Our Broadband Expert says...
Hi Kate, the router supplied alongside your BT broadband (www.bt.com) home hub service is not quite up to the job.
The amplifying range of the BT wireless router supplied with your service (typically a BT Voyager 2110 at the present time) is, according to BT technical advice, 50 metres indoors and 250 metres outdoors.
However, these figures represent the best range you could receive in ideal conditions. So how might you go about boosting your signal?
Boosting a Wireless Connection
In order to ramp up your wireless connection, take the following courses of action:
- Swap your router for a more powerful model: The tech team at Broadband Choices recommend most routers made by Linksys, Netgear, Planet and Belkin. Additionally, a router that does the new, faster draft N (802.11n) would be both preferable and future proof. On top of these suggestions, PC Pro Magazine favours the D-Link DIR-655 for long range and rural use. Although relatively expensive in relation to standard wireless routers, I found one of these on Amazon Marketplace for £76.
- Consider purchasing a booster: A good quality booster (such as the Hawking Technologies booster) can increase the output power of a wireless signal by up to 600%. Signal boosters capture stronger signals from the outside wireless network and amplify the signal inside your network, thus improving your wireless coverage. It's that simple.
- Position your router wisely: The best position for your wireless router is either high or low, and away for any walls, metal, appliances or copper pipes. Attics and lofts are popular locations for the positioning of wireless routers. For some households, the attic is an inappropriate location for the router due to severe heat or lack of access. In these cases, a high shelf or bookcase would make a canny substitute. Try placing your router in a convenient place first and take it from there.
- Replace your antenna: If your router is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside your home, and much of your router's power will be wasted. Some router manufacturers sell external omnidirectional antennas that are significanly stronger than the routers built in antenna. Upgrade to a hi-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals only one direction.
- Add a Wireless Repeater: Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you to add any extra wiring. They additionally offer an easy way to increase the effective coverage of your wireless network. A wireless repeater will bounce signals, which may not have had the density to reach the destination device of their own accord, to remote wireless devices.
- Change Your Wireless Channel: Wireless routers can broadcast across a number of different channels, similar to the way radio stations use a variety of channels. Try altering your wireless router's channel through its configuration page to see if your signal gets stronger. You don't need to change your computer's configuration, because it'll automatically detect the new channel.
- Group your brands: While routers and network adapters from different manufacturers should work in harmony with each other, you often get better performance if you pick a router and network adapter from the same supplier. Consider choosing all your hardware from the same brand, in some cases performance can be radically improved should you adopt this approach.
Upgrade:
If you're using an 802.11b wireless network and you're unhappy with the performance, consider replacing your router and network adapters with 802.11g-compatible equipment. BT Broadband supports both of these systems. Further information on these differing wireless networks can be gleaned from
here .
Wireless Routers and Rural Locations
There are two main reasons as to why living in rural areas will have a negative impact on the strength of your wireless signal:
- Trees and Buildings: The more walls, trees, terrain or structures between your two antenna points, the weaker the signal will be.
- The Broadband Speed Divide: A disparity exists between the quality of broadband service in town and country, with Londoners enjoying speeds that are, on average, twice as fast than those experienced in Northern Ireland and Wales. Therefore, a perfectly configured, top of the range wireless router could be let down by a rural connection that fails to deliver maximum speeds. Who needs the speed, city dwellers or country cousins?
Future Tech
While most other telecoms companies are focussing on the development of mobile broadband products, our friends at Intel are still diligently trying to push WiFi connectivity as far as it can go.
Intel's 'Rural Connectivity Platform' will reportedly have the capacity to beam WiFi signals from one antenna to another located more than 60 miles away, and at data rates up to 6.5Mbps.
This technology will be introduced to the Indian market in autumn 2008 and the rest of the world early next year.
Additional Phone Lines – A Last Resort
Should you have no luck having taken the steps outlined above, you may want to consider installing an additional phone line in the second workshop. Here are the most economical combinations with which you might achieve this:
- Additional phone line with BT (£124.99 for installation, plus an extra £11.75 a month for line rental)
- Additional phone line with Madasafish (www.madasafish.com) (£115 for installation, plus an extra £9.99 a month for line rental)
- Additional phone line with Sky (www.sky.com) is free (with a £30 connection fee if you are a new Sky digital customer)
