Run a wifi extender on 12v...

Question

..have a cabin with no power, neighbour has satellite Internet, I can (have permission, etc) piggyback but need to use an extender. I've tried this, and it worked as I hoped.. The only catch is that I have to have the entender in the woods halfway between his place and mine. My only option for power is 12v DC. I have access to lots of 7ah 12V batteries.

In testing, I had to use 3-4 7ah batteries in parallel powering a 110v invertor which would then power the extender. (Converting back and forth just eats up the batteries for no reason) Plus waterproofing the inverter, etc etc....

I have another extender with a 12V input that I ran at home as a test, on one of the 7ah batteries. I unhooked it after 56 hours, it was still going strong. I tried using it in my application, but it has poor range (sending and receiving).

So, I know that the Netgear N300 will work for my purposes...but hauling several batteries and an inverter into the woods is a poor plan.

I've popped the N300 apart, and found that the 'wall half' looks to just convert AC to DC, then feeds the remainider or the unit via 8 solid pins that plug into a socket on the wall side when the two halves fit together. I'm pretty good with DC, built my solar system, etc etc..but my first instinct is to just start applying 12V to combinations of those 8 pins. And I know that I will let the magic smoke out, and it'll never work again. Does anyone happen to have a scematic for this thing...or happen to know which pins are for DC in (and the polarity)? Thanks in advance!

I do have photos of the innards, of that helps....unsure if I'm allowed to post them here.

plemans · Answer

I don't have a schematic but why don't you reverse it around and check voltage off the pin out side coming from the power? You should be able to use that side to determine power.

also, what adapter are you using?

gcfishguy · Answer

Not sure what you mean by adapter...?The power side of the 8-pin connector is the female side. I just have a cheap V/O meter, and the leads won't fit into the connector...neither will a paper clip. I was able to use a piece of cat5 and push a wire into each hole and came up with around 4.4 volts, the top 4 being negative and the bottom 4 being positive. Feeding those 5 volts off a USB Powerpack gave me an orange indicator light below the power light ..but that was all.Where there's 8 pins, I am really struggling isolating what has continuity, if that continuity even means anything..etc.

plemans · Answer

which extender?&nbsp;If it was me? You can snag a used/refurbed EX6200 off ebay for around $30. Then you could set it up in fastlane mode.&nbsp;If you're using single band operation on an extender, you cut your speed in half and increase your latency. By going with a dual band and using fastlane your decrease the speed lose and decrease latency.&nbsp;Plus it uses a 12v power input. I'd use a decent voltage regulator if you're direct feeding the extender.&nbsp;

gcfishguy · Answer

Model: WN3000RPv3|N300 WiFi Range ExtenderSorry..I put that in the original post, but it's not showing up I guess.Funny you say about getting a router...I bought one off the local online classifieds this afternoon. It's a Linksys wrt300n V1 for $10. My coworker picked it up for me after work. It supports DD-WRT so I'll flash it and use it as a bridge/extenderIt has a 12v input. I was really hoping to be able to use the extender...just for the ease of putting it up inside a 2L bottle or something to keep it dry...and mainly for the low power consumption. I haven't checked the specs yet, but I'd imagine a router would draw a fair amount more than the DC side of an extender.I'm not really concerned with speed. It's crappy satellite internet to begin with, and it's only to allow me to send/receive messages from home...there's no cell service there either, so it's nice to be able to check in and set the Mrs' mind at ease.

plemans · Answer

Agree that you think speed isn't an issue. but its even a bigger issue when starting from a lower point. Because single band devices have to receive and retransmit, it literally halves (if not more) your speed and increases latency significantly. And thats if you're not adding another extender in your home to cover your home. If you're only using one extender at the midpoint and picking up with the pc in the home, its a little better.&nbsp;Satellite already has high latency. and if its as slow as you make it out to be, cut that speed in half. ouch.At least if you snag a dual band extender (like the ex6200 i mentioned), you'll maintain some of that speed using fastlane.&nbsp;You've already go the linksys so you can try it out.&nbsp;Test your speed at the nighbors, at the midpoint, and at your home. Just so you have points of reference.&nbsp;

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Run a wifi extender on 12v...

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