Can Cell tower be used to transmit Wi-Fi and if so, does that make their signal stronger (more far reaching) than the Wi-Fi Signal a router emits?

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Can Cell tower be used to transmit Wi-Fi and if so, does that make their signal stronger (more far reaching) than the Wi-Fi Signal a router emits?

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Anonymous 0 Comments

Short answer: no.

WiFi has a useful range of, oh, 300 feet or so, depending on the transmitter power of the device in question.

The problem is regulatory. WiFi runs on frequencies that are semi-regulated… there’s no requirement you get permission to operate a WiFi device, but the device is subject to a bunch of limits like their transmission power. That’s part of the reason they’re limited to 300 feet. That and the simple fact that, being semi-regulated, the frequencies are popular and also used by Bluetooth, baby monitors, microwave ovens, not to mention your neighbour’s wifi, and a bunch of other stuff that can cause some interference. With interference, you want to be close to your wifi access point so that its signal is the strongest for you and the connection is good.

The other thing you have to consider is WiFi is 2-way. Even if you built some cell tower with WiFi on it and a mega-powerful transmitter and somehow it was legal, your tiny little cell phone doesn’t have the transmission power to reach back to the cell tower if you’re beyond that ~300 feet limit.

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