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Rad Community Technical Discussion Boards (Computer Hardware + PC Software) >> PC Hardware + Software (except Cloning programs) >> Antenna or wireless range extender
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Message started by stephanie on Jan 29th, 2010 at 10:46pm

Title: Antenna or wireless range extender
Post by stephanie on Jan 29th, 2010 at 10:46pm
Which is better ?

Title: Re: Antenna or wireless range extender
Post by MrMagoo on Jan 30th, 2010 at 3:54pm
They both have pros and cons.  My answer depends heavily on what problem you are trying to solve. 

Title: Re: Antenna or wireless range extender
Post by Dan Goodell on Jan 30th, 2010 at 3:56pm
It depends.  What kind of coverage are you trying to get?  How far?  Is your wireless AP on the edge of your coverage area, or toward the middle?  Are you able to connect from the client computer's location, but just want a stronger signal?  Or are your devices too far apart to get any signal?  Does it have to be wireless?

If the computer doesn't need to be mobile, a wired connection will be more reliable.  If running CAT6 cable isn't practical, the next best choice would be something like a powerline bridge, used like this:

      router/switch                                computer
                |                                   |
                |      <- (ethernet cables) ->      |
                |                                   |
             bridge------------------------------bridge
                                   ^
                                   ^
                       (in-wall electrical wiring)



If the computer is a laptop or if you need wireless for other reasons, an antenna is less complicated, easier to setup, and probably less expensive than a repeater/range-extender, but it depends on what kind of coverage you need.  Here's a few sample scenarios (not drawn to scale):

default:
          ( ( (  A  ) ) )



hi-gain antenna:
      ( ( ( ( (  A  ) ) ) ) )



directional antenna:
              (  A  ) ) ) ) ) ) )



repeater:
          ( ( (  A  ) ) )
                       ( ( (  R  ) ) )


combination:
          ( ( (  A  ) ) )
                 B----------------------------B
                                       ( ( (  A  ) ) )


(legend:  A =access point,  R =repeater,  B =bridge)


Title: Re: Antenna or wireless range extender
Post by stephanie on Jan 31st, 2010 at 7:04am
Thanks for your information
I think antenna will be suitable for a wi-fi city
as i am doing a project on it

Title: Re: Antenna or wireless range extender
Post by MrMagoo on Jan 31st, 2010 at 9:23pm

stephanie wrote on Jan 31st, 2010 at 7:04am:
I think antenna will be suitable for a wi-fi city

There is no way that a single antenna will cover a whole city or service 60K users.  The solutions discussed by Dan are designed for a home or small business.  You will need to research large-scale enterprise wireless solutions.  Cisco is the biggest brand name in the business, but there are other options as well.

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