this post was submitted on 15 Jul 2025
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Science Memes

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[–] osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org 36 points 2 days ago (1 children)

I am 80% sure this is a net loss with modern mu-mimo radios, and it will absolutely trash your phy rate

[–] Evilsandwichman@hexbear.net 6 points 2 days ago (1 children)
[–] osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org 19 points 2 days ago (3 children)

MU-MIMO (Multiple-User Multiple In Multiple Out) does [math] to assist in directing signal to multiple clients at once via multipathing, which this reflector would fuck with the math of in (I think) a detrimental way. Regardless of its impact on that technology, higher-end wifi phy rates (the negotiated modulation rate between 2 stations, i.e. the wifi access point/router and your phone) would get shredded by having a reflector bouncing signal between the multiple antennas, forcing clients into artificially lower speeds for a [potential] marginal boost to gain.

This stopped being a helpful thing to do somewhere around the transition between wifi 4 and 5 (802.11n --> 802.11ac)

[–] keepcarrot@hexbear.net 11 points 2 days ago

I remember going to a LAN that got its wifi from a local library via collander-boosting. Those were the days, and carrying around CRT monitors was sort of like exercise

[–] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago (1 children)

What if I'm doing it to block signals from roughly half the 60 other APs with half a dozen devices each I have broadcasting nearby?

[–] osaerisxero@kbin.melroy.org 2 points 1 day ago (1 children)

Then it'll do literally exactly the same thing as above, but with a lower noise floor than otherwise. Whether lowering airtime contention (or, rather, lowering airtime contention for one station while not doing so for others, unless you're talking about putting a layer of foil wallpaper up on a wall lmao) in exchange for all that is a net benefit for you, I couldn't say. If it's all wifi6 or higher though, I wouldn't bother.

[–] suburban_hillbilly@lemmy.ml 1 points 1 day ago

lmao

That is near exactly what I was considering, I live between an apartment building and a park, more or less.

[–] Swedneck@discuss.tchncs.de 2 points 2 days ago

tbf i'd imagine a lot of people still have wifi 4