 nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02
 ·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
1 edit | Increase the WiFi power of your 2Wire 2700HG-B If your 2700HG-B is one of the ex-SBC/AT&T refurbs that are available from Caneris, eBay, etc. and it is on firmware v4.25.19, then you can easily increase wireless power levels from 1 to 10 using the Management and Diagnostic Console. According to Wireless Power levels, power level 1 is ~25mW, 4 is ~100mW and 10 is ~400mW. (Other variants of the 2700HG may only go from 1 to 4 but the link shows how you may be able to hack the power setting to higher levels.)
1. MDC -> Local Network – Wireless Settings -> Additional Settings -> Power Setting
2. Physical orientation.
New 2Wire 2700HGs come with a bracket that orients them in a vertical position. Presumably 2Wire designed the 2700 series to work best that way. The 2700s have two antennas but they are inside the box and cannot be reoriented like the external antennas on most other WiFi routers.
My refurb didn't come with the bracket so like most people I set up mine horizontally. But I kept wondering if orientation matters.
Well it sure does. Changing to vertical orientation increased the power level as reported on my remote PC from "Good" to "Excellent." The remote PC is a couple of floors above the 2700HG. It is possible this increase will not be as pronounced if your remote PC is located horizontally away from the 2700HG.
It is very easy to make a bracket. I used the plastic screw-on cap from a 1kg jar of peanut butter. With a hacksaw (what an appropriate name, eh?  ) I cut a 1¼" slot like so.
If you are not into peanut butter I imagine you can find a plastic lid or similar, about 4" in diameter, to use instead.
Anyway, with about 10 minutes of work you can quadruple the output power of your 2700HG and more than double the signal strength.
P.S. Yes, I realize I am using WEP encryption and that it is not very secure. One of my remote PCs only has 802.11b with only WEP support. I am not particularly concerned. Several of my neighbours have their WiFi APs wide open. One even has the file systems of his PCs completely exposed to the world. They are an easier target than me |
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 nekoAll Hail CanadaPremium
join:2006-08-11
Canada
·TekSavvy DSL
2 edits | Would there be any risks involved by turning up the power output of the wireless?
I just had a look at mine & it is at 4. That's just the way it was when I got it. It does have the option to go up to 10...
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...virtue gives you heraldry. |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by neko:Would there be any risks involved by turning up the power output of the wireless? I can see these possible risks:
1. Heat. Even at power level 10 I cannot feel any heat coming out of the box in either orientation.
2. Power. It is possible that high power settings might exceed the maximum power allowed for unlicensed transmitters on the 2.4Ghz band. The link says that in the UK the max is 100mW. I do not know what it is in Canada or the US, however the device has been approved by the FCC so it is legal in at least the US.
3. Radiation. Just as there is concern that cellphones and microwave ovens may radiate microwaves at harmful levels I suppose it is also possible of WiFi routers. But again it is supposedly FCC-approved.
This setting is a fully documented feature in the User Guide. There are no warnings about excessive heat, power or radiation concerns. I hope that is because it is not an issue rather than an inadvertent or intentional omission |
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scsa20
join:2007-12-04
Queen Creek, AZ | reply to nanook
Personally, I wouldn't set the power to 10 but instead set it to 9. Setting the power level to 10 will burn out the 2wire faster.
Also note that in order to use any power levels above 4 you would need to set your wireless channel between 2-10 (meaning your wireless channel cannot be 1 and it cannot be 11) otherwise it'll still only be outputting a power level of 4 and this is due to keep within regulation of the FCC and other wireless communication bureau. |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to nanook
Re risks...
From Myth #1: Maximum transmit power of Part 15 equipment quote:
According to [FCC] § 15.247(b)(3), systems that employ digital modulation in the bands mentioned above are allowed to transmit at up to 1 Watt [i.e. 1,000mW] (30 dB) of power.
From High-frequency fears about Wi-Fi quote:
Health Canada, which regulates human exposure to radio frequency electromagnetic fields, says Wi-Fi and other wireless technologies such as cellphones are safe. "The World Health Organization has recently confirmed that as well," spokesperson Renée Bergeron said. An article on the topic posted on the WHO website concludes: "Considering the very low exposure levels and research results collected to date, there is no convincing scientific evidence that the weak RF (radio frequency) signals from base stations and wireless networks cause adverse health effects."
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 HiVoltPremium
join:2000-12-28
Toronto, ON
kudos:11
·TekSavvy DSL
 ·TekSavvy Cable
| reply to nanook
While you may be able to crank out the power to 400mW, depending how good the hardware is, the signal may be so distorted that it will be worse than at lower settings, you may also be spewing out RF interference that may hurt other 2.4ghz devices as well as create problems for your neighbours WiFi.
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GO LEAFS GO!
Don't question the authoritaaaa! |
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decxPremium
join:2002-06-07
Vancouver, BC | In addition to what HiVolt  said, boosting out the transmit power for the AP is only one part of the equation. The increase in transmit power wouldn't be of any use if the AP can't "hear" he signal from the client adapter even if the client adapter can receive the signal from the AP loud and clear. Any increase in power needs to be both ways for it to be of any use.
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Go Leafs Go! |
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| reply to nanook
100mw is more than enough for a typical house or apartment. please don't turn it up so high all you are doing is pumping out more radiation |
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| reply to nanook
nanook, I like your stand! I ended up getting a few extra ones from a Sasktel techinician; he had extras from previous installations. I like using the stand better than lying (laying? grade 12 was a while ago) the unit down just for space. |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to HiVolt
FWIW I have turned the power level setting back down to 4. That reduces signal strength from "Excellent" (5 bars) to just "Very Good" (4 bars.) ISTM that reorienting the router from horizontal to vertical has made more of a difference than cranking up the power.
The DD-WRT Wiki has this to say about power settings: quote:
Somewhere around 84 mW is considered to be the best setting for maximum power with minimum noise for most hardware... The forums have had discussions about what power level is safe, with little consensus. Use common sense and don't set the power higher than you really need to. If you're trying to get more range, consider using a different antenna and make sure you have a clear line of sight, two of the most critical factors in your router's range.
I would estimate that if 100mW is nominally power setting 4 then 84mW should be either 3 or 4. |
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| reply to nanook
I personally gained 10-15 dbm by using this: »solarcooking.org/francais/funnel-fr.htm . I made it to cook but it was more of an experiment. Now I said to myself if this can focus the sun why not the waves? So I hanged the cooker in the direction of where I use WiFi, then used an empty six-pack to hold it at the right height. I'll have to try it vertically tough. I'll also try different settings as the transmit power. |
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| reply to nanook
Well just gained another 5dBm by putting it vertically. Without enhancement I was getting -60 to -70, now I get -35 to -45. |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| reply to themonkeyz
More fun for the "tin" foil crowd
»www.freeantennas.com/projects/Ez-10/
»www.freeantennas.com/projects/te···dex.html
»www.freeantennas.com/projects/te···dex.html
[And some people think "tin" foil is only useful for making hats ] |
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I really doubt a 2wire modem can do 400mw output. Do you have any idea what you can do with 400mw and some good antennas? ***cough 12kilometers cough***
The average router does 18dbm or 63mw.
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by Inssomniak:I really doubt a 2wire modem can do 400mw output. This suggests that it can and does. Perhaps not 400mW but most certainly significantly more than 100mW, which is quite a bit more than most residential APs.
Do you have any idea what you can do with 400mw and some good antennas? ***cough 12kilometers cough*** Yes. However the antennas on the 2Wire are internal and there is no connector for an external antenna. I imagine one could open the case and do some careful soldering. |
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| said by nanook:said by Inssomniak:I really doubt a 2wire modem can do 400mw output. This suggests that it can and does. Perhaps not 400mW but most certainly significantly more than 100mW, which is quite a bit more than most residential APs. Do you have any idea what you can do with 400mw and some good antennas? ***cough 12kilometers cough*** Yes. However the antennas on the 2Wire are internal and there is no connector for an external antenna. I imagine one could open the case and do some careful soldering. I have a netgear AP that once I installed dd-wrt on it would allow me to up it to 250mw  |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 | Oops... I noticed I left out the link »bt2700hgv.tripod.com/ir1002700HGV.htm |
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xdrag
join:2005-02-18
North York, ON Reviews:
·TekSavvy Cable
| reply to nanook
Just as a heads up:
If you increase the xmit power of the antenna beyond it's capacity, the lifespan of the modem will decrease.
More power, more heat, less life.
I suggest actually investing in a "good router" and changing the antennas if you're not too tight on budget. Get the dd-wrt compatible routers. Beats any stock firmware. |
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nanookPremium,MVM
join:2007-12-02 Reviews:
·Bell Sympatico
·TekSavvy DSL
| said by xdrag:If you increase the xmit power of the antenna beyond it's capacity, the lifespan of the modem will decrease. An antenna is a passive device. How exactly did you "increase the xmit power" of it?
More power, more heat, less life. Generally true. A large enough increase in power could cause a fast flash and instant end-of-life. OTOH the sort of power increase we are talking about might reduce life only slightly, say from 25 years to only 20 years. Considering that the 2Wire in question costs $25 I do not think that will discourage too many people. And FWIW my 2Wire, even at maximum power, barely makes the case warm enough to detect. The same cannot be said of my WRT54G with stock firmware. |
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