WiFi signal strength or broadcast range. While all smartphones have the same reception range (as long as the signal can reach the phone, it'll receive it), the broadcast range can vary greatly. It takes more power to broadcast further distances, and thus kills the battery faster. They try to find a balance between broadcast power and power draw so that it has enough broadcast range for WiFi to be usable but not so much that it's detrimental to battery life.

 

[rlinick]

WiFi range depends on the router/AP, antenna, obstructions, interference, and devices.

A smartphone isn't a good indicator of WiFi signal strength or broadcast range. While all smartphones have the same reception range (as long as the signal can reach the phone, it'll receive it), the broadcast range can vary greatly. It takes more power to broadcast further distances, and thus kills the battery faster. They try to find a balance between broadcast power and power draw so that it has enough broadcast range for WiFi to be usable but not so much that it's detrimental to battery life.

Thanks for the info.

So could my spotty connection (even with 3 wifi bars) be due to the limitation of my smart phone?
To give you an idea why any of this matters, we are planning on opening an event venue on some land we own. I was planning on using this access point to cover the whole outdoor area with wifi so that event-goers could surf the net on their phones if they needed to (post to facebook, instagram etc...). The distance listed on the AP is 600ft. I understand I won't actually get that but so far, even at 300ft, I still have multiple bars but am having trouble connecting to the internet. My real question comes down to, even if I have a 600ft-range AP, will mobile devices be able to use it from that distance or do I need to install multiple AP's?

Thanks,
Ryan

 

[abailey]

Generally mobile devices won't do much past 300ft outdoors. Some can't even do that much. Most people use the rule of thumb of 150ft indoors and 300ft outdoors. The bars that are shown on your device show the signal from the AP. But, as you have seen, even a good signal from the AP does not mean a good connection as the mobile device has to get the signal back to the AP, which is usually a struggle even at 300ft.

 

[sykozis]

abailey does a great job of explaining the situation.

Unfortunately, the only real solution would be to use multiple APs or range extenders.

That wifi analyzer app is great if all you want to know is how strong the signal from a router, AP or range extender to your smartphone is at a given distance. Unfortunately, much like any other wireless device, it can not tell you how strong the connection actually is because it doesn't know if the router, AP or range extender is actually receiving the signal back.