iboost antenna range improvement

[Khizzie]

Hi I understand that the I boost pro D8 antenna has been detuned to comply with British and European regulations, if go to a country whose regulations are not so restrictive how can I improve the antenna range.??.Roy

 

[Jim]

I'm sure @Addie will see this soon and let you know

 

[Addie]

Hi I understand that the I boost pro D8 antenna has been detuned to comply with British and European regulations, if go to a country whose regulations are not so restrictive how can I improve the antenna range.??.Roy

The restriction is regards to antenna output - this is how loud you can shout. In 90% of cases turning the power up will not make any improvement since the issue will likely be the signal from the source is so poor. If you're trying to pick up an old Linksys B/G router sat behind some campsite reception desk it doesn't matter if you have jodwell bank on your van, it's not going to receive anything.

If you was outside of the EU, there is one box to untick in the interface which allows you to turn the power slider up. I would never turn it up all the way - since aside from operating illegally you will create a load of noise and interference and actually make things worse.

The only time where this will make any difference is if you are connecting to a high power installation, with line of sight without any obstructions or local interference (not a campsite with 3 2.4Ghz WiFi devices to every van clambering for the same band). Eg over water to a marina or something similar like that. In that situation you can hear the other side of the link, but it cannot hear you. Therefore if you was outside of Europe you might like to increase the power by 1 or 2 points until you establish a connection. I would always return this back to the legal limit irrespective of which country you are in before moving on.

In some situations you might actually like to turn the power down if the signal is too good as has happened this winter on a few sites. Just like shouting in someones ear, if you shout to loud you start to distort.

Apologies for my terrible analogies - but hope that explains it in simple terms for everyone.

Adam

 

[Khizzie]

Thanks Adam that makes sense. Very grateful for your input. ...Roy

 

[Don Quixote]

Good answer Adam, but there is also the heat factor, more power more heat more chance of damaging the unit.

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[DBK]

Good answer Adam, but there is also the heat factor, more power more heat more chance of damaging the unit.

I suspect the differences in power between the settings are measured in tens of mW.

 

[hilldweller]

I suspect the differences in power between the settings are measured in tens of mW.

More to the point, if their software allows MAX then we assume their hardware copes with MAX.

More of a concern is how much microwave power some can pump out, they are power limited in some countries on the grounds of danger to nearby human beings. Having as high powered one inside is not a good move.

 

[Addie]

More to the point, if their software allows MAX then we assume their hardware copes with MAX.

More of a concern is how much microwave power some can pump out, they are power limited in some countries on the grounds of danger to nearby human beings. Having as high powered one inside is not a good move.

Yes - the unit has a temperature cut out although I've not known one to cut out as in reality its only generating power (and heat) when its transmitting and you will never in practice get anywhere near to the 150MBps the unit is capable off in terms of throughput.

If you was in the USA WiFi is a free for all on the majority of 2.4Ghz bands and the result is better range but also a lot of noise so the mean reason is to keep the crowded 2.4Ghz band as noise free as possible.

 

[tonyidle]

More of a concern is how much microwave power some can pump out, they are power limited in some countries on the grounds of danger to nearby human beings. Having as high powered one inside is not a good move.

I don't think it will turn up far enough to be a danger .

 

[hilldweller]

I don't think it will turn up far enough to be a danger .

I'm just generalising but I'm sure I've seen 5000mW advertised on ebay. I would not want that stuck to a window a few feet from my head.

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[tonyidle]

I'm just generalising but I'm sure I've seen 5000mW advertised on ebay. I would not want that stuck to a window a few feet from my head.

At 5W that's in mobile phone or pro walkie-talkie territory but pointless anyway. There's little point in exceeding the power of the transmission you're trying to receive - which will be at a low, legal, level.

 

[BigClick]

The sooner we get Wi-Fi off 2.4GHz the better. Dont suppose iBoost would welcome that though?

 

[Don Quixote]

I'm sure Addie will answer this in more detail, but until the wifi providers change over to the 5GHz band then 2.4GHz is here to stay for the foreseeable future. There is already a 5GHz antenna like the one Addie currently supplies, however there are very few if any wifi providers using it yet. I use 5GHz at home and to be honest distance is not as good as the 2GHz band.

 

[Chris]

I have tried translating this thread into Greek, but it's no clearer.

What does all this stuff mean?

Is my iboost still ok to use?

 

[Don Quixote]

I have tried translating this thread into Greek, but it's no clearer.

What does all this stuff mean?

Is my iboost still ok to use?

The "Greek" bit you don't have to worry about - The GHz bands are about frequency changes and again nothing to worry about and lastly your iBoost will be fine and work forever and a day....

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[BigClick]

I'm sure Addie will answer this in more detail, but until the wifi providers change over to the 5GHz band then 2.4GHz is here to stay for the foreseeable future. There is already a 5GHz antenna like the one Addie currently supplies, however there are very few if any wifi providers using it yet. I use 5GHz at home and to be honest distance is not as good as the 2GHz band.

Distance no, more channels yes, less crowded yes, channel bonding yes

 

[Don Quixote]

Distance no, more channels yes, less crowded yes, channel bonding yes

Distance being the key thing, then you can see why my post states that fact.