[vox-tech] Wireless range

[Dave Margolis]

Rod Roark wrote:
> Speaking of wireless networking - what kind of range are
> people getting within a house or office building?  I
> understand line-of-sight is important, and obviously you
> won't have that between different rooms.
> 
> Also, any comments on using 802.11 in a hospital?  I know
> many hospitals ban cellphones, but have no idea how bad the
> RFI from wireless networking might be by comparison.
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> -- Rod
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> 

I don't think I have Bill's ascii art skills to do a diagram of my house, 
but it's a 1940s, 3 bedroom, 1200 (ish) square foot house.  The WAP sits 
centrally (basically) located in the middle bedroom.  I can sit anywhere 
inside the house and get a comfortable signal.  I can go about 5-10 feet 
into the backyard (about 20 feet through one interior and one exterior 
wall) and there is a spot where the signal just drops.  The front yard is 
about the same, maybe a little better.  Since our front yard is little, 
somebody could definitely park in the street and get a reasonable signal. 
If we lived in a bigger house, I don't think I'd be completely happy, but 
for what we need right now the performance is very good.

My parents live in a much older house.  The walls are made of real plaster 
laid up on chicken wire, which is very sturdy compared to our 
plaster-board walls.  This makes a big difference because with a similar 
wireless setup, you can't get to far from the WAP in their house - maybe 
20 feet, if there aren't too many walls or corners in your path.

So in my experience, your degree of unobstructed line of site isn't 
critical, but has an effect depending on wall materials.