High quality high power Wifi card no existing? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: xaper12079
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 02:30:44 pm
content: Hi guys.My friend want to get a wireless card that is:1. High quality from a reliable brand.2. High TX power.3. High RX sensitivity.4. USB or Mini-PCIE.5. Support 802.11n and ac.We did a lot of search, and seems out of luck, does anyone know such a thing even exist?Thanks!

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 03:49:05 pm
content: Would a wireless router or AP in client mode connected to a USB or PCIe NIC work?

author: Jeroen3
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 04:12:01 pm
content: Buy a Mikrotik accesspoint and put it in AP mode. (some are USB powered)

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 05:00:04 pm
content: Quote from: xaper12079 on January 01, 2020, 02:30:44 pmTX power is limited by regulatory requirements. I believe even the cheapest WiFi dongles can go up to the permissible limits:https://wlan1nde.wordpress.com/2014/11/26/wlan-maximum-transmission-power-etsi/RX sensitivity probably depends on the antenna(e) more than anything else. The very small USB dongles tend to compromise sensitivity for size. As others have mentioned, access points probably fare pretty well, since they are not designed to size constraints. USB adapters with an external antenna might be good options too.What problem is your friend trying to solve? (I assume he currently has a cheap WiFi interface and is dissatisfied with it?) If this is mainly for use at home or in an office, in a spot where WiFi reception is marginal, installing a WiFi repeater in a strategic location might be the better option. If, on the other hand, it is for more effective wardriving, just let it be...

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 05:46:52 pm
content: The US power limits are higher and most devices operate at much less than it. The few that do operate very close to the limit are generally APs designed for high coverage, low density.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 08:58:08 pm
content: Thanks NiHaoMike -- I hadn't realized that the FCC limits are higher. 1 Watt, that's significantly more than in Europe indeed, and I can see that a USB dongle probably won't do that much.https://www.air802.com/fcc-rules-and-regulations.html

author: SL4P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 01, 2020, 11:42:39 pm
content: I suspect most of your ‘friend’s’ requirement could be addressed with a good antenna designed for the application.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2020, 12:34:27 pm
content: Quote from: xaper12079 on January 01, 2020, 02:30:44 pmMind you that higher transmit power is a bad idea in most situations, as low signal power is rarely the issue, and instead creates an arms race of everyone raising their power to drown out competing signals, whereas in fact, the overall situation would often be improved by people using lower power so as to limit the reach of their signals.

author: NiHaoMike
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2020, 01:24:57 pm
content: Except the higher peak transmit power allows a higher data rate which keeps the average transmit power from increasing as much as you might think.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2020, 01:57:13 pm
content: Note the significance of the EIRP part of the system specification. If the tx has, say, a 10dBi antenna, then the tx power limit is reduced by 10dB.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2020, 02:17:14 pm
content: Quote from: NiHaoMike on January 02, 2020, 01:24:57 pmThe higher power isn't required for the higher data rate per se. My point was that range is rarely the issue, more often than not it's congestion, and increasing the power increases the range, thus increasing the congestion.