Does Your Business Need A Wi-Fi Repeater?

A Wi-Fi repeater actually expands the range of coverage for your Wi-Fi Hotspot. It is strategically positioned within the range of your wireless router and serves as a two-way transmission portal between your Wi-Fi router and the expanded area. If someone tries to access your wireless internet connection from an area originally unreachable by your wireless router, a Wi-Fi repeater, if properly set up, will convey signals between the two wireless technologies, the computer or laptop and the router, and enable an uninterruptible internet connection.

You may ask yourself, does your current business need a Wi-Fi repeater? To answer this question appropriately, you have to initially consider the floor area of your business premises as well as the range of your desired Hotspot area. A wireless router normally has a range of about 150 feet or 46 meters if used indoors and 300 feet or 92 meters if used outdoors.

If you're using the router indoors, the amount of signal transmitted can also be affected by several factors found inside your business premises. Walls, metal frames, and even sidings can reduce the efficiency your signal by 25% or more, depending on the number of possible blockages and the distance of the end user from the router. The Wi-Fi repeater is also affected by these blockages because the amount of signal it receives and transmits is far less than the original which is passed on by the wireless router.

Another factor that can affect your Hotspot business area is the interference from other equipment found in your business premises such as microwave ovens, fax machines, and other technologies. Bearing this in mind, you should consider the best place to locate your wireless router, positioning it as far as possible from other equipment which might cause interference. Likewise, your Wi-Fi repeater should also be strategically placed somewhere which least affects its efficiency in transmitting signals.

Let's say that you have an internet café business and you wanted to eliminate the LAN wiring set up to make things more orderly. If this is the case, you will need a wireless LAN router, which may suffice on its own in a smaller area, and a Wi-Fi repeater if the location of your computers requires a coverage area greater than the allotted range of the router. Most of the time, your customers will bring their own personal laptops to access your Hotspot zone. Whatever the size of the area your customers may occupy, you would want to ensure that the internet signals can still reach their location.

In addition to placing the router as far as possible from appliances such as microwaves and fax machines, you will need to minimize the effect of any barriers that may hinder the free flow of signals within your business premises. Most internet cafés make use of glass doors and windows in their design, partly because of the need to avoid interrupting wireless internet transmission.

If you are thinking about putting up a Hotspot, consider the aforementioned factors that can affect your signal relay - business perimeters or floor area, barriers or blockages, range of router, and the possible need for Wi-Fi repeater. If you are still unsure how to start planning, it is not specifically an issue requiring a hotspot expert, it falls within standard network setup, and it is easy to get help from local network support people, who will provide you with additional insights