What is the maximum range of a router?

Randell Tarin · 01-26-2008, 11:58 AM

My wife and I are building a couple of guest houses on our property about 300 feet from the main house, which has the DSL connection.

I'd like to provide wireless internet access to these houses. What are my options besides running a second phone line?

Sammy · 01-26-2008, 12:47 PM

You should be able to get 300 feet on wifi if there are no other buildings, trees, etc in the way.

Best way to test it if you already have wifi and a laptop is to pull up your signal strength indicator on the laptop and start walking from the main house to the guest house while watching the meter.

If the signal strength is insufficient you may need a directional outside antenna for the router.

PSHome · 01-26-2008, 12:48 PM

depending on the wireless router depends on the signal strength usually they will give you a range that the router will go up to. there are some antannas out there that will boost signal

Randell Tarin · 01-26-2008, 12:50 PM

There are a few trees, but I still have line of sight. Would you recommend one router over another? I have a feeling the phone company is more concerned about their profit than my well being when it comes to equipment.

They told me that I would need a second DSL line and a bunch of other gadgets to get what I needed.

Randell Tarin · 01-26-2008, 12:52 PM

BTW, how innocuous are the antenna? I have all my utilities underground and don't really want to crap out my landscaping.

Sammy · 01-26-2008, 01:05 PM

Linksys/Cisco is a good brand and the support/acc. for them are readily available.

I would try a regular router first and see if that gets you the 300 feet reliably. Even moving the router within the hosue may improve the signal. Then a zone expander if the router doesnt work alone.

Antenna can vary... You can actually use a small surplus satellite dish type or maybe even a cell phone non directional in the 2.5 ghz range.

If your not in a rural area just need to keep in mind web encryption and firewalls should be set up and secured. Boosting your signal means other people can access your wifi from farther away if not secured.

Randell Tarin · 01-26-2008, 01:07 PM

I'm in the middle of the woods. My closet neighbor is about 1/4 of a mile away.

Sammy, thanks for the info. Your the best!

Sammy · 01-26-2008, 01:09 PM

Your welcome!

lemme know how it turns out.

Is that Robert E. ?

Randell Tarin · 01-26-2008, 01:49 PM

Yep. Long live the South!

Klint · 01-26-2008, 08:00 PM

Hey bud, I am a Network engineer and have been dealing with wireless for a while. 802.11B or G will start to fade around 100 feet... 802.11N is a better solution for 100 - 400 feet. It is alittle more expensive but does work alot better. Unless you want to get something like this http://sewelldirect.com/Level-One-Fr...P-108-Mbps.asp
I hope this helps, if there is any other questions let me know.

Thanks,
Klint T.
A+, Network+, Security+, MCP: XP, MCSA/MCSE:2003

Klint · 01-26-2008, 08:01 PM

Also, where are you from??? I see East, Texas I live in Lufkin.

Randell Tarin · 01-29-2008, 01:28 AM

Athens

AndrewF · 12-29-2008, 12:03 PM

The problem with going with N is that it is not popular enough to where a majority of laptops have it built in. So most of your guests may not be able to use it.

I'd look at a commercial grade Cisco WAP with an external omni antenna. You'll be able to get very good coverage with it. The cost is going to be higher than a regular Linksys router.

You'll be lucky to get good reliable 300' range out of a regular router.

Johnsjam · 06-20-2009, 02:31 AM

I have moved back in with my family for school and they are not able to get broadband service. We are in a 1/2 mile stretch of road in a dead zone. We are on satellite internet and it is horrible. My Father has a shop about 1000 ft away and it can get DSL. Don't ask me how it just can. How can I get the DSL signal to the house? I know cat 5 has a 150ft range and cat6 is something like 400 ft. If I were to do wireless N has a 350ft range or seomthing like that. In between my father's shop are a few trees, a railroad track and a street.

I know there are range extenders. My dad is an electrictian if that can help. I am computer and network savy but I am in school for nursing. So please keep things in laymans terms for me. Thx

Thurman · 06-20-2009, 04:23 PM

All of my DSL equipment was supplied by my local phone company, BellSouth. The gave me a Westel router and I could use my laptop in my living room and I thought I was uptown. Then I found need to use my laptop in my shop for various reasons and on some days if I stood in the big shop door, on one foot, and turned the laptop in a certain direction it would work, on other days no signal. I bought the necessary wiring for the Ethernet and moved the router to the closest window of the house to the shop. Just moving the router approximately the 18 feet, is all it took to get the signal anywhere in the shop. I must have removed the interference of the walls within the house. Strange stuff, those signals.