Asiair how to get extend wifi range.

[xelasnave]

I have Asiair plus ( 4 of) and love them.

At the present I use a mobil phone in the observatory for Asiair...no worries.

In the van I have a nice desk top with wifi but it cant get the Asiair signal it seems...the Asiairs appear but after entering the password it says it cant connect...I bought one Asiair into the van and it connects...so it is only signal it seems.

So I called in to see my IT guy just now to find he has retired sold up and now on the Gold Coast ... and the business does not handle retail now..the guy there told me there are extention cables and frankly a lot of it went over my head...Ordinarily I would question but I had a Doctors appointment and could not ask questions to educate myself.

So I ask for expert help ...I just want to stay in the van more and look at progress on the desk top...I have BlueStacks on the desk top to emulate the Asiair app...

Any experience similar where you have found a solution?.

I have a modem / wifi thingy as well ..

.I am thinking a cable to get the desk top aerial outside on the roof or up the tree ;) and perhaps better Ariels on the Asiairs...

Alex

[JA]

Sure try an external aerial or at a pinch set the router (with its integrated aerial) outside to test how it goes first.

It is also possible to increase the directivity of the aerial/s by using a reflector of some sort, a simple parabolic reflector which has the effect of increasing the gain in the desired direction of pickup. One of the RF guys here could better comment here, but I once made one for in home use and it increased the signal strength of the 2.4GHz signal in the desired direction and created a null /lesser signal behind the reflector. A piece of sheet metal / foil or metal mesh can work if the holes aren't too far apart.

Here's something of the sort just described to try. To keep it simple cut open a coke or beer can and roughly form to the shape suggested. Very easy- just sit the shaped parabolic cylinder on the desk behind the antenna/e and have it fire in the direction you want the strongest signal directed to or received from. http://www.ajoyraman.in/WiFi.html You could also site similar reflectors at the ASI Air Units

Then of course there's the Cantenna or sometimes Pringle's Can Antenna. I never tried one, but some wireless surfers love them.https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna

Best
JA

[bojan]

What JA proposed...
Also, recently I suggested to my friend (with similar issue) to use LAN connection from house router, where RF signal is good (via Power Line Modem (~$75 at office works) or LAN cable) and use second WiFi router for garage-shed.

[ronson]

Hi Alex,

What is the distance between your wifi router and the observatory?
Is it clear line of sight between both? If not, what type of obstruction is in between?
Is it an option to run a cable between the router and the observatory?

[xelasnave]

Thanks everyone for responding but I will have to come back when I have more time...I have family commitments and after I must get some sleep..I have had it..I am falling asleep just sitting..too many late nights fortunately.

[xelasnave]

Thank you very much JA for all of that I appreciate you taking your time to provide all that.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Thanks Bojan much appreciated.
I hope all is well for you.

Alex

[xelasnave]

About 25 metres and a clear path. I had not thought of a cable but perhaps as
I have little " telegraph poles" ;) that keep the electric cables off the ground between the van and the observatories electrics shed.

I tried to get a photo but the Sun needs to be higher...I will provide a photo later.

Thank you for helping me.

Alex

[xelasnave]

Taken by the van.

[ronson]

Hi Alex,

Do you really need wifi in the observatory? What about a small switch inside the observatory and connect the Asiairs using the Ethernet port and then run an Ethernet cable to the van and plug in the wifi modem directly? Would this be an option?

[xelasnave]

Sounds good.
What is the max cable length?
Alex

[ronson]

Generally the max distance is around 90m, but play safe and keep it shorter.

Attached is a very rudimentary drawing of how it could be setup. Having the switch in the observatory allows you to have flexibility in the future if you want to extend the wifi signal using a wireless access point or add more networked equipment.

For the switch, you can use something like this one: https://www.umart.com.au/product/tp-link-8-port-gigabit-switch-tl-sg1008-49451. You will need at least 5 ports if you plan on using the 4x Asiairs at the same time. Go bigger if you think you will need more ports.

Example wireless access point if you ever consider expanding the wifi coverage to the observatory: https://www.umart.com.au/product/netgear-wax202-wifi-6-ax1800-dual-band-wireless-access-point-61005. It will connect directly to the observatory switch. Will need a quick setup for Access Point (AP) mode, set the same wireless network name (SSID) and password as your wifi router in the van, so you can roam seamlessly.

Hope it helps.

Update: Uploaded a newer version of the diagram showing an optional WiFi Access Point if you prefer to connect the AsiAirs via WiFi or have other WiFi enabled equipment you would like to use. If you go the WiFi Access Point route, then you won't need the network cable between the switch and the AsiAir.

[xelasnave]

Thank you very much Steve. I understand now. I will now use a tape and make sure the actual distance adding in corners etc.
I can't tell you how much I appreciate your input.
Alex

[ronson]

Btw, to limit the damage the weather and sun, and nature in general, will do to the cable(s) in the long run, I would recommend using a cable conduit and a suitably graded cable.

Example cable: https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/wildcat-cat6-outdoor-uv-f-utp-30m-ethernet-cable-e
Example conduit: https://www.telcoantennas.com.au/conduit-25mm-flexible-corrugated-conduit-50m-roll

[xelasnave]

Thanks I really appreciate that as I was thinking about cable.
Alex

[xelasnave]

I have ordered the box, cable, additional short cables and conduit.

So any day now the final step will be completed
.
Thanks to all who participated in this thread.

Alex