Our city runs a wifi system to be able to monitor the electrical power meters remotely. As a side benefit, the residents are supposed to have access to free outdoor wifi. We got lucky in the beginning and were able to get indoor wifi reception also. However after a year or so, the city reconfigured the system so the signal was significantly weaker and indoor reception was poor.
The city suggested that a wifi extender might help.
As I understand it, the wifi extender receives the signal from the city radio perched on the light pole down the street and then retransmits to the laptop....
an amplifier ? of sorts. The computer talks to the city radio via the middleman wifi extender.
The wifi extender has a signal strength monitor light that is green when the signal strength from the city radio is good, amber when fair, and red when poor. I have always found that the wifi works well when the signal strength is green and poor when the signal strength monitor is red so have assumed the city radio signal strength is key. Over time, I have had to move the wifi extender from the garage, to the front porch near the house, and then most recently closer to the street on the front porch to maintain good incoming signal strength. I had taken that to mean that the city signal was degrading.
Or does that mean the wifi extender is changing?
The city has asked for the mac address to help. Previously I had given them the mac address of the wifi extender since that was the only one I could find and since I thought the extender was talking to the city radio. Yesterday the city tech showed me how to find the mac address on the laptop I am using.
He later said they could find no record of the laptop since Tuesday when the latest problem began.
Questions: which is the relevant mac address and why? Is the city radio
supposed to recognize my system even if the city radio signal is weak as perceived by my wifi extender? Obviously we each desire the other party to be at fault so we don't have to do anything. Is it possible that both ends are ok and that some middleman ghost is responsible.......more leaves on the trees,etc........or maybe the radiation pattern is different for some reason.
Would a "better" extender be beneficial........more sensitive or higher broadcasting power? I'm missing some basics here.
The city suggested that a wifi extender might help.
As I understand it, the wifi extender receives the signal from the city radio perched on the light pole down the street and then retransmits to the laptop....
an amplifier ? of sorts. The computer talks to the city radio via the middleman wifi extender.
The wifi extender has a signal strength monitor light that is green when the signal strength from the city radio is good, amber when fair, and red when poor. I have always found that the wifi works well when the signal strength is green and poor when the signal strength monitor is red so have assumed the city radio signal strength is key. Over time, I have had to move the wifi extender from the garage, to the front porch near the house, and then most recently closer to the street on the front porch to maintain good incoming signal strength. I had taken that to mean that the city signal was degrading.
Or does that mean the wifi extender is changing?
The city has asked for the mac address to help. Previously I had given them the mac address of the wifi extender since that was the only one I could find and since I thought the extender was talking to the city radio. Yesterday the city tech showed me how to find the mac address on the laptop I am using.
He later said they could find no record of the laptop since Tuesday when the latest problem began.
Questions: which is the relevant mac address and why? Is the city radio
supposed to recognize my system even if the city radio signal is weak as perceived by my wifi extender? Obviously we each desire the other party to be at fault so we don't have to do anything. Is it possible that both ends are ok and that some middleman ghost is responsible.......more leaves on the trees,etc........or maybe the radiation pattern is different for some reason.
Would a "better" extender be beneficial........more sensitive or higher broadcasting power? I'm missing some basics here.