For years, companies have been in a tough competition over providing an exponential increase in the WiFi speeds all over the globe, be it for home users or for businesses. However, the high speeds come at the cost of range. These days, mesh routers are ruling the market for Wi-Fi routers. These routers allow evenly spread coverage over large areas, such as large homes and maybe offices. Also, most of the modern WiFis use the 802.11n version, providing a 5Ghz spectrum. However, despite these, there is always a problem with a range, prohibiting the WiFis to work beyond certain doors and walls. However, this problem finally seems to have a solution. The researchers, led by Brigham Young University, have worked on a new On-Off Noise Power Communication (ONPC) protocol. This protocol can extend the range of a Wi-Fi-enabled device up to 60 meters or 200 feet.
Typically, any WiFi requires a speed of at least one megabit per second. However, the ONPC protocol can help in maintaining a signal on of one bit per second. Interestingly, the new protocol can be applied to current WiFi-enabled devices as well, without needing to replace the hardware. To achieve this, the team adjusted the transmitter in WiFi-enabled devices, which used to send wireless noise along with the data. The ONPC protocol enabled the device to send a series of 1s and 0s. According to the researchers, the WiFi router was able to identify the pattern and maintain the signal, even if no data is being sent. Going forward, if the protocol goes mainstream, it would allow users to extend their WiFi range up to 60m. All the users would need to do is upgrade software.
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