WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.400 At some point, we've all tried to stream a fine episode of Tech Quicky and run up against a Wi-Fi range limit. 00:00:06.400 --> 00:00:12.560 So, have you ever wondered, why can't we just boost it to maximum power and extend the range? 00:00:12.560 --> 00:00:18.320 To answer, we reached out to our good friend and Wi-Fi expert, Joel Crane, and we'd like to thank him for his contributions. 00:00:18.320 --> 00:00:23.200 Two of the most obvious ways that we can increase range present other technical problems. 00:00:23.200 --> 00:00:30.320 You see, at slow speeds, the modulation scheme, the small adjustments in the waveform that actually carry the data, 00:00:30.320 --> 00:00:33.600 is much simpler and easier for equipment to understand. 00:00:33.600 --> 00:00:42.080 But as speeds get faster and faster, the modulation schemes are more complicated and more prone to errors and interference. 00:00:42.080 --> 00:00:46.800 So, the farther away from the access point you get, the slower you have to go. 00:00:46.800 --> 00:00:52.640 In fact, if your access point is sending out a signal and not getting any kind of reply from another gadget, 00:00:52.640 --> 00:01:00.800 acknowledging that it received the signal, the AP will keep slowing the speed down and down and down until it gets a response. 00:01:00.800 --> 00:01:05.680 And this is a big part of the reason that speeds get slow if you walk farther away from your router. 00:01:05.680 --> 00:01:10.800 Now, as we demand faster speeds for high-def streaming, gaming, and file transfers, 00:01:10.800 --> 00:01:15.440 simply slowing down our Wi-Fi to make it go farther isn't a viable solution. 00:01:15.440 --> 00:01:18.720 So, back to more power then, right? 00:01:18.720 --> 00:01:27.440 Well, not quite. The Wi-Fi standard doesn't have a super high-transmit power to begin with in order to comply with telecommunications laws in different countries. 00:01:27.440 --> 00:01:36.240 For example, in the United States, you can't go higher than 200 mW and most routers are configured by default to transmit at this maximum. 00:01:36.240 --> 00:01:43.040 So you can't turn it up any further, legally. However, that doesn't mean that getting better Wi-Fi range is a fool's errand. 00:01:43.040 --> 00:01:49.120 One trick that actually does work fairly well is to focus the Wi-Fi signal in one direction. 00:01:49.120 --> 00:01:52.800 You see, a typical home router has omnidirectional antennas, 00:01:52.800 --> 00:01:58.480 where the signal is transmitted evenly in all directions and kind of like a big donut shape. 00:01:58.480 --> 00:02:04.800 But if your router is at one end of your house and your couch is at the other, that's not the best setup. 00:02:04.800 --> 00:02:12.160 Instead, you can get something called a patch antenna, which looks like a big flat panel and sends the signal out in one direction. 00:02:12.160 --> 00:02:15.440 They're more common in commercial settings or at trade shows, 00:02:15.440 --> 00:02:19.840 but there is nothing stopping you, for example, from sticking one on the side of your house 00:02:19.840 --> 00:02:28.400 and blanketing your backyard in a strong Wi-Fi signal. Another trick that's built into some Wi-Fi standards is the use of a long guard interval. 00:02:28.400 --> 00:02:36.320 Here's what this means. Between short parts of the transmission called symbols are short-time intervals before the next symbol is sent. 00:02:36.320 --> 00:02:40.800 These guard intervals are there to cut down on the interference between symbols. 00:02:40.800 --> 00:02:46.080 So if they're short, you get more data, but if they're long, you get less interference 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:49.120 and therefore longer range at the expense of some speed. 00:02:49.120 --> 00:02:53.520 Wi-Fi 6, by the way, is introducing extra long guard intervals for outdoor use, 00:02:53.520 --> 00:03:00.400 where ranges often need to be longer. Of course, another winning strategy is to cut down on interference in other ways. 00:03:00.400 --> 00:03:07.200 You can do this by using narrower channels, so by using 40 MHz instead of 80 on the 5 GHz band, 00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:12.000 as well as making sure that you don't have unnecessary transmissions flying around your house, 00:03:12.000 --> 00:03:16.480 like from baby monitors or Bluetooth devices that you aren't actually using. 00:03:16.480 --> 00:03:23.920 And this one can make more of a difference than you might think. In fact, a huge part of how wired Ethernet has gotten faster 00:03:23.920 --> 00:03:27.600 has simply been by cutting down on noise inside the cable. 00:03:27.600 --> 00:03:35.200 However, other than the tips we've mentioned in this video, I wouldn't expect too much new tech in the near future that can extend Wi-Fi range 00:03:35.200 --> 00:03:39.520 without adding more antennas in something like a mesh network. 00:03:39.520 --> 00:03:43.600 Speed and range are always going to be balancing acts, so you gotta pick. 00:03:43.600 --> 00:03:47.760 Do you want the Baconator, or do you want to lose weight and feel good? 00:03:47.760 --> 00:03:52.240 You only get to pick one. So thanks for watching guys, like, dislike, check out our other videos, 00:03:52.880 --> 00:03:57.360 leave a comment if you have a suggestion for a future fast as possible, and don't forget to subscribe. 00:03:58.240 --> 00:03:59.680 It's worth it, I promise.