Proper use for bi-directional amplifiers with router to extend wireless coverage

Ciphreak · Mar 16, 2017

Hi, I have a project in course right now.

I have to build a reliable Wi-Fi network for one of my clients. He has a 5000 (approximate) sq.ft. department, and there's not a domestic-use router that can cover all of the area. So, I was thinking in bi-directional amplifiers.

My question is, if I put four of that amplifiers, one in the living room, one in the kitchen, one in the first bedroom and the last one between the last two bedrooms, that can kill al deadspots in the hole department?

The amplifier in question is this: https://www.amazon.com/Sunhans-Sh24bta-n-Wireless-Repeater-Amplifer/dp/B00NAO8EI8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1489645949&sr=8-2&keywords=sunhans+3w

Appreciate your help, regards!

bill001g · Mar 16, 2017

What would you think you are going to hook this to. These devices are designed to be hooked in between the antenna and the device. You would need some hardware in each room to connect it to.

If you have ethernet cables going to each room the way you do what you want it to place a AP or a router running as a AP in each room. I would be careful though because you can get too many devices and the signals can interfere. It would work if you turn the transmit power down on each AP to only cover the rooms it is in.

In general any form of amplifier is either illegal or it does not increase your power. Almost all routers and many end devices transmit at the full legal power so a legal amplifier does nothing.

The ones you link are likely not legal. The legal limit for wireless is 1 watt with omni directional antenna. If they do not have a FCCID or similar EU rating they are not legal to sell in most countries. When you buy without a FCC certification you really have no idea what you are buying. They can completely lie...and many direct ship from china devices do. The huge problem with microwave amplifiers is being able to amplify the good signal without also amplifying the noise. This is why you see most routers using a 250mw radio/amplifier and then using antenna to increase the power output. These fake device may put out higher power but they may also just amplify a lot of noise signals also.

The key thing that shows these devices are a fraud is if you look at amplifiers sold for commercial use. You can actually get these devices but they sell for at least $500 for lower power ones and go to many thousands. The companies that sell them though will not sell them to you unless you have a radio license that allows you to transmit on certain frequencies at higher power.

Ciphreak · Mar 16, 2017

Hi Bill, the problem is the following:

The department alredy has two Ubiquiti UniFi APs distributed in two very separated points that, in fact, provide full coverage in the hole home (some deadspots althought), the problem is, these are two different devices, with two different MAC addresses, and althought these has the same SSID, to get connected to the closest AP depending of your position, you need to wait until your phone or tablet disconnects from the AP of the rooms (in example) to get connected to the AP in the kitchen.

In some instances, you are behind the kitchen AP but you phone is still connected to the rooms AP but with only one signal bar, without get disconnected. Very annoying, huh?, the worst sutiations are when you are listening music via Airplay to the distributed audio and you move from the rooms to the kitchen, the music starts to jump or stop playing.

You can refer to this video to check that the Sunhans amplifier really should work: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RwVVoTLyghQ

I really think that the 3W of power are lightly fake (Chinese amplifier...), but if I wire a coaxial RP-SMA cable to the spots mentioned in the first post, and put an antenna to each, I can prevent all deadspots and solve the connection problems mentioned in this post.

My concept is to transform this:

To this:

bill001g · Mar 16, 2017

You can not really fix the problem of devices staying connected to the wrong AP. Ubiquiti has firmware that tries to force a disconnect but if only sorta works

There are tons of idiots on youtube that post crap science. You have to remember a lot of people all they care about is getting their view count up so they get money.

The law says you can not put out more than 1 watt and almost all AP/router put out that level. Any device that puts out more is illegal so it really doesn't matter how well a illegal device might work. The fcc seldom enforces but if someone complains about interference the fines are huge.

You could likely extend the antenna like you want but the cost of cables is going to be very high. You need to use something like LMR600. Before AP got cheap it was common to run antenna like that.

Another issue is the antenna on current equipment is designed to work together not as separate. This is how they get the higher speeds by transmitting overlapping signals from all of them at the same time. It will technically work on single antenna but you will be limited to the speed a single antenna can provide

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