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Connect to wifi 1/3+- mile away?

N

niktato

Junior Member
Good morning all,

I hope these sorts of inquiries are welcome here.

I am a college student living just right off the edge of campus, and the apartment I live in has internet that is dial-up speed and very unreliable (frequent, prolonged crashing that gives you an ATT error page for 10+ minutes). My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in upgrading.

I know that my university has no problem with me using their network, but I don't get a signal with my laptop here. The closest point I've tested where I know their network is up and very strong is .2-.3 miles away, and it possibly even extends closer.

There are some buildings (2 floors at most, no skyscrapers) between where I am and that access point I've tested. I have access to a second floor balcony to install any equipment.

Is there any potential solution (eg antenna/receiver) that I might be able to purchase, hopefully under $200 (but I'll be living here for several years so I don't mind an investment), that would be likely to allow me to connect to my university's network from here?
I tried searching for similar questions previously asked but it was hard to find anything that was completely equivalent...

Thank you for your time and sorry to bother.
Best,
Nick
 
niktato said:
Good morning all,

I hope these sorts of inquiries are welcome here.

I am a college student living just right off the edge of campus, and the apartment I live in has internet that is dial-up speed and very unreliable (frequent, prolonged crashing that gives you an ATT error page for 10+ minutes). My landlord doesn't seem to have any interest in upgrading.

I know that my university has no problem with me using their network, but I don't get a signal with my laptop here. The closest point I've tested where I know their network is up and very strong is .2-.3 miles away, and it possibly even extends closer.

There are some buildings (2 floors at most, no skyscrapers) between where I am and that access point I've tested. I have access to a second floor balcony to install any equipment.

Is there any potential solution (eg antenna/receiver) that I might be able to purchase, hopefully under $200 (but I'll be living here for several years so I don't mind an investment), that would be likely to allow me to connect to my university's network from here?
I tried searching for similar questions previously asked but it was hard to find anything that was completely equivalent...

Thank you for your time and sorry to bother.
Best,
Nick
Click to expand...

There really isn't anything easy I can think of short of having a point to point link established from the university to you. You would have to have them put up something like this on their end, and then you would have to do the same on the roof of your building (assuming line of sight).

So in other words, no there is nothing you can really do.

Can you not get cable/DSL? Is the dial-up included in your rent? It may be worth paying for basic DSL service. I was thinking ATT started at around $40/month for internet but I have also been mailed flyers advertising $20/month.
 
You can call your local telephone or cable company and have a new line run to your apartment/room/basement. You'll have a monthly bill in your name, but you'll also have the freedom to address issues with the ISP directly rather than having to go through a landlord who doesn't care. It seems like the easiest solution to me.
 
Just got back from work. Many thanks for the replies.

frowertr: Thanks for the advice. Back when I had just moved in, my floormate was also complaining about the internet, so I researched the area and the cheapest I saw for high-speed internet was 60 a month, which I showed to my landlord with the suggestion that split between the house's 7 residents, whatever difference there was would be worth it (I don't know what plan/price he actually has the house on now), but he didn't seem interested. Whether there is a cheaper service that I just didn't see, I don't know (I believe I used a few of those websites that will look up all the service providers in your zipcode), but at that rate it would be too steep for my personal use.

mvbighead: Love it! Might give it a try... Thanks a bunch.

kornphlake: Thank you for the suggestion... Yes, that is one option. I think the price would be too steep for me, though-- as noted above, the cheapest high-speed internet I found for the area in previous research was 60 a month, on top of whatever initial set-up fee there might be. I wanted to see if there was any equipment I could invest in that might do the trick for my time here, but it's not a do-or-die situation, either; I'm okay walking to campus for when there's something really important that requires a fast/reliable internet connection. Sure would be nice to have that at home, too, though.
 
Why not approach the housemates and see if they'd be willing to split the bill so your out of pocket is only ~$10 per month? It'll be a hassle collecting a payment from everybody so if you can elect someone else to open the account it will be a lot less stress on yourself. About the only other alternative is some kind of 3g/4g that will cost just as much as a wired connection, but you could take it with you if you move and not have to pay any additional fees, and likely roll it up with the same bill as your mobile phone.
 
That's an option, but admittedly I think it'd be a project that's just a bit more hassle than I'd like to take on (and a mobile 3/4g plan would be the death of me; I eat through a lot of bandwidth).
Purchasing hardware of some kind also has a big appeal to me due to the ability to own it for as many years of my life as the item itself physically lasts--wherever I may go, and whatever application I may have for it--and just because I can be a tech junkie. (As in interesting/powerful stuff, not shiny brand-name stuff.) Admittedly, I'm quite wary of anything that involves drawn-out payment schemes, especially paying for a temporary service. Life requires a good amount of that (rent, utilities, medical bills), but I try to cut it as much as I can.
 
So if I understand correctly, you want steak for the cost of hamburger, and your willing to pay an undetermined amount for a grill to try and make hamburger taste like steak...

I'm sorry but I don't think you're going to find a way out of this, internet service is not much different than rent, utilities or medical bills. If you don't want to pay rent, you're going to be homeless, if you don't want to pay medical bills you're going to be sick, if you don't want to pay for internet at home, you won't have internet at home. Next semester look for housing that offers better quality internet, if it's that important to your lifestyle maybe ask to take the "free" internet for a spin before signing a contract.
 
I never said I wasn't willing to pay for monthly internet; I already am, albeit for a slow one, and as I said, it's not a do-or-die situation-- I can live without the the fast internet at home. I'm not having a crisis. My lifestyle doesn't require a solution to this. I was just curious if there was a solution I simply didn't know about, given my proximity to campus, and if there isn't, which it appears there may not be, I can live with that. It's not worth moving over (which I could if I wanted to-- I'm not in any binding contract), but I didn't think it would hurt to ask. Certainly when I'm older, and have better income, I will pay for a high-speed connection at home. I'm already paying for the university connection in my tuition, really.

And given that 200 or less isn't exactly an "undetermined" amount, and I don't really see why there was a need to be rude about it. I was just seeking advice.

Anyway, thanks much again to all for the input. I definitely feel better informed and will likely give mvbighead's suggestion a shot, but if nothing works, I'll get along fine with what I have. Cheers!
 
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niktato I do not think that people here try to force you into doing anything and you do not need to sorry about anything.

It is your money and your choices, we just highlight the options.

Because WIFI works at 2.4GHz it is a complicated issue to extend the distance, and it might be quite expensive (if it possible at all).

Under the condition that you described there is No clear line of site between the Wireless source and your receiving side.

In such case it is very costly, you will need the landlord permission to lay cables and install outside high on the building Wireless hardware that is weather proof.

Examples you can find here - http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/


😎
 
Hi Jack and AD5MB, thanks for the information. It is an issue I'd like to reach a deeper understanding of. If connecting from here proves unfeasible (which your expertise indicates), I'll be fine, but I appreciate the opportunity for education (currently reading through AD5MB's link) and am glad I asked. A learning experience.

Thanks again to everyone.
 
War Driving has at least partial Line of site and is Not done from 1/3 mile away.

$27 is not a lot money and you can try. Technology wise it does look to be a good solution.


😎
 
Hi LxMxFxD4... Wow, now that's a price point I didn't imagine I'd be seeing. At that rate I may be able to test this out sooner than I expected. The reviews look promising, as well. (And yes, of course, returning is always an option if it doesn't work for my situation-- or I can give it to my father, who does cross-country truck driving.) Thanks very much for the tip!
 
niktato said:
Hi LxMxFxD4... Wow, now that's a price point I didn't imagine I'd be seeing. At that rate I may be able to test this out sooner than I expected. The reviews look promising, as well. (And yes, of course, returning is always an option if it doesn't work for my situation-- or I can give it to my father, who does cross-country truck driving.) Thanks very much for the tip!
Click to expand...

It sometimes goes on sale for $15 but its rare. Since its only G networking I've never bought one myself but sounds like it would be perfect for your situation. As stated i've been on a boat going around on a lake and we'd see wifi networks with it from houses a good mile away. As Jack stated wardriving is somewhat limited to line of sight and obviously on a lake there is nothing impeding transmission 🙂 So might work, might not at 1/3 mile away depending on how much is between you and your school's access point.

I say buy it and come back and post the results!
 
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I decided to take the plunge and go ahead and try it out. I have Amazon's free Prime trial for students, so it should arrive around Wednesday. Fingers crossed, but expectations in check. In any case, I'll post results for the sake of any future folks in the same boat who find this while looking for answers. 🙂
 
I've connected to networks at half that distance with a Ubiquity PicoStation M2-HP with an omni directional. However, it wasn't very stable, due to the number of networks within view of the omni.
If you were to combine it with a directional antenna and line of sight, you might have a chance.
But I would start with the $27 solution.
 
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