Expected WiFi range


 

Dave Robson

New member
I know there are a lot of variables but I was wondering what people are experiencing for WiFi range on their HeaterMeter?

My router is about 6 feet off the floor and less than 3 feet from an exterior wall . My grill is about 15 feet from the exterior wall, so about 18 feet straight line to the router. Sometime between walking out the door and getting to my grill the signal drops out. I'm using 2 x 6V gel cells about the size and weight of a brick so I should have lots of power. I have no experience with using WiFi dongles so I don't know what to expect for range.

Just curious if this is normal.
 
My smoker is diagonally as far away from my router as possible in my house, opposite corners of the house. I would estimate it to be about ~60 feet with several walls, a floor and a brick wall between. I've no problems with connectivity.

dave
 
I get about 80% of the range that my cellphone's wifi gets. The adapters are small and aren't made with top quality components, so there is some variation in their performance. There's no setting that will increase the power or anything though.

You could try another adapter with an external antenna but I haven't tested any of them. The only requirement is that the linux driver needs to be for the Realtek 8192cu.
 
Home wifi signal can be improved by getting the wifi router's antenna's as high from the ground as possible. Also make sure the antenna's point straight up (the signal radiates upward and laterally).
 
I've got my WiFi in my basement, about 35 feet from the concrete wall (though one interior wall), the grill is outside on a deck a few feet away from that basement wall. I've never had a problem getting a WiFi connections with my HM.....
 
My wifi signal is on my second floor. It travels 70 feet through several walls (including a brick wall) with no problem. Per common specifications, a wifi signal should reach ~100 ft in an indoor environment (farther outdoor). I am assuming that you are using a modern wifi access point. If you are not, then I would suggest that you use a 802.11n unit. Your problem is probably due to interference from another device. Maybe another wifi access point or even a wireless TV remote. Anything that uses the 2.4G Hz range. If you have a modern wifi device, it may allow you to switch to the 5 GHz range.
 
If you have a modern wifi device, it may allow you to switch to the 5 GHz range.
Just to be clear the 8192cus probably don't support 5GHz as far as I can tell. They do report that they do when you pull their capabilities but if I try to connect to anything 5GHz it fails.
 
I have a Belkin N600 running DD-WRT and have never had a problem connecting anywhere in my yard and I've connected to my router using my tablet at my next door neighbors so I don't believe it's an issue with my router. Now today I'm grilling with the HeaterMeter and I'm connected no problem but I powered it up and got an IP address before taking it out to the grill. I'll have to do some more testing.

Thanks for the input, I now know I should be getting something better from the USB WiFi dongle.
 

 

Back
Top