What is Wi-Fi | Best ways to Extend Wi-fi

The Wi-fi technology stands for wireless fidelity, which is basically connected to a wired technology that is being given access by the network provider in order to provide the internet. In the beginning, the network was only available up to a certain limit in terms of being wired. Firstly, the internet connection was shared between two different desktop computers, and with further evolution and technologies, it expanded into various towns, cities, and even countries.

IEEE802.11 Protocol:

The greater evolution took place when this wired data was made possible to be accessed wirelessly in order for the connectivity of the network and to access it through a wireless medium. In technical terms, the technology IEEE802.11 was renamed Wi-Fi by marketing firms to make it more user-friendly. This Wi-Fi technology integrates with Ethernet and makes use of numerous IEEE 802.11 Protocol Family components, which is a wired section in order to access the wireless internet for connectivity.

IEEE 802.11 protocol standards specify multiple versions of Wi-fi technology that use different radio technologies in order to determine various radio bands along with the maximum speed and range to be achieved.

Radio bands:

Wi-fi technology mostly uses 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz radio bands, which are further divided into various channels. While channels can be shared between networks, only one emitter can locally transmit on a channel at any given moment. These Wi-Fi wave bands have a high absorption factor, which is best for the use of line of sight. Various hurdles, such as appliances, walls, doors, etcetera, reduce the range of Wi-Fi connection, but it is also helpful as it minimizes interference in crowded areas between different networks.

Range and Speed of WiFi:

The range of the hotspot (access point) is about 20m indoors and up to 150m outdoors. The speed of the network depends upon the obstacles and environmental factors, but some versions of Wi-Fi can gain up to 9.6 gigabits per second. Wi-fi also enables instantaneous communication between any two hotspots, which is known as ad-hoc wi-fi transmission. There are various sorts of ad hoc networks; for instance, in a simple form, nodes must communicate directly with one another, whereas in a complex version, nodes must forward packets and also keep track of how to find other nodes, even if they move around.

Ways to Extend WiFi Range:

The following are some of the ways to extend the range of Wi-Fi:

• In order to increase the range of the wi-fi technology, we should increase the number of access points for the network, which would help to get better range, redundancy, capacity of the network, as well as efficiency. In order to provide better speed and range, different topologies are used. For smaller networks, we use thin access points, whereas, for outdoor applications, we use mesh topology for connectivity purposes.

• Upgraded antennas also play an eminent role in increasing the wi-fi range and extending the wi-fi network, so fitting upgraded antennas on the wireless routers help improve the range of the connectivity through the wi-fi medium, as the outdoor ranges can be extended to various kilo-meters by using excessively advantageous directional antennas on the router and additionally at the faraway gadgets.
• On a smaller scale, in order to increase the range of wi-fi in a smaller area, the router should be placed in a better position where the network can be accessed by the users in the given range. For example, in a home, the router should be placed in such a position that by sitting at any corner of the home or place, the network can be accessed and used as well with good coverage and quality. Secondly, by using a mesh wi-fi kit, the range can be extended along with a wi-fi booster or extender. Third, the powerline networking adapter is equipped with wi-fi as well as switching from 2.4 gigahertz to 5 gigahertz. above mentioned are the ways through which we can extend our wi-fi range on a small home base scale.

• Outdoor Wi-fi extenders, repeaters, and boosters are all devices whose purpose is to enhance the network coverage range as well as the capacity and efficiency of the network. All of these are known as wi-fi coverage devices. By using these devices in the existing network ranges, the network can be easily enhanced and used. Some of the wi-fi extender devices used for coverage enhancement include the TP-Link AC2600 Wi-Fi Extender, Up to 2600Mbps, NETGEAR Power LINE 1000, Coredy E120, TP-Link AC2600 Signal Booster (RE650), TP-Link AC1200 Wi-Fi Extender (RE300), and TP-Link AC750 Wi-Fi Booster (RE220).

• A proper line of sight plays an important role in extending the wi-fi signal outside the building by using another wireless bridge. This Wi-Fi bridge uses both infrared and microwave transmission to create a single network or network connectivity between multiple buildings in specific areas. network from one building to another, a burial-grade cable, ethernet, or fiber cable is laid underground between the buildings.