Question Maximizing WiFi signal on property between cabins

Jun 27, 2019
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We currently have a relatively small cabin where we use a 2wire 2701 DSL Home networking modem from our ISP that says its both 802.11b and 802.11g. It works fine for the small cabin but now we have another small cabin on the property that we want to be able to send a WiFi signal to. It is located about 175 feet away with some small trees between them. I'm wondering what the best solution would be to achieve this. Do I need a more powerful modem? Is there some sort of extender or mesh solution that would work for this distance? Does it require any other hardware? We're currently running a long cable through the woods to an old router in the other cabin but its not ideal and we always seem to have problems with connectivity. Thanks very much!
 
You would want to look at some point to point wireless solutions. (Or line of sight)

Standard routers broadcast in every direction. These antennae point only in a single direction and can achieve much longer distances. You just need line of sight.

There are cheap solutions like building cantennas (literally out of pringles cans), but since more professional solutions are relatively inexpensive...
 
You would want to look at some point to point wireless solutions. (Or line of sight)

Standard routers broadcast in every direction. These antennae point only in a single direction and can achieve much longer distances. You just need line of sight.

There are cheap solutions like building cantennas (literally out of pringles cans), but since more professional solutions are relatively inexpensive...
Eximo, Thank you for the quick reply. I was not aware of these outdoor bridge systems. Are you referring to something like this? https://www.amazon.com/KuWFi-Wirele...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=E01YCGD1SNZE7YB3NTEJ
 
Yes.

For that you would still need a router on each end and you would want to bridge those routers to share an internet connection. Those antennae act as forwarders essentially.

Those seem suspiciously inexpensive, I wonder how good they really are. 2km seems rather extreme, and I can't imagine that is true. But for a few hundred yards they'll probably get you something.

I've seen footage of people setting up extremely long range WiFi that required dishes about 2 foot across and precise alignment. They were roughly doing 2km as I recall. From a multi-story apartment to a park across the way. This was less than a year ago, so not seeing sensitivity advancing to the point of $60 getting to 2km.

If it did work at 2km the bandwidth would probably be non-existent.

Interesting to note they show a use case from EoP to presumably an outdoor plug to a camera in the front yard. That seems more realistic. If you can get an ethernet cord out to where you place these things, then you don't have to bother with powerline adapters.

Might also be powerful enough to get through some things, so you could possibly put them in attics and things, but that would have to be tested.
 
Yes.

For that you would still need a router on each end and you would want to bridge those routers to share an internet connection. Those antennae act as forwarders essentially.

Those seem suspiciously inexpensive, I wonder how good they really are. 2km seems rather extreme, and I can't imagine that is true. But for a few hundred yards they'll probably get you something.

I've seen footage of people setting up extremely long range WiFi that required dishes about 2 foot across and precise alignment. They were roughly doing 2km as I recall. From a multi-story apartment to a park across the way. This was less than a year ago, so not seeing sensitivity advancing to the point of $60 getting to 2km.

If it did work at 2km the bandwidth would probably be non-existent.

Interesting to note they show a use case from EoP to presumably an outdoor plug to a camera in the front yard. That seems more realistic. If you can get an ethernet cord out to where you place these things, then you don't have to bother with powerline adapters.

Might also be powerful enough to get through some things, so you could possibly put them in attics and things, but that would have to be tested.
Okay, okay, Thank so much Eximo! I think I understand now. I've found a few videos online of people setting these up. I agree, compared to others, these seem suspiciously inexpensive. I think I'll choose a different option, but glad to know I am looking at the right type of equipment. Much appreciated!
 
If your cabins are unoccupied frequently, then you may want to think about theft/vandalism. Putting the outdoor units on a pole near the peak of the roof will help prevent those things. The two brands that are most often recommended for your situation are ubiquiti and Engenius. I have used both. You would wire one of them to the ethernet port on your existing DSL router. You put a power injector in-line to power the outdoor unit. A single ethernet cable is all that has to go outside. On the remote end, a single ethernet cable comes inside and is connected to a power injector. The "LAN" side of the injector can be connected to any network device. If you want WIFI you would connect a WIFI access point.
 
If your cabins are unoccupied frequently, then you may want to think about theft/vandalism. Putting the outdoor units on a pole near the peak of the roof will help prevent those things. The two brands that are most often recommended for your situation are ubiquiti and Engenius. I have used both. You would wire one of them to the ethernet port on your existing DSL router. You put a power injector in-line to power the outdoor unit. A single ethernet cable is all that has to go outside. On the remote end, a single ethernet cable comes inside and is connected to a power injector. The "LAN" side of the injector can be connected to any network device. If you want WIFI you would connect a WIFI access point.
Amazing! Thank you very much for the detailed reply! Yes, this would be the case. I can visualize the set up now. Appreciate you including those recognized brands as well. Perfect!
 
I think with some modification your temporary cable in the woods solution would be the best. Assuming your cable is not damaged (no severe kinks, rips, or exposed wires) I would assume your connectivity issue is because your second router is not setup as an AP and the two routers are fighting over who is in charge.

I’d burry the cable in a shallow trench and make sure the second router is properly set up as a second AP or replace it. Walmart sells the Linksys RE6300 WiFi extender for under $50. It plugs into the wall like one of those air fresheners and there is a port at the bottom for the cable. It can easily be configured as a second AP. I have a 4700 sq/ft home and I use several of these extenders all wires into my main router. Works great.