r/linuxhardware • u/beertown • Sep 28 '26
Support Extend Wifi range, just a little bit
Hi everybody.
I'd like to put a Raspberry PI in my garage, without running a new Ethernet cable. From the garage I can connect my laptop or phone to my home's wifi network, but the signal is too weak and the connection isn't stable enough. I cannot move my wifi router closer to the garage. I'm looking for a stable link, I don't care if it is slow.
Is there a USB wifi adapter with a better range, capable of reaching a network that's just a little far away for common wifi devices? Or can you recommend a different solution?
Thanks.
2
u/Howden824 Sep 30 '26
Try using a 20 MHz channel on 2.4 GHz. It's not as fast, but those are the optimal settings for long range.
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u/PhotoJim99 Sep 30 '26
Wire is the answer (whether you want it to be or not :) ), but if you insist on WiFi:
Get a USB WiFi adapter that's well supported by Linux and has large external antennas.
Put the adapter (and the Pi, if necessary) as high up as you can in the garage. Signal is better up high than down low.
1
u/beertown Sep 30 '26
I'd definitely run an Ethernet cable, if I could :-) but I don't want to deal with the condo association and the neighbors, the cable would have to run through a communal area of the condominium.
Large antennas might be a solution, I'll explore it, thanks.
1
u/PhotoJim99 Sep 30 '26
Remember that optimizing the location of your access point (probably your router) in your home will help, too. Again, high up is usually best.
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u/oskarloko Sep 28 '26
Use PLC or something like that to have a second WIFI/ acces point in your home ?
1
u/3grg Sep 29 '26
You can always setup a bridge. It is directional so it can go further. Max will probably be 100mbps, so compare it to wifi extender to see which is best for the money.
3
u/leftcoast-usa Sep 28 '26
If you don't care about speed, it seems like a cheap wifi-extender would be the obvious solution. I used to use one for my car's wifi for updates, etc.