WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:07.140
at some point we've all tried to stream a fine episode of Techquickie and run

00:00:04.259 --> 00:00:12.059
up against a Wi-Fi range limit so have you ever wondered why can't we just

00:00:08.880 --> 00:00:13.920
boost it to maximum power and extend the

00:00:12.059 --> 00:00:17.400
range to answer we reached out to our good friend and Wi-Fi expert Joel Crane

00:00:16.020 --> 00:00:21.570
and we'd like to thank him for his contributions two of the most obvious

00:00:19.230 --> 00:00:27.539
ways that we can increase range present other technical problems you see at slow

00:00:24.510 --> 00:00:29.099
speeds the modulation scheme the small

00:00:27.539 --> 00:00:33.510
adjustments in the waveform that actually carry the data is much simpler

00:00:31.380 --> 00:00:39.030
and easier for equipment to understand but as speeds get faster and faster the

00:00:36.660 --> 00:00:43.260
modulation schemes are more complicated and more prone to errors and

00:00:40.920 --> 00:00:48.480
interference so the farther away from the access point you get the slower you

00:00:45.719 --> 00:00:52.410
have to go in fact if your access point is sending out a signal and not getting

00:00:50.579 --> 00:00:56.640
any kind of reply from another gadget acknowledging that it received the

00:00:54.090 --> 00:01:01.770
signal the AP will keep slowing the speed down and down and down until it

00:00:59.940 --> 00:01:05.400
gets a response and this is a big part of the reason that speeds get slow if

00:01:03.719 --> 00:01:10.140
you walk farther away from your router now as we demand faster speeds for

00:01:08.070 --> 00:01:14.549
hi-def streaming gaming and file transfers simply slowing down our Wi-Fi

00:01:12.689 --> 00:01:21.060
to make it go farther isn't a viable solution so back to more power then

00:01:18.000 --> 00:01:23.220
right well not quite the Wi-Fi standard

00:01:21.060 --> 00:01:26.430
doesn't have a super high transmit power to begin with in order to comply with

00:01:24.840 --> 00:01:31.079
telecommunications laws in different countries for example in the United

00:01:28.740 --> 00:01:35.100
States you can't go higher than 200 milliwatts and most routers are

00:01:33.000 --> 00:01:39.930
configured by default to transmit at this maximum so you can't turn it up any

00:01:37.500 --> 00:01:44.250
further legally however that doesn't mean that getting better Wi-Fi range is

00:01:41.909 --> 00:01:49.530
a fool's errand one trick that actually does work fairly well is to focus the

00:01:46.979 --> 00:01:54.689
Wi-Fi signal in one direction you see a typical home router has omnidirectional

00:01:51.590 --> 00:01:56.969
antennas where the signal is transmitted

00:01:54.689 --> 00:02:02.310
evenly in all directions and kind like a big doughnut shape but if your router is

00:01:59.640 --> 00:02:06.180
at one end of your house and your couch is at the other that's not the best

00:02:04.290 --> 00:02:10.590
setup instead you can get something called a patch antenna which looks like

00:02:07.920 --> 00:02:14.939
a big flat panel and sends the signal out in one direction they're more common

00:02:13.290 --> 00:02:19.260
in commercial settings or at trade shows but there is nothing stopping you for

00:02:17.430 --> 00:02:23.459
example from sticking one on the side of your house and blanketing your backyard

00:02:21.269 --> 00:02:27.930
in a strong Wi-Fi signal another trick that's built into some Wi-Fi standards

00:02:25.230 --> 00:02:32.790
is the use of a long guard interval here's what this means between short

00:02:30.720 --> 00:02:37.950
parts of the transmission called symbols are short time intervals before the next

00:02:35.310 --> 00:02:42.329
symbol is sent these guard intervals are there to cut down on the interference

00:02:39.569 --> 00:02:46.739
between symbols so if they're short you get more data but if they're long you

00:02:44.790 --> 00:02:51.060
get less interference and therefore longer range at the expense of some

00:02:48.720 --> 00:02:55.370
speed Wi-Fi 6 by the way is introducing extra long guard intervals for outdoor

00:02:53.280 --> 00:03:00.120
use where ranges often need to be longer of course another winning strategy is to

00:02:58.349 --> 00:03:04.680
cut down on interference in other ways you can do this by using narrower

00:03:02.250 --> 00:03:09.120
channels so by using 40 megahertz instead of 80 on the 5 gigahertz band as

00:03:07.379 --> 00:03:13.530
well as making sure that you don't have unnecessary transmissions flying around

00:03:11.280 --> 00:03:17.459
your house like from baby monitors or Bluetooth devices that you aren't

00:03:15.239 --> 00:03:22.079
actually using and this one can make more of a difference than you might

00:03:18.989 --> 00:03:24.660
think in fact a huge part of how wired

00:03:22.079 --> 00:03:29.340
Ethernet has gotten faster has simply been by cutting down on noise inside the

00:03:27.299 --> 00:03:33.090
cable however other than the tips we've mentioned in this video I wouldn't

00:03:31.079 --> 00:03:37.530
expect too much new tech in the near future that can extend Wi-Fi range

00:03:34.949 --> 00:03:42.060
without adding more antennas in something like a mesh network speed and

00:03:40.109 --> 00:03:46.470
range are always going to be balancing acts so you got a pick do you want the

00:03:44.160 --> 00:03:50.849
Baconator or do you want to lose weight and feel good you only get to pick one

00:03:48.900 --> 00:03:54.720
are you concerned about a data breach causing your credit card info to fall

00:03:52.560 --> 00:03:58.530
into the wrong hands here Brandon take this no that's the wrong hands then

00:03:56.730 --> 00:04:03.000
check out today's sponsor privacy context Ikey they have a free

00:04:00.900 --> 00:04:07.470
easy-to-use service that hides your credit card number the way it works is

00:04:05.069 --> 00:04:11.159
by creating a virtual card number that is locked to whatever merchant you're

00:04:09.209 --> 00:04:14.940
shopping at so even if that merchant gets hacked the bad guys can't take your

00:04:13.379 --> 00:04:19.380
card number and then go use it somewhere else as they please and if they try

00:04:16.799 --> 00:04:23.729
you'll even get a push notification so that you are always in the loop and you

00:04:20.849 --> 00:04:26.440
can cancel that card immediately cards are super easy to set up you just create

00:04:25.680 --> 00:04:32.980
an account linked your virtual cards to your checking account or a debit card at a

00:04:29.440 --> 00:04:34.540
limit and that's it you're all set we've

00:04:32.980 --> 00:04:37.750
also got a browser extension that auto fills information for you when you're

00:04:36.430 --> 00:04:43.000
making a purchase so there's a convenience factor as well privacy comm

00:04:40.540 --> 00:04:46.510
is PCI DSS compliant uses military-grade encryption to secure your information

00:04:44.590 --> 00:04:50.770
and they offer two-factor authentication and because they make their money from

00:04:48.430 --> 00:04:55.510
merchants there is no cost to you it's free so try it out today and you will

00:04:53.590 --> 00:04:59.950
get five dollars in your account privacy com forward slash Techquickie that's

00:04:57.610 --> 00:05:03.910
privacy com forward slash Techquickie so thanks for watching guys like dislike

00:05:01.840 --> 00:05:07.480
check out our other videos I'll leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a

00:05:05.320 --> 00:05:12.000
future fast as possible and don't forget to subscribe it's worth it I promise