Soldering an antenna

[LRWIFI]

Hey guys, first post here. This will inevitably turn into a build thread, but I need information to start.

I have an RV that is about 300ft from the router. So, I've decided to crack open a wifi repeater, add antennas on the top of the camper and interior antennas to let all my devices connect. The router is a Asus RT-AC88U. I may eventually get the AX11000, but that's once this one bogs down as the wireless load increases.

Amplifiers and antennas I'm fine with (I work am an avid radio guy), but for a wifi repeater I'd like some help. I need a repeater that can support at minimum the router I have now, can connect at 5 or 6 devices (3 of which stream) and most importantly - that I can open the case and move the antennas outside with.

I've read a lot of reviews and have seen some good repeaters, but when looking at the pictures I don't know which antenna is rx or TX, if they have a dedicated rf in and out or if there is a way to tell. If you know of a repeater thats good and you which antenna operates as what, please let me know!

 

[degrub]

The simpliest approach would be to get a Ubiquiti outdoor directional pair of repeaters running on 2.4 GHz link. One at the house connected into your LAN with all the sources and one mounted on the RV passing ethernet inside to a small 5Ghz wireless AP. Put them on different bands as the RV will leak signal through the windows.

 

[coolbeans2016]

Hey guys, first post here. This will inevitably turn into a build thread, but I need information to start.

I have an RV that is about 300ft from the router. So, I've decided to crack open a wifi repeater, add antennas on the top of the camper and interior antennas to let all my devices connect. The router is a Asus RT-AC88U. I may eventually get the AX11000, but that's once this one bogs down as the wireless load increases.

Amplifiers and antennas I'm fine with (I work am an avid radio guy), but for a wifi repeater I'd like some help. I need a repeater that can support at minimum the router I have now, can connect at 5 or 6 devices (3 of which stream) and most importantly - that I can open the case and move the antennas outside with.

I've read a lot of reviews and have seen some good repeaters, but when looking at the pictures I don't know which antenna is rx or TX, if they have a dedicated rf in and out or if there is a way to tell. If you know of a repeater thats good and you which antenna operates as what, please let me know!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082FW54WK/?tag=snbforums-20
WAVLINK High Power Long Range Outdoor Wireless Access Point Weatherproof Dual Band 2.4+5G 1200Mbps Wi-Fi AP/WiFi Extender/Router 3 in 1, POE, Gigabit Port
That's what I got to go from office in back of house on 2nd floor to front yard, basically front & back. It's on a 100 ft CAT7 run & their good up to 180 feet with the included proprietary POE switch... Relatively inexpensive, cost me $134 or so with tax & if you have Amazon Prime it'll be free shipping also.

 

[LRWIFI]

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B082FW54WK/?tag=snbforums-20
WAVLINK High Power Long Range Outdoor Wireless Access Point Weatherproof Dual Band 2.4+5G 1200Mbps Wi-Fi AP/WiFi Extender/Router 3 in 1, POE, Gigabit Port
That's what I got to go from office in back of house on 2nd floor to front yard, basically front & back. It's on a 100 ft CAT7 run & their good up to 180 feet with the included proprietary POE switch... Relatively inexpensive, cost me $134 or so with tax & if you have Amazon Prime it'll be free shipping also.

That unit doesn't look bad and will live in a cupboard as it is. Which antennas have which functions?

 

[LRWIFI]

The simpliest approach would be to get a Ubiquiti outdoor directional pair of repeaters running on 2.4 GHz link. One at the house connected into your LAN with all the sources and one mounted on the RV passing ethernet inside to a small 5Ghz wireless AP. Put them on different bands as the RV will leak signal through the windows.

I though about this, but it see. doesn't have enough flexibility to use it anywhere but on my property. I'd like to have it access wifi where ever I am. I did say behind the house, but with it being a camper, everything must have more than one function in there.

 

[degrub]

So what you need is a wireless router/gateway with an external remote antenna and a downlead ?
i recall seeing high gain remote antennas with downleads at microcenter a few years back. Likely still have. Ubiquiti and others likely have them as well.

 

[coolbeans2016]

That unit doesn't look bad and will live in a cupboard as it is. Which antennas have which functions?

upper & lower on each side split the 2.4ghz & 5ghz bands....

 

[LRWIFI]

upper & lower on each side split the 2.4ghz & 5ghz bands....

So, two of each band on either side. Which antennas talk to wireless router and which are rebroadcasting?

 

[LRWIFI]

So what you need is a wireless router/gateway with an external remote antenna and a downlead ?
i recall seeing high gain remote antennas with downleads at microcenter a few years back. Likely still have. Ubiquiti and others likely have them as well.

Is it better to do a whole other routher and a gateway instead of just moving antennas around on an extender?

 

[degrub]

If it is not completely your wireless (like from your house to the camper), then an extender that pairs up with an existing AP at a campsite will hog at least 50% of all the bandwidth on that channel. Plus, i would expect that you could not pair your extended with another AP that was not set up to be the other half of the pair.

Your system needs to act like another wireless client, just like your laptop does. So it would be a "repeater" rather than an extender. We use this type of system for our radio communications as the steel modules we use act as a faraday cage. It is just an antenna on the outside with a downlead into a base station set up to retransmit the incoming radio and packets. In a very small box like a camper, the system doesn't need much power. Reflections can be an issue if there is not RF absorbing material on the walls and ceiling like gypsum board.

 

[LRWIFI]

If it is not completely your wireless (like from your house to the camper), then an extender that pairs up with an existing AP at a campsite will hog at least 50% of all the bandwidth on that channel. Plus, i would expect that you could not pair your extended with another AP that was not set up to be the other half of the pair.

Your system needs to act like another wireless client, just like your laptop does. So it would be a "repeater" rather than an extender. We use this type of system for our radio communications as the steel modules we use act as a faraday cage. It is just an antenna on the outside with a downlead into a base station set up to retransmit the incoming radio and packets. In a very small box like a camper, the system doesn't need much power. Reflections can be an issue if there is not RF absorbing material on the walls and ceiling like gypsum board.

Yes! That is a perfect example of what I'm looking for! I need a repeater, one which I can move the antennas around with. Which repeater will that work with? I have no problems working with coax/antennas etc...thats a good portion of ham as it is.

 

[degrub]

try one of the wireless routers with removable antenna and an external high gain antenna pair. Or that device linked to on Amazon earlier as it says it has repeater mode. Or this device -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076KRTXQ6/?tag=snbforums-20
perhaps.

 

[coolbeans2016]

So, two of each band on either side. Which antennas talk to wireless router and which are rebroadcasting?

It has MU-MIMO... I keep all my SSID's on 2.4ghz the same so as I go from upstairs to outside, especially when going around the neighborhood it switches to the AP that is in front yard. My security cameras (Reolink Argus 2's & Reolink's PTZ) have been able to operate in hi-res since getting this put up & I can literally be 300 yards away from the house (as the crow flys) & have very good internet on my phone from the home network.
Alot of people in RV's purchase these because they can be mounted on any standard "mast pole" and raised up once parked in camping locations to pull the front office wifi in & share it if you like. Guest networks, it's a router on a stick!If you run it off a router thats inside your RV, like Asus you have the option to usb your phone to the inside router and share your mobile data to the outside & get it broadcast a fair distance in any signal/noise enviroment. When I'm downloading movies alot of times I'll throw my T-Mobile phone on back of router in house to "torrent" so I'm not having to run a VPN to hide it which slows everything down. Xfinity will send you an email in a heartbeat about "torrenting" because of copyright BS.... plus public wifi's are setup to slow your connection down when you go to sharing or streaming any video content, especially in RV/camp parks.... js

 

[coolbeans2016]

try one of the wireless routers with removable antenna and an external high gain antenna pair. Or that device linked to on Amazon earlier as it says it has repeater mode. Or this device -
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076KRTXQ6/?tag=snbforums-20
perhaps.

Nice setup but almost $300?!!! OUCH

 

[LRWIFI]

That post I just made replying about antennas (MU-MIMO) got a moderator stamp saying it's not visible... so yeah....

I read it in my email via the notification. What extender/repeater are you using to do that and which antennas on the item are responsible for the network and communicating with wireless router in the house?

 

[LRWIFI]

Nice setup but almost $300?!!! OUCH

I'm dissuaded by the 150mps dl on 2.4.

 

[coolbeans2016]

I read it in my email via the notification. What extender/repeater are you using to do that and which antennas on the item are responsible for the network and communicating with wireless router in the house?

The AP is the one in the link posted earlier. I have a 100 foot CAT7 running from LAN 8 off the RT-AX88U. It's on top of a corner shelf system that has it 1 foot from the ceiling so up into attic, across to front of house, down side to about 1 1/2 foot underground & 20 foot over to a tree that's cut off 18 feet, up to the mast mounted at top for AP.
You can do a wireless setup as a repeater but wired pulls alot more speed & doesn't tie up one of the main routers bands...

 

[LRWIFI]

Running a cable isn't an option right now coolbeans2016.

Ultimately, I need to know how to tell which side of the extender makes the local wifi network and which connects to the router. Even if I use the ones posted in here. I've called the manufacturers, but they seem to not want to answer during business hours.

 

[coolbeans2016]

Running a cable isn't an option right now coolbeans2016.

Ultimately, I need to know how to tell which side of the extender makes the local wifi network and which connects to the router. Even if I use the ones posted in here. I've called the manufacturers, but they seem to not want to answer during business hours.

It's going to be like any other mesh/AP/repeater... it is a router in itself. If you connect wirelessly to it and do so with 5ghz band then the 2.4 band will be what it repeats on. Vice/versa... if you do a run to it wired, you have both bands, essentially an outdoor router...

 

[ColinTaylor]

Ultimately, I need to know how to tell which side of the extender makes the local wifi network and which connects to the router. Even if I use the ones posted in here. I've called the manufacturers, but they seem to not want to answer during business hours.

Extenders don't work like that. 2 antennas are used for 2.4GHz and the other two are used for 5GHz. Each pair is used for both transmitting and receiving.