Question Which router for Xfinity hotspot?

[Cheezemonger]

I have Xfinity WIFI at home but I have a vacation home without the cable connection.
There is an Xfinity hotspot nearby but not close. I can connect to it legally with the WIFI card in my desktop computer but it is a very weak connection.
I removed the small antenna on the back of my computer and connected a 19db panel antenna with a cable. It gets a stronger signal but I would like to connect the panel antenna directly to a router so I can connect it to my computer with an ethernet cable and also provide WIFI connectivity for guests. I am confused by the fact that newer routers have many antennas and by terms like repeater, extender, booster etc.
I would like a recommendation for something powerful with one antenna that I can connect my 19db antenna to one for a hotspot.
I presume I can control the router over the ethernet cable connection.

Another problem is there are several weaker hotspots but they all have the same Mac addess. It seems like the computer connects to the strongest one and later switches to a weaker one and the signal strenth drops. How can I lock on the strongest signal?

Cheeze

 

[kanewolf]

I have Xfinity WIFI at home but I have a vacation home without the cable connection.
There is an Xfinity hotspot nearby but not close. I can connect to it legally with the WIFI card in my desktop computer but it is a very weak connection.
I removed the small antenna on the back of my computer and connected a 19db panel antenna with a cable. It gets a stronger signal but I would like to connect the panel antenna directly to a router so I can connect it to my computer with an ethernet cable and also provide WIFI connectivity for guests. I am confused by the fact that newer routers have many antennas and by terms like repeater, extender, booster etc.
I would like a recommendation for something powerful with one antenna that I can connect my 19db antenna to one for a hotspot.
I presume I can control the router over the ethernet cable connection.

Another problem is there are several weaker hotspots but they all have the same Mac addess. It seems like the computer connects to the strongest one and later switches to a weaker one and the signal strenth drops. How can I lock on the strongest signal?

Cheeze

I don't know if this will work , but it is a fairly inexpensive test. Get a Ubiquiti LocoM2 (don't get the LocoAC) It is an outdoor rated WIFI bridge. That can be mounted outside and it is directional. You point it to the strongest signal. That brings the network inside. You then use a switch and access point to provide networking to your devices.
Since the Loco is designed to bridge WIFI, you can force it to stay connected to a specific WIFI source.
Again, I don't know if the LocoM2 will work (haven't tested it with Xfiniti). It works with "standard" WIFI and is about $50 https://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-NanoStation-loco-M2-Wireless/dp/B00HXT8FFI

 

[Cheezemonger]

I want to use my existing 2.4 dish antenna.
I am looking at an Amped Wireless SR1000 with two antennas.
Will it work? I believe that both antennas can work receiving and transmitting.
Is there any advantage with a SR2000? both 600mw but i would like a little more.

 

[kanewolf]

I want to use my existing 2.4 dish antenna.
I am looking at an Amped Wireless SR1000 with two antennas.
Will it work? I believe that both antennas can work receiving and transmitting.
Is there any advantage with a SR2000? both 600mw but i would like a little more.

I don't know. I don't recommend that implementation. All you can do is test.

 

[Cheezemonger]

Will a router work? If so which one. The hot spot is about a mile away so I need something powerful. A WiFi adapter card, 150mw?, connected to the antenna is connecting to the hotspot now but it could use more power.

 

[Cheezemonger]

Will a router in WISP mode work?

 

[bill001g]

You are really making things hard by trying to use your existing equipment.

Your largest issue is the massive loss cause by the cable between the antenna and the radio unit. You will want to use lmr600 at a minimum and you will still get a 6db loss per 100ft. It costs between $1.50 and $2.00 per foot.

You need to be very careful with amped products. They are a company that is as close as you can get to putting outright lies in their website. For example the if the sr1000 actually has a 650mw radio and 5.5 db antenna it is illegal to use and can not have fcc certification. Since it does have fcc certifications that means what they are stating can not be true. Hard to say unless you actually find the reports they submitted. It is very expensive to make a high power microwave radio. That is why almost all equipment uses 250mw radios and 5.5db antenna. That gives about 950 mw of output which is just under the limit of 1watt.

If you really want to use your antenna I would look at ubiquiti bullet. It will screw directly on the back of most antenna so you save the microwave cable costs. Last I looked they are still about $60. You can get the ubiquiti loco that were recommended for a bit less and you get the electronics and the antenna.

 

[Cheezemonger]

the coax cable is 16 inches long

 

[bill001g]

Sounds like you are planning on using this indoors which is going to make this project even harder.

Wifi needs clear line of sight. When you go any distance especially if you are trying to go 1 mile you will get a reflection from the ground that will interfere. If this was actual point to point you would need to be about 25ft above the ground to avoid what is called fresnel interference.

What you are doing is not very likely to work

 

[Cheezemonger]

It works now without the router. The 16" coax goes directly to the adapter card in the desktop. The dish sits in a corner behind my 32" monitor.
The signals pass thru a stud wall.
It connectedd with my previous 19db panel antenna but it was a little weak when leaves were on the trees.
It is possible that the hotspot in in a home nearby because there are lot of xfinitys showing up on the list but the store is in the direction I have it aimed.
I have xfinity at home and I can legally connect to hotspots with my password.

This is from https://www.tp-link.com/us/user-gui...pter-2-connect-to-the-internet#ug-sub-title-2
It shows a router in wisp mode doing what I wan to do . I just want to replace one antenna with the dish and run Ethernet to the desktop.

I actually have that router but it has wimpy 100mw power. I want something stronger like 600mw.

 

[gggplaya]

Do you have an old spare laptop or computer you're not using? It might be cheaper and easier to just use your computer as a Wifi hotspot, especially with the login portal needed for xfinity wifi.

You can use a program like Connectify to turn your PC into a wifi router: https://www.connectify.me/hotspot/

 

[Cheezemonger]

I realize that I could connect a router to my desktop and have WiFi for my guests. I am not always there to boot it up and make sure it is connecting and let it run day and night.
That is why I want a simple system. The least components the better. Elegant I think it is called.
I can push a button on my cell phone and it becomes a hot spot that works. I have used it but the speed is way limited.
There is very little difference between a repeater and a wisp mode. Unfortunately every definition I read is a little different.
The TPLINK diagram seems to be suited the best but they don't make a higher powered router. Then when I look at high power routers, they don't have a wisp mode.
I was hoping to find someone has had experience with this.

Cheeze

 

[gggplaya]

What do you mean by "High Power Router"??? The FCC limits the wattage of all routers. So other than having different antenna and amplifier designs, range should be very similar between routers. Some cheaper routers have poorer antenna and amplifier chips and designs. So they have more noise in lower quality signals which means less bandwidth and a little less range. But the difference in range is minimal.

High end routers tend to have more and more antenna's, like upwards ot 8+ antennae. Then say each antennae is capable of 450mbps, they multiply 450 x 8 and you get 3600mbps. The problem is, if your laptop or smartphone only has 2 antennae, you can only connect to 2 of those 8 antennae anyways, the other 6 have no relevance for your speed. So you only get 450 x 2, or 900mbps max speed.

 

[Cheezemonger]

I received a response from Amped Wireless saying that I could connect my dish in place of one of the antennas of a 600 mw R10000 but it would only have half of the transmit power, 300 mw. I think that may be enough. My Wifi adapter card probably has 50 mw or less. So I ordered an R10000G.
Now I read complaints that they stop working frequently and have to reset up and it cant be done using the ethernet connection.

PS. I don't see the advantage of 5 ghz. The Xfinity router in my basement has one more bar on 2.4 Than it does on 5.

Cheeze