Dealing with poor reception in a shelter requires creative solutions, as the same materials that make the shelter safe from physical threats also prevent wireless signals from entering. While standard Wi-Fi and cellular signals, with their short wavelengths, struggle to penetrate even ordinary walls a few centimeters thick, the shelter wall is an impassable barrier for them.
How to Overcome the Challenge and Improve Reception
- The most robust solution with the best performance for improving Wi-Fi reception: Run an Ethernet cable from your main router, through a conduit or ventilation opening, into the shelter. Connect it to a wireless access point (WAP) inside the shelter.
- If the shelter has a coaxial cable for television, use MoCA adapters that turn your existing cable wiring into a high-speed Ethernet connection.
- Powerline adapters can also be used: Plug one adapter into a wall socket near your router and another into a socket inside the shelter. The internet signal travels through the electrical wires.
- When it’s not possible to run wires to the shelter, you can replace the standard antennas on your router with “Yagi” directional antennas or panel antennas pointed directly at the shelter. Position the router as close as possible to the shelter’s entrance or ventilation shaft. A signal “leaks” through openings much better than through solid mass.
- A Wi-Fi booster is an effective solution in shelters suffering from weak reception in some areas. The booster should be placed at a point where the Wi-Fi reception from the main router is strongest and most stable, usually near the shelter entrance or ventilation openings. After setting up the device according to the manufacturer’s instructions, it distributes an improved internet signal to the area close to it within the protected space.
- When it’s not possible to reach the home Wi-Fi network, cellular service can be improved using a cellular booster. The installation includes an outdoor antenna, a cable to an indoor booster inside the shelter, and an indoor antenna. This will enable cellular reception inside the shelter. Service is provided by cellular companies.
- Another solution for improving cellular coverage inside structures is based on Femtocell technology. This solution requires a wired internet infrastructure. The Femtocell device connects to the home router via an Ethernet cable, thus functioning as a tiny base station for a limited range around it, independent of external cellular antennas. This service is also provided by cellular companies.