how to establish a WiFi connection from ++ 50 meters away?

[thedhubs]

Hi everyone, good day dear friends, 🙂

 

for my new winter-project i ’m experimenting with a Raspberry Pi in an outdoor setup and want to establish a WiFi connection from about 65 meters away. I’ve tried with the onboard WiFi, but the signal just doesn’t make it. The router is mostly unobstructed from the Pi, so it seems like a range/antenna limitation rather than obstacles.

 

I’ve been looking into possible solutions and would love your input:🙂

Are there USB WiFi adapters with external antennas that can reliably handle this distance? Any particular chipsets (e.g. RTL8812AU, MT7612U, etc.) that you’ve had success with on the Pi?

Would a directional antenna (Yagi or panel type) be more effective than a high-gain omni in this scenario?

Has anyone here modded a Pi to attach an external antenna directly?

Do other SBCs (ASUS Tinker, Odroid, etc.) offer better hardware flexibility for antenna connections than the Pi?

 

My conclusion so far is that for remote/field deployments, an external antenna is almost essential. It seems odd that the Pi doesn’t support this natively, considering its popularity for IoT and outdoor monitoring projects.

I’ve been brushing up on the theory side, particularly around power budgets and link budgets:

 

btw: i digged deeper into all that and have read some of the sources below - and considered the dB of the receiving antenna:

a. WiFi Transmit Power Calculations Made Simples
cf. https://www.digitalairwireless.com/articles/blog/wifi-transmit-power-calculations-made-simples

b. Understanding Wireless Range Calculations: 

Quote

One of the key calculations in any wireless design is range, the maximum distance between transmitter and receiver for normal operation. This article identifies the factors involved in calculating range and shows how to estimate range to ensure a reliable communications link.

cf.  https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/communications/article/21796484/understanding-wireless-range-calculations
 

look forward to your ideas.🙂

 

[Mindovermaster Global Moderator]

Look at LTT's video at all? They resolved exactly this.

@BudMan

[sailorsonic]

Back when we only had wireless G, i made a wifi reflector out of cardbard and lined it with foil. I was able to share my internet with a friend that lived a house away. speeds were like 15mbps, that improved when he also made a reflector on his end. 

[thedhubs]

hi there - good day dear mindovermaster - hello dear Sailorsonic, 🙂

many thanks for the reply and the heads up - very very glad to hear fro you .

 

@Mindovermaster i sure will have a closer look at the vid !! Thank you very much!!!

 

@sailorsonic THANK you so much for the heads up. 

Quote

Back when we only had wireless G, i made a wifi reflector out of cardbard and lined it with foil. I was able to share my internet with a friend that lived a house away. speeds were like 15mbps, that improved when he also made a reflector on his end. 

i like the idea of creating a reflector: This will definintly be helpful - and i think its the way to go!

Regarding the whole setup: Well i suppose: Range is mostly determined by signal to noise ratio -  and the signal is determined by the output power and antenna gain.
So if i would use a antenna with a bit more gain it would be nice - and your idea with the reflector is a good one. 
BTW: regarding the noise: Noise is a combination of internal and external noise - while external noise is mostly from other routers using the same channel.

i need to do some tests.

greetings 🙂