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WiFi in the closet, how bad would it be?


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WiFi in the closet, how bad would it be?
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2017-07-31, 10:12

So I'm not very good with how good/bad WiFi travels through walls and such. I know walls with the chicken wire are like a faraday cage, but my house has normal sheetrock up with wood studs.

I'm thinking about moving my Access Points into closets near the main area of the house. This would keep them out of sight and yet be central to areas of the home. My concern is that if I put them in the closets that I would need more than I already do. Right now I'm figuring I need three to cover the different areas. I could get away with two, other than a brick wall where a previous owner did an addition but didn't remove the brick from the old exterior (now interior) wall.

I know some of you know way more about WiFi propagation and such, so how bad would it be to add one wall in either direction by putting the APs in closets rather than the hallways/foyer?

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alcimedes
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Join Date: May 2004
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2017-07-31, 17:32

It won't matter at all, unless you have a bunch of plumbing or electrical nearby that will interfere.

Sheetrock and 2x4's are borderline invisible to wireless spectrum when you're talking about residential spaces.

WiFi doesn't really care about brick either unless they put metal rods to strengthen them. (which would be super unusual)

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Eugene
careful with axes
 
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Hillsborough, CA
 
2017-07-31, 19:34

Yeah, uh, try sticking an AP in a closet and tell me how it affects your 5GHz throughput/range.
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curiousuburb
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2017-07-31, 19:41

Speaking of range extenders, I bought an EDIMAX unit and was thrilled to see an implementation of channel mapping and basic diagnostics in their app that I'd only seen on Android before...

I've always been annoyed that there were no simple iOS/Mac wifi spectrum utililities... I suppose I understand the lineage of walled garden thinking... I totally get "don't over share", particularly app/tools that could sniff networks and potentially threaten security (wikileaks is picking up that slack of late), but if having a £39 Android phone with the right app provides features otherwise unavailable, it tends to put a bee in one's bonnet.

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chucker
 
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2017-08-01, 09:01

Quote:
Originally Posted by curiousuburb View Post
I've always been annoyed that there were no simple iOS/Mac wifi spectrum utililities... I suppose I understand the lineage of walled garden thinking... I totally get "don't over share", particularly app/tools that could sniff networks and potentially threaten security (wikileaks is picking up that slack of late), but if having a £39 Android phone with the right app provides features otherwise unavailable, it tends to put a bee in one's bonnet.
What do you mean? Something like the Scan/Performance/Sniffer windows in Wireless Diagnostics?
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alcimedes
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2017-08-01, 10:19

Quote:
Originally Posted by Eugene View Post
Yeah, uh, try sticking an AP in a closet and tell me how it affects your 5GHz throughput/range.
Had no issues typically. For 5Ghz stuff you don't want more than 50 yards between you and the base station anyway or I've had bad throughput, within that distance having it in the ceiling or closet won't matter. At least that's been my experience. It would depend somewhat on your building materials. Metal studs for example are worse than wood ones I'm sure.

You'd be way worse off with it in a kitchen or other open space with something like a microwave nearby.

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Caveat Emptor - Latin for tough titty
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2017-08-01, 12:49

So then I should be fine with it in the closet. Even if I add two more APs and overkill. It is still cheaper for me to blanket my house in WiFi like that than it would be for some of the other gear out there is the UAP-AC-PRO I'm using. I was going to go with the HD model, but I will be fine with the Pro for my home use. I wire connect as much gear as I can.

My new MBP is the only device that might suffer from a diminished 5GHz signal. At this point I would likely only be about 50' from the access point, but through four wall with one being brick too.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
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curiousuburb
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Join Date: May 2004
Location: that interweb thing
 
2017-08-04, 03:25

Quote:
Originally Posted by chucker View Post
What do you mean? Something like the Scan/Performance/Sniffer windows in Wireless Diagnostics?
...oops, erroneous phrasing on my part...

I was thinking of something basic, like WiFI Analyzer

but for those who want more technical details... Android, Windows, and Mac OS have apps that offer more detailed channel mapping info that, while not 3-dimensional in and of itself, offers enough of a clue based on signal strength that one could guesstimate relative router positioning... either outdoors, via wardriving, or indoors The latter, with waay more math around the Helmholtz equation than I can understand.

but on iOS... nothing.

Supposedly, Apple banned war-driving type iOS apps around 2010, but after 7 years, to offer nothing like even WiFi Analyzer?

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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2017-08-04, 10:41

As Alcimides said, wood studs and sheetrock should have little to no effect on WiFi in any but very unusual cases. Electrical wiring causes interference and, depending on how much wiring there is around the closet, can greatly interfere with wireless signals of any type. How the house was wired—as a whole—will determine the overall interference you are going to see (if any). Plumbing is moving to PEX across the industry, but some homes are still plumbed with copper, which also causes interference.

I would suggest stuffing your router in there in a temporary, experimental setup and see what happens.

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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2017-08-04, 12:56

So far so good actually! I installed it Wednesday and I have decent coverage even in my back bedroom. It's pretty weak back there, but present. Enough to stream a movie to the AppleTV. All my plumbing is copper and cast-iron with few exceptions for replaced parts.

I haven't mapped my house with a tool like 'burb mentioned, though I should. Heck, I'm still trying to figure out how to get myself a floor plan of my house drawn, to scale even.

Louis L'Amour, “To make democracy work, we must be a nation of participants, not simply observers. One who does not vote has no right to complain.”
Visit our archived Minecraft world! | Maybe someday I'll proof read, until then deal with it.
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kscherer
Which way is up?
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Boyzeee
 
2017-08-04, 18:10

Your house plans may be on file with the city. Have a look.
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turtle
Lord of the Rant.
Formerly turtle2472
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Upstate South Carolina
 
2017-08-07, 09:55

That is an idea... now to figure out where to get it from. Planning an Zoning is my first guess. Thanks for the idea though.
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