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    Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE

    Scheduled Pinned Locked Moved Wireless
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    • B
      biomecanoid81 @johnpoz
      last edited by biomecanoid81

      pfSense.localdomain - Status_ Dashboard-page-001.jpg pfSense.localdomain - Interfaces_ WIFI (ath0_wlan0)-page-002.jpg pfSense.localdomain - Interfaces_ WIFI (ath0_wlan0)-page-001.jpg

      More details

      GertjanG 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
      • GertjanG
        Gertjan @biomecanoid81
        last edited by

        @biomecanoid81

        f874057d-fce0-4998-af7b-6cb37dd69e83-image.png

        You really want to give your private DNS traffic to all these guys ?

        No "help me" PM's please. Use the forum, the community will thank you.
        Edit : and where are the logs ??

        johnpozJ B 2 Replies Last reply Reply Quote 0
        • johnpozJ
          johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @Gertjan
          last edited by

          Yeah makes no sense to point to so many dns. For starters if some filter and others don't - you can not be sure if your going to be filtered or not.. I see some opendns in there. And quad9 filters, etc.

          Also once you point to an anycast service - its pretty pointless to have more than 1 entry for the service.

          And your not using local at all - guess you don't want to resolve any local stuff?

          An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
          If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
          Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
          SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

          B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
          • Cool_CoronaC
            Cool_Corona
            last edited by

            I use this as AP and it works flawlessly and covers just about every inch of the house.

            https://www.asus.com/dk/Networking-IoT-Servers/Range-Extenders-/All-series/RP-AX56/

            AP mode and DHCP and then you plug it in the wall socket and connect a cable to LAN. Boom and be done with it.

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            • B
              biomecanoid81 @Gertjan
              last edited by

              @gertjan Well I guess its a little bit better than giving it to my provider LOL

              1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
              • B
                biomecanoid81 @johnpoz
                last edited by

                @johnpoz said in Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE:

                Yeah makes no sense to point to so many dns. For starters if some filter and others don't - you can not be sure if your going to be filtered or not.. I see some opendns in there. And quad9 filters, etc.

                Also once you point to an anycast service - its pretty pointless to have more than 1 entry for the service.

                And your not using local at all - guess you don't want to resolve any local stuff?

                I have the habit of using IPs instead of DNS for my local stuff

                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                • B
                  biomecanoid81
                  last edited by

                  Well I may have too many DNS entries, I can take them off., but really its not harming the performance of the internet.

                  The only problem I have with my PFSENSE is the WiFi other than that I am happy

                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                  • B
                    biomecanoid81 @Cool_Corona
                    last edited by

                    @cool_corona said in Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE:

                    https://www.asus.com/dk/Networking-IoT-Servers/Range-Extenders-/All-series/RP-AX56/

                    Looks like a nice AP but I already have several APs I can use, I have a Cisco, Miktrotik, Netgear.
                    I just wanted and all in one solution, a solution to integrate the AP into my PFSENSE.

                    johnpozJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                    • johnpozJ
                      johnpoz LAYER 8 Global Moderator @biomecanoid81
                      last edited by johnpoz

                      @biomecanoid81 said in Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE:

                      I just wanted and all in one solution

                      No point to that - just use an AP.. Which you can properly place or have multiple ones. I have 3 AP properly mounted in the ceiling in my small house. Have ZERO wifi issues no matter what room I am in, or even out on the patio, etc.

                      As to using IP vs fqdn - that works - but why? When properly setup you could use either.

                      As to coverage and features for wifi, your not going to get that with some card you place in pfsense vs an actual device designed to be an AP. or wifi router your using as an AP.

                      An intelligent man is sometimes forced to be drunk to spend time with his fools
                      If you get confused: Listen to the Music Play
                      Please don't Chat/PM me for help, unless mod related
                      SG-4860 24.11 | Lab VMs 2.7.2, 24.11

                      1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                      • stephenw10S
                        stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                        last edited by

                        @biomecanoid81 said in Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE:

                        AR9285

                        Is that a 1x1 device? Do you have a single antenna? Is the driver configured to use the correct antenna if it has more than one socket? That will destroy the range if set wrong, I have seen it first hand.

                        Currently about the best card you can get for pfSense directly is something AR938X based. That's a 3x3 N card. Coverage should be OK with decent antennas and the device itself mounted high up. Speed will never be anything special but should be 'enough' on a 100Mbps WAN.

                        Steve

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                        • B
                          biomecanoid81 @stephenw10
                          last edited by

                          @stephenw10 Only one socket for antenna, I don't know if any driver settings are wrong but based on limited Wi-Fi range it works like it does not use the antenna

                          JKnottJ 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                          • JKnottJ
                            JKnott @biomecanoid81
                            last edited by

                            @biomecanoid81

                            WiFi devices often use multiple antennas for MIMO. A single antenna can't do that and so wouldn't be as effective as a multiple antenna system that does.

                            PfSense running on Qotom mini PC
                            i5 CPU, 4 GB memory, 32 GB SSD & 4 Intel Gb Ethernet ports.
                            UniFi AC-Lite access point

                            I haven't lost my mind. It's around here...somewhere...

                            1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                            • stephenw10S
                              stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                              last edited by

                              Check the sysctls in dev.ath:

                              dev.ath.0.diversity: 0
                              dev.ath.0.rxantenna: 1
                              dev.ath.0.txantenna: 0
                              

                              You may need to set them both to 0 (or both to 1). I have hit that before with a really old card.
                              But really you should just get a 2x2 card that can use antenna diversity correctly. Or a 3x3 card as I listed above.

                              Steve

                              B 1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
                              • B
                                biomecanoid81 @stephenw10
                                last edited by

                                @stephenw10 said in Limited WiFi Range on PFSENSE:

                                Check the sysctls in dev.ath:

                                dev.ath.0.diversity: 0
                                dev.ath.0.rxantenna: 1
                                dev.ath.0.txantenna: 0
                                

                                You may need to set them both to 0 (or both to 1). I have hit that before with a really old card.
                                But really you should just get a 2x2 card that can use antenna diversity correctly. Or a 3x3 card as I listed above.

                                Steve

                                Thanks for you help, Can you find one on eBay for me ? I have looked and found lots and lots. I just want one that you know works for sure out of experience.

                                1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 0
                                • stephenw10S
                                  stephenw10 Netgate Administrator
                                  last edited by

                                  The Compex WLE200NX is a 2x2 miniPCIe card. We used to sell that so I know that works relatively well. Look for that if you really want to use a wifi card in the firewall.

                                  To be clear I agree with the others though, you will get better just about everything with a separate access point.

                                  Steve

                                  1 Reply Last reply Reply Quote 1
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