this post was submitted on 12 Sep 2023
1261 points (97.7% liked)

Memes

45533 readers
1110 users here now

Rules:

  1. Be civil and nice.
  2. Try not to excessively repost, as a rule of thumb, wait at least 2 months to do it if you have to.

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 
top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 214 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You'll get faster download, but your upload speeds drop off a cliff

[–] [email protected] 69 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Use another fan to make the wifi circular, then your upload speeds shouldnt be hindered

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Then you add ping by changing the path

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)

You can counter those with a pingpong bat.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

If you play pong online, your ping will be super low.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago (9 children)

If you make a series of tubes, you can route from the router and reroute back to the router, creating an information highway through, what we call in comp science, a "loop". Depending on which side you install the turbo, you can replicate the same tech your ISP charges extra for in "speed boost". If you go bi-turbo—one in inbound and one in the outbound tubes of the loop—you can generate effectively unlimited speed, where onlyfans used in your inbound and outbound tubes limit based on their RPM. This is why I use RC plane turbines. It's loud, but I'm streaming YT in 480.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If you put all this in a very small tube that you can easily plug into your router and your PC, then we've got real innovation on our hands!

load more comments (8 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 137 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I am a computer programmer, this is exactly how it works. Why else do you think electronics have fans in them if not to blow fresh, crisp wifi in and stale, soggy wifi out?

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 65 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The trick is rewiring the outlet to 240v. More power = more signal.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (3 children)
load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago

Will probably make the signal noisy, so I'd avoid this. I would recommend just putting the router in a booster seat, so it's higher off the ground.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No no, everyone knows you're supposed to put a mirror behind it, duh.

[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (12 children)

Funnily enough this may actually have a positive impact

People used to create tinfoil, tin can or wok based reflectors for WiFi to guide the omnidirectional signal into becoming a directional one.

I think the reflective part of some mirrors is essentially tin foil, so it probably would have a mild boosting effect in the direction of the mirror

Edit: in fact if OP's fan has a rounded metal cage on it, you could take the front half off and you've basically got a WokFi setup there, with added danger

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

A wire in a Pringles can makes for a fabulous directional can-tenna

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Also if it's close enough, the metal of the fan itself serves as a pretty decent antennae. You can accomplish the same by taping a fork to the box!

It's the silliest little lifehack yet wrapping a wire around a fork, then wrapping the other end around the router works so well

load more comments (10 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago (2 children)

My boss almost saw me looking at this. Close call.

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago

Not Safe Fan Wifi

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Can confirm, I'm this guys boss

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago

Get back to making me work!

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago (2 children)

No because the fan that is boosting the Wi-Fi to you would prevent your computer requests to the Wi-Fi box.

So while it'll be easier for you to get a YouTube video It would be harder for you to actually type a search. 👍

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago (2 children)

If you work in IT and want to keep your job, it would be NSFW to say something like this

[–] [email protected] 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Reminds me of the time I worked in IT and someone put a department's wifi access point on top of the microwave. No one fessed up to that one lol

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I had a friend complaining that his new computer I built for him was crashing a lot.

So I go there and spend a good bit of time trying to make it crash. Nothing.

Then his girlfriend gets bored and picked up the wireless phone. Bam ! Computer crashed!

It had to happen another time for me to realize it crashed when she was picking up the wireless phone. Turns out the phone base was on top of the computer. Tha cpu was a AMD 950MHz and the phone a 900MHz phone. I have no ideas if the frequency is at fault or the phone base was creating bad interferences somehow but taking the phone base away from the computer finally solved the problem.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (2 children)

May work in niche cases where passive cooling is insufficient and overeating causes Instabilität.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago

INSTABILITÄT!!!

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I dunno, I thought that it was instabilität that causes overeating.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

yes and you can also leave out a plate of cookies where you want a strong signal so the wifi waves will go there when they're hungry

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Radio waves are faster in a vacuum, ditch the fan and put it in a shop vac.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ask ElectroBOOM, he would definitely make a video rectifying it *bang* OUCH F___ S___ why is there a loose wire?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I read the last part in his voice lmao

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Putting a fan begin your router won't boost the range because photons emitted by the router's antenna won't be affected by moving air from the fan. Putting a floodlight however...

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Alright, so according to Bernoulli's principle says that moving fluids result in a lower air pressure. Light and all electromagnetic waves are fastest in a vacuum. Lower air pressure is closer to a vacuum. So... Marginally? I have no idea how much but I'm guessing it's miniscule enough to need special equipment to detect. Not worth it. Plus the fan itself could block the waves. The fields around the wires powering the fans would have an effect as well. All of this is going to be super minor but I think the physical blockage of the fan is going to have more of an effect (but still teeny tiny) than anything.

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

If it has metal blades then it will reflect some of the radio signals, making the transceiver more directional. With how it's set up in the post, it could potentially be a benefit to devices that face the front of the router and fan, but a disadvantage to devices behind the fan. Same logic with that Facebook trick of putting tin foil or cut up drink cans behind the antennae.

However, most newer and higher end routers use beam forming antenna arrays which are already directional and can automatically focus the signal toward your devices. Having reflectors around those can actually interfere with the antenna array and decrease speeds for all devices.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

depending on the fan, this would blow the wifi too fast past the devices. to counteract this, you have to cover your devices in magnets to catch them

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

Well... WiFi is bidirectional. It may be faster receiving but the device sending... Other story than the tcp handshakes...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Technically yes, but in practice any gains are going to be counteracted if not outweighed by the electromagnetic noise from the fan's motor. To avoid that interference and see any real improvement in your signal strength, you'd have to either use a fan with a shielded motor (the last such model went out of production in 1953, so good luck finding one) or a fan driven by an alternative power source such as a water wheel.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (16 children)

The wifi beams come out in all direction. You can help boost the wifi by placing a mirror behind the router. Then the rays will be reflected back to you and not wasted.

load more comments (16 replies)
[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

It works better if you tie the router to the fan blades.

[–] [email protected] 11 points 1 year ago

It will help cool the router, so yes, it will probably work 👍

[–] [email protected] 8 points 1 year ago

I mean... closing the window keeps the wifi in so I think this will disperse the wifi instead.

load more comments
view more: next ›