How to Get Better WiFi Signal From Neighbor
Alright, we all have been in this place. You are using your neighbor WiFi, but the signal is not reliable. Either you are using the guest network without their permission, or you are using their main network with their permission.
In any of the cases, it is common for people to share their internet with others, especially if they are living in a modern apartment society. After all, the internet is getting expensive, and no one wants to pay
In this article, we will explore how you can get a better WiFi signal with or without your neighbor’s permission.
Before we get started, let’s learn about the reasons why you get weaker WiFi Signals.
Reasons Why You Are Getting Weaker WiFi SignalsThe Best Way To Get Better WiFi Signal – Using a RepeaterWhat Happens If You and Your Neighbor Stay In A Single Building? What if You Are Using Cell Phone to Access Neighbor’s WiFi? Other things you can do to improve the Wi-Fi Singal1) Location2) Update WiFi Device3) Improve The Internet Connection4) Use an Ethernet Cable
Reasons Why You Are Getting Weaker WiFi Signals
One of the most common reasons behind getting a weaker signal is because of obstructions, such as walls between the access points and your distance also adds to the weaker router can also be at fault. Not all routers are made to catch signals from far away signals and hence unable to maintain a speedy and consistent connection.
The Best Way To Get Better WiFi Signal – Using a Repeater
The repeater is one of the most common devices that is used to extend the wireless signal. If you want to make sure that the wifi signal that you get from your neighbor, then you can use the repeater.
To make repeater work effectively, you need to ensure that the line of sight is working with the repeater and the router. So, if the neighbor has a window, then you might ask them to put the repeater on the window itself. This way, there will be a line of sight, and you will get the best possible signal strength.
To boost your wireless connection or receiver, you can get wireless receiver such as BrosTrend 1200Mbps. It is a popular wireless adapter that can be used to access the neighbor’s router wifi connection. This will boost internet connection.
You can also utilize the Booster Antenna, such as Outdoor WiFi Antenna. It is affordable and enables you to upgrade your laptop or desktop wireless receiver. It is straightforward to install and activate. Also, it is beneficial for those that do not have direct access to the neighbor’s router. The booster antenna enables you to pick signals from range and boost them to your computer. By doing so, you will be able to not only improve the signal strength but also catch other WiFi signals. In short, you will find more Wifi network and even WiFi signal strength.
What Happens If You and Your Neighbor Stay In A Single Building?
If the floor separates you and your neighbor, then it can be a little tricky to boost the WiFi signal. This is because you do not have direct access to the wireless router. This means you need to create new access points to boost WiFi signal.
Let’s check out the options below.
Wireless Router: If you want to make sure that others can have internet access by splitting the internet bill, then you need to have the Wireless AC router. These routers are capable of multi-floor transmission. This way, you do not have to share your email address or other important credentials to your neighbor. All you need to do is create a wireless network with a strong password. Once done, share it with your neighbor and enjoy your entertainment devices such as TV, gaming console, and so on! Mesh Network: Another solution is to create a mesh network. Mess networks are very efficient when it comes to boosting the signal. Also, Mesh networks are made for large homes, which can range from 2, 000 square feet to 4, 000 square feet. Wireless Range Extender: The last option is to use a cheap wireless range extender. It will boost the signal of the WiFi device placed in the neighbor’s house. The wireless range extender is always a hit and a miss as they are not as strong as the other options, including mesh network or wireless device.
What if You Are Using Cell Phone to Access Neighbor’s WiFi?
If you are using a cell phone, then you can also optimize the connection strength by doing the following:
Choose the right access point for connecting your phone. You can find out which access point by using the WiFi analyzer cases can block the signal. So, try to test the Wi-Fi signal with or without the to use your phone from a room that is closer to the neighbor’s can also choose the 5 GHz Wi-Fi signals if you want a less traffic band.
Other things you can do to improve the Wi-Fi Singal
1) Location
The first thing that you need to fix is the location of your devices. Try to minimize obstructions to receive a better Wi-Fi signal. If you are using a big house, then maybe try to place the connection device close to the neighbor’s access point and also central to your home. This way, you do not have to compromise your internet connectivity and nor of your neighbor.
2) Update WiFi Device
You should update the WiFi device so that it can work optimally and provide an interruption-free and strong Wi-Fi signals. To update the device, you either need to go to the manufacturer’s website or simply access the device settings and update from there.
3) Improve The Internet Connection
Sometimes, it is your internet connection that is at fault. If you do not have a stable connection or a connection that can handle the load, then you are bound to have a poor experience by sharing your internet with other people.
If you are curious, then you should speed test your connection and see if it meets your expectations. If not, then you should call your internet provider and ask him for better plans.
4) Use an Ethernet Cable
Nothing beats an ethernet cable when it comes to connecting devices to the internet. The same is true for those who want to share the internet with their neighbors. If nothing seems to work, then you should extend the connection using a CAT 6 outdoor cable and connect it to a router in your place. This way, you are bound to get a good signal and reception.
This leads us to the end of our article. Comment below and let us know what do you think about using neighbors’ WiFi with or without their permission! We are listening.
How to share your Wi-Fi with neighbors during the pandemic.
Photo illustration by Slate. Photo by Getty Images Plus.
Amid the pandemic, communities all around the world are coming together to help address some of the immediate needs produced by this public health crisis. Mutual aid groups are running errands for the most vulnerable populations and making masks for health workers.
Another crucial way we can help one another is sharing our internet service. The Federal Communications Commission estimates that in the U. S., more than 21 million people, or 6. 5 percent of the population, don’t have access to broadband service (fixed home broadband reaching download speeds of 25 megabits per second and upload speeds of 3 Mbps). Independent studies indicate the FCC has seriously undercounted the problem and put the number of Americans lacking broadband internet service at somewhere between 42 million and 162. 8 million people. Lack of internet access is particularly harmful for already marginalized and vulnerable populations, like those living in rural areas, on tribal lands, in low-income households, and schoolchildren.
If you live in an area where basic broadband infrastructure is lacking, you may not have consistent internet access to share with others. However, in urban and suburban areas where there is widespread broadband infrastructure, opening up your network may help neighboring households that are underserved or can’t afford fixed home internet service. Opening up your personal network may provide schoolchildren—who might otherwise have to rely on mobile internet to connect with their teacher or do their homework—with steady fixed home internet service. One teacher in South Africa asked a neighbor for Wi-Fi to get online and hold math class. Additionally, with some internet service providers halting home visits for installation or maintenance due to the pandemic, a neighbor may also ask if you can share your Wi-Fi network with them until their connection is fixed.
The easiest way to share your Wi-Fi securely is to simply give your neighbors your password. This isn’t the most technically secure approach, but if you know and trust your neighbors, go ahead and slip the password under the door of that neighbor who you know doesn’t have an internet connection.
If that’s not an option, there are a number of ways to securely set up a separate “guest network” for your neighbors to access. This is a little bit more difficult, since every router comes with a different interface, and not all suggestions work for every device. But our instructions should help you figure it out if you can.
To start, consult the instructions that came with your router, or find your model’s page on the internet, to figure out things like finding the administrative interface for your device. You’ll also need the administrative password for the router to make any of these changes. If you have no idea what the password is or was, you can perform a factory reset. This will wipe out all of the configuration on the router, so you will need to go through and set everything up again, so only do this if you really can’t find the password. Generally, that involves some form of holding down a reset button, but every router is a little different, so be sure to double-check with your manual. Once you’ve done the factory reset, you will be able to use a default password to log in to the admin interface. The default password should be in the user manual, and you can often also find it by searching for your router model with the phrase “default password. ” For that reason, don’t forget to change the password afterward, and don’t use a password that you use for anything else—which is good advice for all passwords.
Once you’ve gotten in to your router, you can start setting up network sharing. The easiest way is if the Wi-Fi/wireless section of your router’s settings has a “guest network” option that you can enable. If you can’t set up a guest network on your current router, the next best route is adding another Wi-Fi router to your network. Having a second router means that you can create cleaner points of separation between your home network and the space that you are opening up for neighbors. For example, turning off the guest network temporarily becomes as easy as unplugging it. You can absolutely pull an old router out of a closet for this. But a new one can cost as little as $25–$30. If you are really looking to gear up, you may want to look into outdoor equipment with a longer range, which starts at around $50.
You should then configure the second router to have an open Wi-Fi network and give IP addresses on a different subnet. There are many resources available on networking that explain home subnets in depth, but simply put, a subnet is a set of addresses that a device can communicate with, without any help from a router. So for instance, your laptop might send traffic to your printer without asking the router for directions. By putting guest traffic in a different subnet, guests will not be able to communicate with devices on your network. You will want to connect the port labeled WAN on your newly configured old router to an open Ethernet port on your current router, and you’re on your way to digital mutual aid.
The “how to” is only part of the process here. First, you need to consider the potential harms to your own security and internet connection quality. Sharing your Wi-Fi network can lower your network’s security if you aren’t careful about how you set it up. The potential harm is allowing someone to eavesdrop on what you’re doing by inspecting your internet traffic and/or looking for insecure devices on your network. To be fair, this is similar to the risk of using coffee shop Wi-Fi. That said, if you set up a properly separated network for your neighbors, they will not be able to see your traffic.
Your real problem may not be poor security but the annoyance of a potential slowdown in internet speed once you open up your connection. You only have so much bandwidth coming into your house, which often isn’t much to begin with if you live in the United States. If your entire apartment building tries streaming Netflix off of your Wi-Fi, no one will be happy. There are technical solutions to this problem known as Quality of Service, which you can learn more about here. More simply, you might manage your slower speeds by turning off the open Wi-Fi network when you need more bandwidth for yourself, maybe before settling in for a Golden Girls marathon at night, or a marathon of virtual meetings in the day. You can turn your open network back on when you don’t need to use all the bandwidth yourself. It may take a few days to figure out that balance, but it’ll be worth it. If you have an unlimited broadband plan, which is likely, your bandwidth is like a constantly running stream. Sometimes you need to run your mill, but the rest of the time, that water is just flowing by. So why not let others use it?
If you’re worried about the rules you might be breaking, it’s unlikely that opening up your internet connection to others will get you in trouble. However, you should consult the terms of service for your internet plan. Some internet service providers do specifically forbid it, which might encourage you to reach out and ask if they can update their terms to provide some temporary leniency around this prohibition given just how essential an internet connection is right now and in other public disasters. Other ISPs have instructions on how you might set up an open network using their equipment. As for any risk of liability if someone starts using your Wi-Fi to download copyrighted content, our friends at the Electronic Frontier Foundation have put out some guidance and resources explaining that in general, if you are simply making Wi-Fi available and you act reasonably and responsibly, you should be OK. (But this is not legal advice. Consult a lawyer if you need one. )
If sharing your connection seems too difficult, or you run into trouble during the setup, there are also some larger-scale efforts underway to help people get or remain connected. Some brand-name internet service providers have adapted their usual service policies to improve and expand access. For example, Comcast, Charter, RCN, and Altice have pledged not to disconnect service for customers who cannot pay their bills during this crisis. Comcast, Charter, and Altice have also opened up their Wi-Fi hot spots in businesses and outdoor locations around the country for free, regardless of whether users are subscribed to their service. Mediacom and Cable One have temporarily suspended caps on data usage. Local philanthropic efforts like the DC Education Equity Fund, which looks to purchase tablets, laptops, and Wi-Fi hot spots for students in traditional public and charter schools through private donations, are also popping up to support local communities.
During these times of physical distancing and isolation, it’s more important than ever to get everyone connected. If you do end up sharing your connection with a guest Wi-Fi network, don’t forget the last step: a clever name for your new public network might make your neighbors smile from inside the safety of their own, now-connected homes.
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How to Use a Neighbor’s Wi-Fi Internet Connection | Techwalla
You can share your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network, if they authorize you.
Wireless network signals travel for hundreds of feet from the location of the access point; if that point is connected to the Internet, anyone within the radius of the signal can, in principle, access the Internet over that Wi-Fi network. You can connect to a Wi-Fi network belonging to your neighbor, as long as you acquire their authorization in advance.
Step 1
Click “Start, ” then “Control panel. ”
Step 2
Select “Network and Internet, ” then click “Network and Sharing Center. ”
Step 3
Click “Manage wireless networks” on the left side of the window. A list of wireless networks within range of your computer appears.
Step 4
Find your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network on the list. If it’s not listed, you aren’t getting a strong enough signal to use it from your location. Try an alternate location.
Step 5
Ask your neighbor if they allow you to use their Wi-Fi network. Do not join the network without having secured this authorization, for several reasons: it is illegal to access computing or network resources without the owner’s authorization; your neighbor can be held liable for any adverse consequences arising from your Internet activities; and the network bandwidth you use may impact the performance of applications your neighbor needs to run on his or her network.
Step 6
Obtain the network key from your neighbor. Many Wi-Fi networks are encrypted and require a key.
Step 7
Follow Steps 1 through 3 to bring up the list of wireless networks in range of your computer. Click the entry for the neighbor’s network, then click “Connect. ” Enter the network key when prompted. After a short delay, your computer will join your neighbor’s Wi-Fi network and you can start accessing the Internet.