Question about wifi, kinda freaking me out.

My question is simple.
Is it possible for a wifi signal to travel 4 miles?
I've seen a wifi signal on my phone for a while now and was curious where it was coming from.
I live in a small town and my closest neighbor is about 300 feet away.
Today I downloaded an app that uses gps and what not to determine your location and distance from connections.
There is an unsecured connection approximately 4.5 miles from my home and I was able to connect and access the Internet no problem.
Is a router of this strength even available?
This has me paranoid. Especially because the signal is coming from a dirt road with broken down shacks and what not.
What do you guys think?

Are you sure? Maybe once it lost the signal is started using the net from your phone.

reply to post by GmoS719


I wish I had wifi like that.
Mine can not even pass through two rooms.
Though I would go with the same guess as Infi8nity.

reply to post by GmoS719


This may help:

Click Me

Originally posted by Infi8nity
Are you sure? Maybe once it lost the signal is started using the net from your phone.

I'm positive, I don't have a sim card in my phone.
Only can access wifi.
The app puts my location and the routers location google maps
And I drove to the location and back and the routers location never changed.
I'll try to get a screen capture.

reply to post by GmoS719

A signal that strong can only be accomplished with repeaters or commercial grade high power transmitters & antennas.

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
reply to post by GmoS719

 

This may help:

Click Me

I know how far a typical router is supposed to reach.
That's why I am lost.

If the area is mostly flat, and the router has an external antenna, it is possible. You wouldn't get this with just an unmodified off-the-shelf router, but if you bought a 3rd party long range external antenna it can be done.

I once saw a youtube video where someone was able to get a wifi signal, between 2 long range antennas connected to regular consumer router, form 76 km away, they only got a few kb/s but the where able to connect and send data back and forth.

WIFI link at 76 km:


WIFI link at 110 km:


The router means little, its all in how you broadcast (the antenna)

reply to post by GmoS719


Then investigate it further.

Look into a program called netstumbler to gain more info on the signal.

Also, post results!!!

Originally posted by tvtexan
reply to post by GmoS719

 

A signal that strong can only be accomplished with repeaters or commercial grade high power transmitters & antennas.

I'm guessing commercial grade.
Is it possible that its planted their so people will access it and be monitored?

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
reply to post by GmoS719

 

Then investigate it further.

Look into a program called netstumbler to gain more info on the signal.

Also, post results!!!

Know of an android equivalent?

Long range super wifi

LRSWF

New Hanover County in North Carolina became the first county in the United States to deploy a Super Wi-Fi network, but the real question is will it also be the last? The technology is not as healthy as the pomp and circumstance surrounding the launch indicates.

Super Wi-Fi can be used to create a Wi-Fi-like network that offers a range of up to 100 kilometers. However, the current spectrum bill wending its way through Congress makes delivering Wi-Fi in the digital TV spectrum an iffy proposition, and the tech firms that so ardently supported the technology have fallen silent on the importance of using this spectrum for unlicensed broadband. The spectrum bill, that is part of an effort to take some of the digital TV airwaves away for cellular use, will make it hard for crowded urban markets to find enough channels to deliver plentiful Super Wi-Fi service.

Originally posted by Kr0nZ
If the area is mostly flat, and the router has an external antenna, it is possible. You wouldn't get this with just an unmodified off-the-shelf router, but if you bought a 3rd party long range external antenna it can be done.

I once saw a youtube video where someone was able to get a wifi signal, between 2 long range antennas connected to regular consumer router, form 76 km away, they only got a few kb/s but the where able to connect and send data back and forth.

WIFI link at 76 km:

WIFI link at 110 km:

edit on 24/1/13 by Kr0nZ because: (no reason given)

It's saying 1mbps.

reply to post by GmoS719


Wifi analyzer and Gmon

ETA: you may need root access.

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
reply to post by GmoS719

 

Wifi analyzer and Gmon

ETA: you may need root access.

edit on 24-1-2013 by sixswornsermon because: ....

I'll post the results in a second.

reply to post by GmoS719


In the 110km one they do a file transfer it gets upto about 50kb/s

Originally posted by sixswornsermon
reply to post by GmoS719

 

Wifi analyzer and Gmon

ETA: you may need root access.

edit on 24-1-2013 by sixswornsermon because: ....

-80 dbm
2437 mhz
Speed 2 mps
Not sure what to look for.

Originally posted by Kr0nZ
reply to post by GmoS719

 

In the 110km one they do a file transfer it gets upto about 50kb/s

I acknowledge that it's possible now.
Don't really know what it's doing in the middle of nowhere though.
I live in a town with less than 2000.

reply to post by GmoS719


This would be a fair connection.

If you have terminal emulator, then ping google.

See if there is any packet loss.

Let's go with the more simplistic explanation that your neighbor who lives 300 feet away recently got internet and they haven't locked it.

Unless you have an bi-directional wi-fi antenna that is being pointed in line of sight of the other location I don't see this being possible that you are still receiving a signal from the location 4 miles away.