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Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

bratdawg423
Guide

WiFi Extender for metal building.

I currently have an EX2700 Extender in a metal shed (My Man Cave!), and needless to say I don't get the best signal (maybe 2 or 3mbs) from my Nighthawk R6700v3 in my house about 50 feet away. I can get about 16mbs if I use an extension cord and prop the extender in the window, but it's not the best solution. I was thinking of an outdoor antenna, but is there an extender that has a detachable antenna or the sma connector to hook an outside antenna to. I'm open to any suggestions on an easy way to solve this problem. Thanks in advance!

Steve

Message 1 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

If its only 50ft, run an underground cable from the home to the man cave. The time to bury a cable is worth the investment in speed/stability. 

 

The problem you're having is the metal walls. You could put the EX2700 on the exterior of the shed (in a weather proof enclosure) and run a cable from it, indoors to a seperate access point or extender that supports access point mode. 

Message 2 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Thanks for the reply. Unfortunately there's too much concrete (patio and a large slab the shed is on) to run a cable underground. Since the ex2700 is old, I was hoping to just replace that  and use a weatherproof antenna which I have found. But I can't seem to find an extender that has a removable antenna.

 

Steve

Message 3 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Even if you find one that you can put an external antenna on to be external to the building, that antenna still isn't going to penetrate the metal to broadcast inside the building
Message 4 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Thanks, but I have found outdoor antennas that have a cable with the connector. I can run that into the shed, but I need the removable antenna on the extender to be able to connect it.

 

Steve

Message 5 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Not sure if you understand what I'm saying. 

If you put the extenders antennas on the exterior of the building, those antennas are still whats rebroadcasting the signal to the devices in the garage. but they're (the antennas) on the outside of the buildling. It *might* help since they're closer than the house signal but its still going to get blocked a lot by the metal walls. 

 

Message 6 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Thanks, perhaps I am confused. I know the metal is the problem blocking the WiFi, but if the outside antenna has a cable that runs inside to an extender or router and is connected where a removable antenna would be, how is the metal blocking it? What am I missing?

 

Thanks again, I appreciate the help, just hoping to find an easy solution. 🙂

 

Steve

Message 7 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

those same antennas that are recieving the signal from the house are the same ones that rebroadcast for your devices in the metal building to connect to. The extender's ethernet port would work fine but how is it supposed to broadcast inside the metal building if its antenna's are external to it? 

Message 8 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Thanks, but still confused. If there is more than one antenna on the extender/AP, and one is connected to an outside weatherprroof antenna, are you saying the antennas inside that are still attached to the extender/AP will not broadcast the signal inside? Maybe I'm not quite understanding the antennas on an extender/AP. Are certain ones set to only receive or broadcast?

 

Sorry to seem dense over this, but here I was thinking there must be an easy way to do this, other than burying a cable which I can not do. Is there not a separate outside antenna that can just be attached to an extender/AP inside that has one removable antenna or a port that will accept the SMA connector?

 

For example, if I got another Nighthawk R6700 (other than ver3 that does not have removeable antennas), and replace one of the 3 antennas with this outside antenna, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08242CL6Z/?coliid=I3S5I8V48YDHDS&colid=6P0G50MJP1UP&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_... , and set the 2nd R6700 to AP mode, would that not broadcast the signal inside with the two remaining antennas?

 

Thanks again for the help.

 

Steve

Message 9 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

It all depends on what you use. You're cobbling it together and hoping for the best. I've heard other try to do similar things but never with very great results. 

You'd be better to use either a point to point system or 2x extenders, one external to the building that hardwirings in the internal. 

You can try to do it the router you want but by the time you buy router and antenna's, you're close to the point of just doing it right. 

Message 10 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

Thanks again, I'll have to ponder this a bit with some more research and try to figure something out. But anything I put on the outside I need to be weatherproof. We have too much rain here! 🙂 I appreciate your time and trouble.

 

Steve

Message 11 of 13
plemans
Guru

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

They make "outdoor" access points/repeaters but I've found their weatherproofing lacking a bit. 

Any of the outdoor ones I've used, I've mounted in a decent sealed enclosure (make sure it isn't to tight or devices can get to hot)

Message 12 of 13
bratdawg423
Guide

Re: WiFi Extender for metal building.

OK, nice to know. Thanks!

Message 13 of 13
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