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The receiver sensitivity reference is the least allowable value of signal that
will permit the AP to function – another thing you’ll notice is I haven’t included
any “loss” values for the “Fresnel zone”, nature, rain, and any kind of
structures. Whereas a normal sheetrock wall will gobble up anywhere from 2-4
dB, and a wall with plenty of metal will reflect the signal – your signal might
arrive (signifying that you do have a connection) but this indication is only
telling you, “hey you see me!” The hard part is that the modem may see the
AP, but everything you send to it may appear as a abstract of the Tlingit1
language – the packets are scrambled and arrive in bits and pieces, and
1
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tlingit (Which I am – 50%, hence the Raven in the bookmark)
The above two examples are “typical”, you’ll notice that the only different
factor is the output of the Access Point, and unit that usually costs around
$3,500 to $4,500 a piece – it might even have a 600 milli-watt output (27.8
dBm) – you can see when your signal arrives the margin is less than 3 dB,
whereas when the signal arrives at your modem the margin is 10 dB – these 7
dB make a big difference.
How do you correct? The most obvious solution is the installation of a
directional antenna (19 dBi gain), can be purchased for around 40 to 60 bucks,
some cable and a modem that has provisions for an external antenna (cable)
connection. The antennas are fairly small, but it important to get it as high as
you can without offending the neighbors – usually 2-3 feet off the peak of the
roof, and make sure the cable your purchase is compatible with a 50 ohm
impedance system. And mount the modem as close to the antenna as you
possibility can – this is important.
Ethernet cable can be installed up to 1,000 feet before it becomes a problem
in itself, options include installing your modem either in the attic or installing an
As you can see there are a multitude of reasons why your WiFi will not work,
some have a solution and some not, as I mentioned RF has been around a bit
and unlike a solid wire (fiber/copper) the medium it uses is full. Technology
(digital processing) has expanded it in a manner (allowing more and faster
transit through the air), but unlike the solid media we simply can’t lay or install
another wire to accommodate more.