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I am forced to get my internet from a slightly far access point, and as a consequence wifi quality is poor due to packet loss. Is there any way I can use both my laptop's inner wifi card and my external USB antenna redundantly to reduce said packet loss?

My question is mostly something that came to mind. I believe it is theoretically sound, but I am not quite sure.

Kenji Kina
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  • Are you sure the quality is low due to packet loss? – David Schwartz Mar 06 '13 at 00:52
  • @DavidSchwartz when I try to check my latency with ping command, a good portion of them don't even come back. – Kenji Kina Mar 06 '13 at 00:58
  • That sounds like packet loss. You should probably try to figure out why you have packet loss and address that directly. For example, is there a nearby WiFi network using a channel that partially overlaps yours? That causes horrible packet loss. Instead, change it so you're on exactly the same channel as them rather than an overlapping one. (Assuming a free channel isn't available.) – David Schwartz Mar 06 '13 at 01:00
  • One thing to keep in mind is that not all packet loss is due to a bad wifi physical connection. It can also be due to protocol errors, or a bad uplink downstream of the router, or a bad ethernet cable on the router, etc. – allquixotic Mar 06 '13 at 01:03
  • You're getting close to a solution by introducing a better usb antennae, but what's really gonna make a difference is getting that usb antenna hooked up with a usb extension cord and something to isolate noise from other directions. Get a good 10 - 15 ft USB extension cable, and get it somewhere in a Window, or up high and some kind can or something to make the device directional, google cantannea, they work better than you'd think. – MDT Guy Mar 06 '13 at 01:07
  • @DavidSchwartz the channel is *mostly* free, networks on the same channel seem to be far away. – Kenji Kina Mar 06 '13 at 01:20
  • @allquixotic I don't believe it's a bad ethernet cable on the router since these issues usually go away when I connect the laptop directly to the router through cable. I am not sure how to diagnose the other two alternatives, though. – Kenji Kina Mar 06 '13 at 01:21
  • @MDTGuy I believe that would be the last alternative if nothing else works. – Kenji Kina Mar 06 '13 at 01:25
  • @Kensai: Networks on the same channel aren't a problem. The problem is networks on a partially overlapping channel. – David Schwartz Mar 06 '13 at 05:27
  • @DavidSchwartz I'm sorry, can you direct me to a place where I can educate myself on what you just said? I was under a different impression since my college days. Basically: Source please. – Kenji Kina Jul 22 '13 at 00:29
  • @Kensai: WiFi is designed to have multiple devices on the same channel. If it couldn't handle that reliably, it wouldn't be useful at all. In fact, that's how it's properly used. There are any number of studies on the consequences of partially-overlapping channels, such as [this one](http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4134127/channel-overlap-calculations-for-802-11b-networks). – David Schwartz Jul 22 '13 at 06:09
  • @DavidSchwartz I was under the impression that Wi-Fi was designed to use multiple devices on the same channel *provided they were connected to the same device*, as that device would control the multiplexing. If that were not the case, then there would be no need for the other channels to exist. I can't access the study you cited, but it seems to talk about the negative relationship between overlapping channels (which I agree with) but does not mention the neutral relationship between networks on the exact same channel. Not in the summary at least. – Kenji Kina Jul 23 '13 at 17:41
  • @Kensai: Your impression in incorrect. While that is a common way to use WiFi, ad hoc networks are part of the design as well. – David Schwartz Jul 23 '13 at 21:34
  • @DavidSchwartz You must probably be annoyed at me by now, but I would really like a source confirming your initial statement of partially overlapping channels being the only problematic scenario. I want to update my mental model, but, as impressive as your reputation is, I need something beyond your word. – Kenji Kina Jul 24 '13 at 03:38
  • @DavidSchwartz Nevermind, found your answer here http://superuser.com/a/443243/19285 That is what I was looking for – Kenji Kina Jul 24 '13 at 04:29

2 Answers2

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I believe they would show up as separate network adapters and you would need a way to bind them together. There are third-party programs like Connectfy Dispatch that will do this.

Brad Patton
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No, you can't do this, as you need circuitry between the antennas to do calculate reflections, signal bounces etc (I think you would want to look into how "MIMO" works for a more in depth understanding. Also, you will find that packet loss is caused by poor wifi quality (you had it the other way around).

It might be possible to use both devices to provide more overall bandwidth, however this is highly unlikely to reduce packet loss.

You might want to look at getting a USB extension cable, and converting your USB WIFI card into a "cantenna" of some sort, ie a more directional antenna, which will have the effect of increasing your signal to noise ratio and giving you better throughput.(for example http://www.instructables.com/id/Fast-Cheap-and-Easy-Wifi-Cantenna/) -

davidgo
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