We can’t blink the fact that WiFi network is significantly fitted into our daily life or work environment mostly because of the ever-increasing reliance on smartphones, tablets, and PCs. As a result, a decent WiFi access is of crucial importance, especially pertaining to commercial areas, such as shopping mall, retail outlets and chain stores, where requiring stable, fast, and secure WiFi covering greater properties or areas, so as to attract more customers and gain higher business benefit. To solve weak signal issues, in other words, to find ways extending WiFi range even further, today, we are going to help installers or managers to walk through some common methods of WiFi extension, and try to give guideline on extending WiFi range even further with cable.
Maintain Convenience with Wireless Wi-Fi Extension
There are a number of common ways for extending WiFi range to get improved or strong signal strength at further range, for instance, use the following listed devices or solutions available and adopted most universally. They comes with a variety of differences, but one similar core is that they do serve convenience on installation because they are prone on simple setup due to their wireless connection, eliminating complex cabling across the property, let alone the work of drilling beauty-unfriendly holes on walls.
WiFi Range Extenders
You would find the terms of WiFi repeaters, WiFi boosters, WiFi extender, which referring the same thing. These devices meant for boosting the existing WiFi signal of your main router. Simply integrate one into your router without complex configuration, but it is advisable to find the WiFi extenders a fair location with strong signal to ensure receiving strong enough WiFi signal for effective boosting. These kinds of devices are more preferred to home WiFi extension. Consequently, provided that to meet businesses with greater range, its limited capacity basically makes it out of the list of suitable solutions.
Powerline Adapters
Compare to above-mentioned WiFi extenders, to some extent, it is a better approach due to its greater WiFi coverage and performance. PLC adapters is another name, and as their name implied, they make use of the buried-in-wall powerline(electrical wires) to get signal boosted. Requiring two pieces to work, find closest power outlets of the main router and client devices with WiFi access demands, then its plug-and-play installation allows the job to be done fast. It is not truly wireless connection though, utilize existing powerline save new cabling. Additionally, the only bit of issue is that, the two adapters are supposed to remain the same electrical distance, block its utility in practices. Moreover, it won’t make sense when there aren’t buried powerline reaching to the remote locations.
Mesh Network
Mesh network triggers an ever-growing emergence to people’s view, for its advanced WiFi performance to meet a larger range, and this is due in part to features, you can despite interference of obstructions like walls, and does good in addressing the coverage of dead spots. In short, building a mesh network, unlike traditional way that using one single router to serve WiFi network, it requires multiple routers, or so-called access points, to acts as nodes for boosting and transmitting received weak WiFi signal covering a certain range. That said, to put one access point in place whenever one new area demanding for strong WiFi signal. Whereas, to adopt this solution, you should be ready to pay high expense at a time. Nowadays, it is mostly applied for building a “whole home” WiFi.
Point-to-Point Wireless Network
There is another option that can use for applications with requirements on further range, for example, extend WiFi to remote buildings, you can take point-to-point wireless network into account. In generally, a ultra long range wireless connection can be achieved by means of wireless bridges, like CPE antennas. They transmit signal via microwave, hence, in this way, offering the users the ability to get WiFi network from mile away from the main network. You should set up two units at two sides, one at the main building, and the other at the remote end. It is worth noting that both wireless bridges ask you to solve power supply issue, and keep them point to each other at a free line of sight is necessary to maintain the performance.
For more methods and further information on extending WiFi range, you can refer to this post.
Challenges of WiFi Extension in Commercial Areas
As a matter of fact, extending WiFi for home, comparatively speaking, intends to be easier because of a smaller range and their lower expectation on performance. Conversely, WiFi extension are more popularly needed and difficult to make a choice from which solutions to use, and obtain effective implement and deployment. Next, it is imperative to make clear challenges of WiFi extension for commercial areas.
- First of all, it is known that commercial areas like shopping malls, in most cases, covering a huge area to accommodate more consumers and employees.
- Furthermore, let’s still take shopping malls for instance, they internal structures frankly must contains many obstructions that result in severe interference.
- In addition, WiFi network in commercial areas typically shows a higher demand on bandwidth performed practically for the reason that they always have more devices or clients waiting to be connected, especially for those offering free and fast WiFi network increasing satisfaction of their potential consumers.
For these reason, in a nutshell, previous illustrated WiFi extension solutions might not that suitable for businesses.
Cable Solution is Superior Considering from Business Efficiency
Actually, attempting to get help from cable may after all be an accepted idea, or it can even say that using cable WiFi extension is a more reliable choice in terms of some advantages, to commercial applications in especial.
You should aware of a critical principle that WiFi signal can dramatically impacted by various types interference and supply quite limited WiFi range and bandwidth. While cable solution experiences less influence from physical elements. In consequence, it is more likely to gain high stability, larger bandwidth and optimal performance as well.
Cable solution add a certain of scalability to current or future design for a mixed wireless and wired network. It gives chance to easily add power sourcing equipment(PSE) like Ethernet switches when some wired network devices are required.
Cable solutions, namely, utilize Ethernet cabling to connect the main router and some wired-capable WiFi extension tools that tend to place at remote ends where require a strong, stable, and safe WiFi network. Next part we will get you covered two methods of WiFi extension with cable.
Simply Add Another Router is not a Problem
The majority may doubt that whether is it feasible to put a second router for further WiFi range because it seems the most straightforward and easy understanding solution to most of installers and users lack of professional knowledge and skills. It is workable by simply adding another router to create strong WiFi network to cover a new place. In fact, a router is able to function as access point to create fair WiFi coverage. Nonetheless, this requires special configuration, therefore, if you are not the professionals with quite a good knowledge of networking, we suggest you put it in the abolition wisely, otherwise it may involve complex setup and constant attempts.
How to Add Another Router on the Same Network?
Connection of two routers is simple by running an Ethernet cable, and plugging into one of their LAN ports, and data will be transmitted through the cable, but in this way, you probably get two separate networks unless you do proper IP address or DHCP settings.
An Alternative is to Use Wireless Access Points
You are not out of luck, there is the other tool that you can choose from, saving hassle and time to engage intricate IT knowledge. Something named wireless access points is an alternative to make use of Ethernet cabling for WiFi extension.
What is Wireless Access Points(WAPs)
Before we go deep into how to make it works, you might be still confused about wireless access points. Wireless access points, aka WAPs, are devices that allow wired local area network(LAN) converted to wireless local area network(WLAN). Similarly, they requires Ethernet connection fro the main router and themselves as router does. As talked earlier, Ethernet connection does better in offering strong and stable signal transmission. Installers can get rid of difficult configuration thanks to its straightforward installation.
Wireless Access Points are Better Choice for Businesses
Besides, wireless access points are applied popularly in business WiFi coverage due to its superb performance and easy installation. Not only because it can serve larger installation distance than those wireless extension methods, such as WiFi extenders, but also or more importantly because its capability to handle more connection simultaneously, that being said, more clients can access the same WiFi network at the same time, which make it ideally for business needs, as you know, there are far more wireless devices within range than home applications. What’s more, if there are multiple WAPs in the same space, take business offices as example, when employees are roaming around offices, normally, I believe they can’t perceive WiFi interruption although constant switching of different access points occurred. That is what access points endow users a free roaming within range.
Source PoE Wireless Access Points, When Possible
New model——PoE wireless access points is becoming increasingly prevalent, they are advanced supporting PoE technology. PoE(Power over Ethernet) enables Ethernet cable to carry power, that means only need to run one cable to solve power and data issues for access points, saving extra wiring or a close outlet. We highly endorse getting PoE-enabled WAPs, as they give optimal simplicity and flexibility on installation, which perhaps reduce deployment period effectively, and one more feature of PoE worth-including is its excellent safety. Since power is delivered from the main end, users are able to achieve a centralized management on power for higher safety. And PoE adopts low voltage power supplying, this greatly ensure deployment safety to some degree. Moreover, in general, access points applied at commercial areas should be more think highly of safety.
Distance Limit of Ethernet Cabling Can’t be Overlook
Although using Ethernet cabling to realize further WiFi coverage shows a lots benefits, one thing to be noting is that Ethernet cable comes with inherent transmission distance limit, regularly, it can only reach up to 100 meters(328ft.) distance. Beyond this range, power and data can’t provide good performance due to severe power drop and signal loss. Thus, when situations that require a further range, it is imperative for installers to find ways getting the transmission distance extended.
Recap: No matter router or wireless access points, when we use them for WiFi extension, they can be roughly regarded as access points. Ethernet cabling is a more reliable option for extending WiFi range, and its distance limitation blocks free placement of access points for optimal WiFi performance and coverage. To get further WiFi range, at its core, it is an issue to extend Ethernet transmission distance. Don’t worry, we’ll got you covered. Below we list some Ethernet/PoE extension ways to help solve WiFi extension even further with cable.
3 Easiest Ways to Add a New Access Point over 100 Meters Under the Same Network
There are various PoE extension solutions opt for you, here we introduce three easiest ways, including PoE extenders, long range PoE switches, as well as fiber optic network.
PoE Extenders
- What is PoE Extender and Why Use it?
For applications that already have an existing PoE network system, especially if only 1 or 2 access points need to be installed in one place, PoE extenders should be the best answer, giving huge convenience on deployment.
PoE extenders, also known as PoE repeaters, is a kind of device meant for extending the distance of network cable, actually it is a tool to extend the range of Ethernet/PoE signal for installing remote IP devices. It is useful PoE or LAN extension solution to meet long distance setup for various kinds of IP devices, including PoE and non-PoE powered devices, such as IP security cameras, VoIP phones, wireless access points or laptops with simple plug-and-play installment.
PoE Compliance-It is an advanced version of Ethernet extender. PoE extenders, evidenced by their name, adopt PoE technology, so they are PoE-powered devices that save extra present AC power outlets, offering easy and flexible installation.
- How PoE Extenders Work?
PoE extenders generally equip with two types of ports, one is PoE in and the other is PoE out. Place a PoE extender between the main router and the remote access point, power and data can be received and repeated to reach another 100 meters with each unit. In a word, you can think of it as a connector that required no extra power for the whole connection. In theory, adding one unit of PoE extender, another 100 meters distance is added to the traditional infrastructure. Some PoE extenders support daisy chain setup, you are able to finish a long-distance deployment at a maximum of 500 meters by daisy chaining the extenders.
But one thing to be noticed, in practical scenario, if only using router as main network, lacking of PoE capability in most cases, the complete connection doesn’t make sense, as the PoE received by a PoE extender is obtained from the back-end(main network), in this situation, you should turn to PoE injectors for help, which inject power to the link to get PoE connection.
- Product Recommendation
Eventually make your decision to use PoE extenders to get access points placed at longer distance, FASTCABLING 5540-75 Waterproof PoE extender is highly recommended. It is an economic and convenient solution to help IP devices get fast network and reliable power supplying beyond 100 meters with its seamless integration with the original system. It also comes with unique feature, while employ two units, you are able to get a maximum of 300 meters extension between two PoE extenders.
Moreover, installing the 5540-75, its distinguished IP67 waterproof design and easy plug-and-play installation make it easy to manage PoE transmission limits, even in harsh outdoor environments. It complies with the IEEE802.3af/at PoE standard and provides PoE/PoE+ to a wide range of IP devices compatible with standard PoE, solving security and compatibility issues for installers and users. For installers and users, it helps eliminate concerns of safety and compatibility, as it complied with IEEE802.3af/at PoE standard, supplying PoE/PoE+ for different IP devices that are compatible with standard PoE.
Equipped with intuitive indicator for a real-time status monitor of the connected device, this can greatly save time to find whether PoE extender is to blame when confronting issue like networking system failed to work or broke down in the future.
Pros:
- IP67 waterproof design at a lower price
- Plug-and-play easy and quick connection
- Effective LED indication
- Supports 300 meters extension with cable only
Cons:
- Only fit better with standard PoE-enabled WAPs
- Made by plastic material
2. Ultra Long Range PoE Switches
- Introduction of Ultra Long Range PoE Switches and What Make it Different?
For business uses, probably have got an or more Ethernet switches as main network, what we want to say is that if already having plan to get a new PoE switch for upgrade or replacement, the ultra long range PoE switch is the best choice basically. Easy to understand from their name, they are PoE switches with advanced feature. Unlike those common PoE switches that just can transmit a maximum distance of 100m or 250m(under extended CCTV or VLAN mode), ultra long range PoE switches, a special type, which feature long-range PoE transmission over a single long Ethernet cable, you are able to obtain a maximum of 500m transmission for IP camera handily as it features a special mechanism plus taking advantage of using a specific adaptor at the edge side.
High stability-No extra active electrician equipment among the long cabling, reducing potential risk of equipment failures account from harsh installation environments. Apparently, the long cables in the system help withstand weather, power surges, or other hazards.
- Product Recommendation
FASTCABLING offers such worth-trying ultra long range PoE switches. To meet individual needs, there are 4 ports 6320-48 and 8 ports 6320-24 versions for you to choose from. Considering extremely long range deployment is not that frequently required within a specific range, so it is considerate to only equip with partial ports supporting long range transmission, and the other spare PoE ports can be used to connect other wired network devices for high-usage.
As a general rule, network speed decreases with increased distance from the PoE switch. Conversely, reduced data speed won’t be a major concern if you desire to adopt such a switch for access point who think network speed is the premise factor. Because ultra long range PoE switches can remain 100Mbps network speed even in a 500m deployment.
Complied IEEE802.3 af/at PoE standard, supplying 30W max. output power, which is perfectly works with most PoE wireless access point available in the market. When works with non-PoE devices, like routers, it still can serve greatly when coupled with a PoE splitter. In this way, safe data transmitting is guaranteed.
3. Fiber Optic Network
When struggling for WiFi extension with Ethernet cabling to reach further distance, and happen to emphasis more consideration on data speed and safety, utilize fiber optic network to accomplish the setup is optimal solution. Fiber optic network do shows many advantages superior than Ethernet cabling, and wireless extension much less. Fiber optic network relies on light to transmit signal, as a result, providing a faster network speed with low latency and few electromagnetic interferences over a greater distance. It is lauded for the flexibility, security, and reliability of the connection. Nevertheless, fiber optic link only does business of data transmitting, power issue requires to tackle separately.
To set up a fiber optic network for access points, some essential components are required, such as fiber media converters, SFP modules, fiber optic cable, or some termination accessories if needed. In our next post, we will take a closer look at benefits offered by fiber optic network, and elaborate installation guide on how to set up a fiber optic network for further WiFi range.
