Does anyone know if there is actually a device (adapter/antenna/reception-booster) that will legitimately and significantly improve the distance of the reception for a computer's/laptop's Wi-Fi adapter/receiver?
And is there a way to improve/increase the Wi-Fi signal reception on a cell phone?
About 3-4 years ago, someone on Craigslist was selling some sort of Wi-Fi antenna/signal reception-booster device that (I think) plugged in to the USB port of a computer and increased the distance of which your computer would be able to detect Wi-Fi signals from. The guy specifically stated that this antenna/booster would enable you to be able to detect Wi-Fi signals from as far as 1 mile away. He even referenced a McDonald's near his home that was about a mile away that he was able to connect to the Wi-Fi at from inside his home. He was asking around $50-$60 for it; but I did not have the money to buy it at the time and I did not end up being able to buy it before the post expired.
Similarly, is there a device/method that will help with this on cell phone/portable device? For example, my work has a free open Wi-Fi connection, but it's not very strong/clear, and I usually can't even connect to it while right outside of the building, so I'm curious if there is a way to increase the Wi-Fi reception of a cell phone? I currently have a Nexus 5 (a little outdated now, I know), which, I think, has relatively poor Wi-Fi signal distance reception, so it'd be nice to be able to improve it, if possible. Obviously, I'd like to upgrade to a newer phone, like a Nexus 6 or the newer Nexus 5X, but since I'm not in a position to do that right now, I wanted to at least ask about trying to improve the reception on my Nexus 5. Also, are there certain phones with markedly better Wi-Fi reception than others?
Sorry for writing so much. And thanks to everyone who offers a helpful response!
P.S. Is it supposed to be Wi-Fi or WiFi?
>>54611543
google it
>>54611550
>>54611553
Thanks for the replies, and, while I'm not a tech genius, I am familiar with Google.com and what it can be used for. However, rather than trying to pick which of the thousands of results to start reading through, I thought I would try to get some direct results by asking a specific and detailed question. Isn't that sort of the purpose of having a forum like this?
Also, if no one wanted to try to help anyone else, couldn't pretty much every thread topic on here be replied to with "Google it"?
Assuming you are in Kansas and there are no buildings between your house and the McDonalds, one miles sounds possible. You would need a wifi adapter with SMA connector. I think pretty much all PCIE wifi cards have this but only a few USB dongles do. You would want a directional antenna tuned to 2.4GHz frequency. The higher up you can put the antenna, the better. You could also inline amplifiers and other snake oil to boost the signal.
I'd just like to interject for a moment, but what you're referring to as WiFi is, in fact, Wi/Fi or as I've recently taken to calling it, Wi plus Fi.
>>54611625
Well, I'm not in Kansas; in Arizona, actually. However, I'm currently residing in a small town about 80 miles north of Phoenix, and I think there is an ice cream shop with free WiFi about a quarter-mile away, so it'd be cool to see if I could at least detect that signal from my home.
From what I recall, the way the device was described by the guy (and, yes, I know that the guy could have been wrong or just lying), you would just plug this antenna/signal-reception enhancer in to the USB (or maybe it was actually in to a PCI port, or whatever that's called) and it would search for and detect WiFi signals and would sometimes see an open WiFi connection that was literally a mile way and allow the guy's computer to connect to it.
I also seem to recall the guy saying something about needing to charge tax on it, because of some sort of regulation; but I don't recall the details.
Not that I'm against putting forth some effort to try to achieve this extended WiFi detection; I was just hoping to be able to find a plug-and-play device for around $50 that would actually work/help.
>>54611710
Thanks; I guess. Do you also happen to know what Wi/Fi stands for? I tried to find out on Google, but couldn't get any results.
>>54611862
WiFi = Wanted internet / Found internet
>>54611543
A Pringles can.
>>54611887
Not sure if serious; but I haven't heard that before.
>>54611996
Please elaborate on this method. It sounds like a good idea.
