What's new

WiFi 300 feet in my neighborhood, line of sight

  • SNBForums Code of Conduct

    SNBForums is a community for everyone, no matter what their level of experience.

    Please be tolerant and patient of others, especially newcomers. We are all here to share and learn!

    The rules are simple: Be patient, be nice, be helpful or be gone!

Given the range - 2.4GHz - and 2 RF chains, which means two antennas on each end for N144 - even with patch antennas, that's a challenge... it's a 100 meters, and that's ok, but it does matter...

20MHz channels will give the best MCS rates at that range, and one thing to consider is airtime and chip delay.... Back of the napkin here - even with a two-antenna 2*2:2 solution - there's going to be a hit - if one sees 20 Mbit/Sec across that link, I'll be impressed to be honest...

There is no N involved here. Technically it isn't even AC, it is a modified version of it (but essentially the same with some tweaks.
 
[shrug...] I'm measuring iperf3 throughput. There's certainly an argument to be made that OP's case of 300ft through open air will be worse than my case of 30ft through three 100-year-old oak floors, but handwaving about the Shannon limit isn't going to make that argument.

There's a reason their AirMax stuff has been pretty industry standard for years. OP will have no issue getting good performance. I see them all over the place in both the private and public sectors at distances far greater than this.
 
The 5AC Loco is 5ghz 2 stream. PHY rate I believe is 833 (something unique with the airmax protocol I think) at 80mhz. Very easy to get 400-500M+ out of it especially at 100 feet.

Calling BS - and it's a 100 meters, not 100 feet - 10LogR applies here..

Let's not make this a discussion about who is the bigger rooster in the henhouse... at the end of the day, we're not being paid to deliver a solution to OP

I'm level setting and suggesting it'll work, but it's not an optimal solution...

To that end - I've offered a kit-box solution
 
Calling BS - and it's a 100 meters, not 100 feet - 10LogR applies here..

Let's not make this a discussion about who is the bigger rooster in the henhouse... at the end of the day, we're not being paid to deliver a solution to OP

I'm level setting and suggesting it'll work, but it's not an optimal solution...

To that end - I've offered a kit-box solution

Yes sorry meant to say 300 feet.

Not sure what you're arguing, this is in use in the real world all over the place at much longer distances with excellent throughput and stability. We are not talking about clients connecting to an AP, this is a dedicated pair of focused antenna/radio combos for a P2P link with a router on either end.

Have personally deployed and seen it with my own eyes (older versions, but same technology and design).

That omnidirectional repeater you posted will be awful performance compared to this, at much higher cost, you're all over the place here.
 
I dunno; my NanoBeam 2ACs have the same rated antenna gain (13dBi) and they were plenty of trouble to align at less than 30 feet. I was not expecting to have to be careful at that range, which is why I'm emphasizing the point now. Don't expect to just set them on a windowsill and get full performance.

I notice that one big physical difference between the NanoBeams and the NanoStation Locos is that the NanoBeams have a built-in ball joint mount that allows accurate alignment even if the pole you attached them to isn't in the best possible orientation. Does that mean that the Locos are built so that they don't need careful alignment? I doubt it; this is physics not marketing.

This is where specs can be misleading. 13dbi 45 degrees doesn't mean a whole lot without looking at the radiation graphs. A parabolic antenna like yours will typically have a narrower, longer distance primary lobe with two fat, short distance (relatively useless) secondary lobes. The sector/panel like the nanostation will usually have a fatter primary lobe with shorter distance, but much easier to aim.

Even identical antenna types can be vastly different. I had a little neighborhood WISP set up years ago and comparing multiple Terrawave omni antennas with identical specs, the patterns were totally different. Some wasted a ton of signal in the upward direction, others were very good perpendicular, and others (even ones that weren't electrically downtilted), had a lot of signal facing below them. I ended up with a set that had good perpendicular primary lobes, good downward secondary lobes, and very little lost upward. This let the same antennas service rooftop antennas for houses as well as the outdoor areas near the ground.

Basically all 45 degree means is that if you draw angled lines that include the primary and secondary (and even tertiary lobes) that is the angle you end up with, but in reality the primary lobe is the one you're really concerned with. Gain is also a function of radio power and antenna so 13dbi could be a low power radio with high gain antenna resulting in narrower, longer distance lobe, or higher power radio with lower gain antenna with a wider, shorter distance lobe. Both fall within 45 degrees, but one can go much further if aimed correctly (as much less of that 45 degrees is actually usable.

Unfortunately I've spent a lot of time pouring over radiation graphs. They're almost as annoying as KMZs.

You want something that is really hard to aim try something like freespace optics with 1 degree beamwidth (and since it uses laser light, there are no secondary lobes) or one of the ultra high gain microwave setups.
 
Last edited:
I don't know but a long time ago we used some different devices to connect buildings and such and every time there was a storm with high winds, we had to readjust the units. If you can lay fiber or even copper, you will be better off. Copper can be a problem with lightning storms. Fiber is the safest in the ground. I have seen a lot of equipment burned out using copper in the ground.
 
I don't know but a long time ago we used some different devices to connect buildings and such and every time there was a storm with high winds, we had to readjust the units. If you can lay fiber or even copper, you will be better off. Copper can be a problem with lightning storms. Fiber is the safest in the ground. I have seen a lot of equipment burned out using copper in the ground.

Airmax units with proper mounting are rated for 200Mph winds. They have proven to be very reliable in my experience. Occasionally a realignment to optimize speed but never a total loss of connectivity. There are certainly other brands out there with poor mounting but Airmax is where they got their start and it is used by states along highways, telcos for long haul wireless links on towers, etc.
 
However, I'm not clear if I really need the outdoor directional antenna on both ends or just one.
Yes, A point-to-point wireless bridge kit should be a nice solution to extend the internet connection. Find a suitable location to install the wireless bridge master unit on the main home side and another slave unit on the other home side; Make sure both units keep in direct eyesight!
You can enable the smart unit's guest WiFi for internet access since only two users at property A; But at property B, it is better to add a wireless router to the slave unit!
FYI, I am the UeeVill wifi bridge vendor! Please DM me for more details if you want to try our product! :)
 

Similar threads

Support SNBForums w/ Amazon

If you'd like to support SNBForums, just use this link and buy anything on Amazon. Thanks!

Sign Up For SNBForums Daily Digest

Get an update of what's new every day delivered to your mailbox. Sign up here!
Top