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If you currently have
an existing wireless network and are unhappy with the range that
you
are getting, or just
want to go further then here are some tips of what you can do to
boost the range of your own wireless network, and create a
Wireless Bridge between two remote locations.
Before you proceed, remember that wireless is a two way system,
both the
Access Point and Client Device must be communicating at a equal
level before a
wireless connection can occur.
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For a
professional site survey of your home or small
office
please
contact us today, and avoid purchasing the wrong
WiFi antenna for your wireless network.
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Transmit Power, Receive
Sensitivity and
Antenna Gain Explained.
- Transmit Power
- The power usually expressed in mW or db
(1) that the wireless device
transmits at. Most Linksys, Dlink and other
indoor, home based access points use a 32mW transmit power.
This is one of the main reasons signal strength is limited
when using these devices.
- Receive Sensitivity
- The level of signal the wireless device needs to receive
in order to make a connection. Most wireless devices require
a stronger signal to pick up a connection at 11Mbps than one
at 1Mbps. The higher the receive sensitivity of a client
card, or an access point, the better quality signal it will
pick up, and the easier it will be for you to send or
receive a signal at farther distances.
- Antenna Gain
- Although antennas don't increase the transmit power,
they will increase the signal strength, and focus the signal
depending on what type of high gain antenna you use.
So instead of the stock antenna transmitting in every
direction, high gain antennas will focus the signal usually
either more horizontally/vertically or in one particular
direction. This gain is measured in decibels.
Basically the higher the gain antenna, the farther it will
transmit. Also the higher the gain antenna, the
shorter, or narrower the radiation pattern will be.
- Noise Level
- This is the strength of the background noise that the
wireless device is picking up. With no noise,
you will show a -100db.
- Signal to Noise Ratio
- This is the difference between the strength of the
background noise and the strength of the signal. If the
noise is greater than the signal, then no signal will be
picked up. If the noise is only just less than the signal
then there will be lots of lost packets. The greater the
difference in SNR, the stronger your signal will be.
When you connect a high gain antenna onto a wireless device,
the antenna gain acts on both the transmit power and receive
sensitivity, so you are not only sending your signal further (in
a more focused direction), but your are also able to listen to
weaker signals. Please note that the maximum ERP
allowed by the FCC is 36dbm, or 4 Watts.
Upgrade the
Wi-Fi Antennas on the Wireless Router or Access Point.
If you have one of
the many types of Linksys, D-Link, Netgear, Cisco, Proxim, or
Belkin Wireless
Routers, then you have the ability to upgrade both of the
antenna that are come stock on the device to a stronger gain
antenna. Depending on what you are communicating to wirelessly,
how far away the device is, and the construction of your home or
office will determine the antennas that will be right for you.
Please contact
us for more information.
Extending the
range of your LAPTOP.
(PCMCIA
card)
This is usually the
first problem when it comes to poor performing wireless
network. Upgrading the antennas on a router, while still using
an old or underachieving PCMCIA card in your laptop will not
get you better range. ALWAYS upgrade the laptop, or
desktop card FIRST, before upgrading the antennas on your
router.
If you are using a
laptop with the built in Centrino wireless technology, while
convenient, this internal wireless card does not get very good
distance when trying to connect to a Wireless Access Point more
then 50 feet away. Upgrade to a better PCMCIA card, like the
ZyXel B-101,
or Proxim OGOLD, and you will see a difference right
away.
If you are using a
laptop to access the internet or other files wirelessly, and
are not getting the desired range, or just want to go further
with it, then you will need a PCMCIA card with a upgradeable
antenna option. We recommend that you upgrade to a
ZyXel B-101
card. This PCMCIA card has a great Receive Sensitivity and
also has a connector on it which allows for the addition of an
external antenna.
Extend the
Wireless range
of your DESKTOP.
(PCI Card)
When using a desktop
to communicate wirelessly, you have many options of what to use
to extend the range of the wireless signal. You can use a
Client device, such as a Linksys WET11 or WET54G. You can use a
USB adapter, which is easy to install, but does not offer much
range. You can also use a PCI card, which you must install
inside the computer, but usually has a removable antenna that
you can upgrade. Such a device is the Linksys
WMP11,
WMP54G,
D-Link DWL-G520
or the ZyXel G-300.
These devices can adapt to an external antenna and are great for
extending the range of your wireless network.
The problem with
using a PCI card is that usually the card sits behind the
computer, and the computer is behind the desk. This means that
the wireless signal has to work twice as hard to communicate
with the wireless access point. The solution is to purchase a
small external antenna, that you can place on top of the desk or
bookcase, and get the antenna out from behind the computer. We
recommend the D-link
DWL-M60 for
this application..
Extend your
wireless network to your friends and neighbors.
If you have a high
speed connection, and a wireless router, you have a variety
of choices as what to do with it. You can roam the house with
your laptop, share internet with your neighbors, and even set
yourself up as a small Internet Service Provider, or WISP.
Sharing your internet connection with friends and family is easy
as upgrading the antennas on your wireless Access Point, and
telling your neighbors to do the same. Although the type of
antenna needed will be different in each application, you can
check out some of the antennas used, by visiting our
Wi-Fi
Antenna page,
or by contacting
us, and letting us know what your trying to do. We have
been installing Wireless Hotspots in every type of application
you can imagine, give us a call and see how we can help.
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- Understanding Wireless Line-of-Sight - |
Outdoor Wi-Fi Range:
The range of
a wireless link is dependent upon the maximum allowable
path loss. For outdoor links, you will get a strong
signal as long as there is clear Line-of-Sight between
the two antennas with sufficient clearance for the
Fresnel zone. For Line-of-Sight, you should be
able to visibly see the remote locations antenna
from the main site. (Longer distances may require the
use of binoculars). There should be no obstructions
between the antennas themselves. This includes trees,
buildings, hills, concrete, steel, power lines, or a
drastic change in elevation, etc.
As the
distance extends beyond six miles, the curve of the
earth (commonly called earth bulge) affects
installation, requiring antennas to be placed at higher
elevations. Use the 24dBi grid antennas for distance
this far. Please
contact
us to discuss your Wireless Bridge, as there are
variables dependant on transmitting a strong signal.
Point-to-Point Wireless Bridge and Point-to-Multipoint
Bridging:
What is
Point-to-Point?
When connecting two points together
(Referred to as a Wireless Bridge), the
distance, obstructions, and antenna
height as well as location must be
considered. If the antennas can be
mounted indoors and the distance is not
far (several hundred feet), the standard
dipole or upgraded
7dBi Omni-directional may be used.
An alternative is to use two patch
antennas for your Wireless
Point-to-Point Bridge Kit. GNS
Communications offers
complete Wireless Bridges that
include everything you need to
wirelessly connect your two locations
safely and securely.
For longer distances (1/4 mile or more),
directional, high-gain antennas must be
used. These antennas should be installed
as high as possible, and above
obstructions such as trees,
buildings, and so on. These antennas
should be pointed at each other, as much
as possible. With a line-of-site
configuration, distances of up to 25
miles at both 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz can be
reached using 24dBi grid antennas, or
Motorola Canopy.
Contact us
for more info.
With the use of directional antennas,
fewer interference possibilities exist
and there is less possibility of causing
interference to anyone else.
What is
Point-to-Multipoint
Bridging? In
this case (in which a
single point is
communicating to several
remote points), the use
of an Omni-directional
antenna at the main base
station point must be
used. The remote sites
can use a directional
antenna that is directed
at the main point
antenna.
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If the multiple distance range farther
then 1000 feet, multiple sector antennas
should be used at the base station
point. These antennas range anywhere
from 60 degrees to 180 degrees of
coverage. Using a Sector Antenna for
the main location of your Point to
Multipoint Wireless Bridge Kit will give
you the best signal strength to all
locations.
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Line-of-Sight | near Line-of-Sight | Non Line-of-Sight:
Each Wireless
Bridge Kit requires Line-of-Sight between the two
locations unless otherwise
specified.
For Non Line-of-Sight Wireless Bridge Kits,
please look at
Part#
GNS-1428, or
contact
us to discuss in further detail your particular
situation. If your two locations are completely
obstructed by trees, you may also be interested in our
900MHz point to point solution, part number
GNS-1130.
View Details by clicking
here.
Non
Line-of-Sight Wireless Bridge Kits use Multi-Path
antenna designs which allow the signal to be received in
a multi-path instead of just vertical or horizontal.
Please view the images below as example of different LOS
issues. You can also use the 900MHz, as mentioned
above, which have tree penetration ability, as the lower
frequency can penetrate the trees much more effectively
then the 2.4GHz, or 5.8Ghz.
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Line-of-Sight means that at each location in
your Wireless Bridge, the antenna that is
mounted,
will
be able to see the opposite antenna clearly,
with no obstructions. Even the slightest tree
branch moving in the wind can cause dropouts in
the wireless connection. Choose a Wireless
Bridge Kit that has directional antennas, and a
high gain antenna that meets your needs.
For
good
throughput, look for a wireless radio that has
low latency, and good receive sensitivity,
combined with enough transmit power to connect
your two buildings.
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Near
Line-of-Sight Wireless Connections will have
minimum tree coverage in between the two
locations of the Wireless Bridge. You want to
choose a Wireless Bridge Kit that has a high
gain
antenna, or even move to a Non Line of Sight
Wireless Bridge, to connect your two locations.
When you are
attempting to connect two locations together
wirelessly, and have a few
trees in between,
you can sometimes use a better quality 2.4GHz
radio to connect the
two buildings, as a
radio with good receive sensitivity will give
you a solid connection.
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Some obstructions that
will decrease the wireless signal are as
follows:
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Electrical Power Lines
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2.4GHz portable phones
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Microwaves
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Wire Mesh walls
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Metal Rooftops
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Trees
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Buildings
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Tinted, Metallic Glass
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Other 2.4GHz Wireless Networks
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Difference in Elevation from Pt. to
Pt.
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Other Geographic Conditions
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If
your Wireless Bridge has is completed obstructed between
the two points, and has No Line of Sight, then
you want to purchase a NLOS Bridge
Kit, or move to a different frequency such as a
5GHz Bridge Kit. Please
contact us to discuss your situation further, as there
are many variables to consider when selecting a Non
Line-of-Sight Wireless Bridge Kit.
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