Power Amplifier to Boost Wi-Fi Signal

geek001 on 28/08/2018 - 15:59
Last edited 28/08/2018 - 16:07 by 1 other user

Hi all,

I am just within range of a Telstra Air hotspot, it is probably about less than 300m from my house, but there are about 7 or 8 houses in between and I do not have line of sight of the Telstra Air hotspot. I can connect to it and browse the internet at home with a laptop modded with a 5db antenna, but the signal is very weak and it keeps cutting out.

I am thinking of buying a RF power amplifier to boost the signal slightly, both TX and RX. One of these things maybe. It will sit between the laptop and the 5db antenna powered by the laptop USB port.

Do you think it will work? Or will I be wasting $10 on the amplifier and I should get a better one?

Internet

Comments

dcep on 28/08/2018 - 16:02

+1

low set houses ?

chuck a pole on backyard with a dish pointing towards the source
- geek001 on 28/08/2018 - 18:22
  
  Double storey house. Somehow, I am sure a pole in backyard draws a lot more attention from my neighbours than me killing off their wifi signals. Lol. Anyway, I am at the low end of the street, so it will need to be a pretty tall pole to get line of sight.
spackbace on 28/08/2018 - 16:32

+1

Aren't you on nbn?

Why bother?
- geek001 on 28/08/2018 - 18:20
  
  If Telstra Air works, then I can use it as a backup connection for my NBN? 25Mbps is not exactly what I call fast. Also, if the connection is stable enough, maybe I don't need NBN? :)
  - spackbace on 28/08/2018 - 18:23
    
    You said yourself you're barely getting signal, how could it possibly replace nbn?
    
    You're also them connecting to a fairly insecure network (at least, you couldn't guarantee the security).
    
    Even boosted, you'll struggle to play games or stream and if you can't do that then why bother?!
    - geek001 on 28/08/2018 - 18:32
      
      +1
      
      Hence, I need the RF power amplifier. If the amplifier works, then I guess it would then become a decent connection?
      
      I have a secure VPN at work. If the connection is decent, I can secure the open connection via a point to point VPN on my router.
      
      I am sure what I am doing seems a bit pointless to you, I had this "why bother?" talk with my wife already before I posted on here. :) My answer was because I like to tinker, and a man needs a hobby, otherwise I will drive her mad.. unintentionally.
  - DogGunn on 29/08/2018 - 03:17
    
    Telstra Air coming out of a consumer connection (not payphone) is capped at like 2Mb/s. It's not very fast.
    - geek001 on 29/08/2018 - 08:21
      
      Oh ok, the one that is near my house is a payphone, that's how I know it is about 300m away. Do you know how fast the payphone connection is?
    - DogGunn on 29/08/2018 - 10:25
      
      @geek001: I believe the payphones use ADSL2+ connections and aren't capped. So you'd get around 20Mb/s.
    - geek001 on 29/08/2018 - 10:37
      
      @DogGunn: Ok, thanks for that. Maybe I should have just walk out to the payphone and do a speed test. Lol. 20Mb/s is a bit of a bummer.
    - spackbace on 29/08/2018 - 11:52
      
      @geek001:
      
      Yeah I'd strongly suggest doing that before doing anything else. Do speed tests at varying distances between your place and the hotspot. Do it at 7pm (peak time) to really work out what the speed is like in proper real world scenario.
iratepirate on 28/08/2018 - 18:59

The amplifier you have linked to will not work for wifi. You want something like this :-

https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/EDUP-5-8Ghz-5W-Wireless-Wifi-Pow…

Be aware that you may break the law if it exceeds the maximum EIRP allowed by the ACMA :-

https://www.legislation.gov.au/Details/F2018C00500
- geek001 on 29/08/2018 - 10:35
  
  Thanks for that. Would you know technically why it might not work? The one you posted looked suspiciously like the one I posted, but with a cover/power supply and antenna. I thought an RF amplifier simply amplify the signal, the amplification depends on the frequency and input voltage/power. I am sure I will get a stronger signal receiving since it amplifies the weak signal, but I am just not sure about the transmission part.
  - iratepirate on 29/08/2018 - 16:15
    
    The amp you posted is suitable for transmitting only, not transmitting and receiving with a switch time of less than a micro second as required by wifi.
ausmechkeyboards on 28/08/2018 - 20:55

Try a directional antennna as well.
- geek001 on 29/08/2018 - 10:46
  
  Ok, will do. The reason I wanted to go with a wifi power amplifier is because I am not sure a better antenna will be enough. I do have a 10db directional antenna lying around somewhere in the house. The Telstra Air signal I am getting with a 5db antenna is around -80dbm. With a 10db antenna, I would expect it to be bumped up to maybe -75dbm. I estimate to get decent speed I would need the signal to be more than -70dbm based on speed tests on my wifi router. The only way I can probably get it up to that is probably investing in a parabolic dish, which I am not too keen on at the moment. Hopefully, the combination of the directional antenna and power amplifier will be enough.
  - ausmechkeyboards on 29/08/2018 - 10:53
    
    You can make a directional antenna by just cutting a couple of slits into a sheet of cardboard and putting your omnidirectional antenna through it. You can also use a colander or even a (profanity) tin can if you really want. See if the setup works first, and then you can get dedicated hardware.
    
    You could always build your own as well. It's not hard at all. The only gadget you need to buy is called a balun (a lot cheaper on eBay).
[Deactivated] on 29/08/2018 - 12:58

yeah stop worrying about anything if you haven't tried doing some testing whilst sitting right next to it. a lot of the payphone air connections i've come across are very average at best, with connection issues a common occurrence, and then pathetic throughput once connected.

Power Amplifier to Boost Wi-Fi Signal

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