External vs Internal Range & Performance

kod4krome · 2016-07-14T04:36:22.000Z

Can anyone comment on their experiences with the external vs internal antenna versions? My primary use is having wifi as the wan side and then connecting my own decives via wifi to a protected wifi lan. I usually need very little range for my own devices but the wan side wifi may be out in the hall (ie a hotel room use).

Thanks for any input.

rangerz · 2016-07-14T12:16:57.000Z

I can get good reception on my AR150 (no antennas) at home to my AP about 20-25 feet away. ATM I have 75% signal strength and 121Mbit speed on a 40Mhz channel. The AP is in a closet, so in straight line terms there are 3 plaster walls in the way. I think hotels have a more challenging environment with metal rebar and door frames, etc. I actually never looked at where the AP is any of the hotels (Duh!), but do not seem to have any issues, other than they are all pathetically slow (1.5-5Mbps). I usually keep a cable and connect the WAN if I can (which does not improve speed). While I use VPN, you are not protected until your connected.

I think I would find the antennas annoying if I were trying to use the device in coffee shops, airports, etc for short periods, mostly due to the bulk. When at a hotel I usually leave it connected for the duration of my stay, so it would not bother me as much. To me less is more.

I am curious if you have any issues with getting the hotel splash pages to display, and if you seem to have your leases terminated early?

alzhao · 2016-07-14T12:16:58.000Z

It depends on the thickness of the wall. For a single wall, internal antenna should be fine.