Hello, I'm here at UMBC with some of these Wi07C wireless modules.
They're basically a wifi chip you can talk to with a microcontroller over a UART.
The new ones, which is what I am testing today talk at around 115 k baud and they'll be talking
first to this TP link and next to a much cooler wifi device.
So, let's see just how far this thing works.
First I'm gonna test this little wifi module that I hacked on this huge antenna to.
I don't know if that's actually gonna work, I think the spec sheet said you need to do
something different for that.
Let's see how far this thing works.
So, I joined the TPLink and it got an IP address from it.
192.168.0.100, and Mark right here; say 'hi' mark.
"Hello."
Is trying to ping it right now and you can see the pings coming through.
Just dandy.
Ok, let's take this thing on the road and see how far it works.
So, this little jankey wifi module, using my super jankey soldering on a little, or
big, wifi antenna has gone - that is 479 meters.
That's almost half of a kilometer from right here using a standard off-the shelf TPLink
router.
That was half of a kilometer with the jankey antenna.
Let's see what happens if we use the module straight from electrodragon.
So, Mark here is pinging the module through the TPLink to the module there on the ground.
Let's see how far this thing works.
This little wireless module, without any exteral antenna with only 7% packet loss throughout
the entire test was able to communicate 366 meters before it dropped out completely.
So, I think this thing is going to rock the world of all this wifi stuff here, cause that's
wifi and that's some serious distance on it.
So, let's now take a step up and see what happens.
Well, apparently 1 point - what was it?
one point four?
1.42 kilometers is not enough, so, we're gonna have to take this on route 2 here, a really
long straight away to see how far we can really talk to these Wi07 modules.
Alright.
Our dish is setup.
Laptop control, measurement system, got our phones connected and we're ready to go, Charles,
will you close our door?
100 meters [mumbling].
We're at half a kilometer.
Going strong.
Distance?
1.0 kilometers.
We're back.
Ok, we just hit the top of the hill, we are back.
What is the distance?
2.0 kilometers.
We're back at 2.2 kilometers.
2.2k.
Still going at 2 and a half kilometers.
2.5k. [maniacal laughter heard over cell phone].
Ok, I don't have him at the moment.
Uuhh.
We just got you again.
What's the range?
3.2 kilo- 3.2 kilometers.
We're going to the top of a crest here and then we're gonna go down hill.
We're probably gonna lose you for good.
THESE PACKETS ARE TRAVELLING THREE AND A HALF KILOMETERS!
AND IS GOING!
wow.
Can you fiddle with the dish?
Oh, the camera overheated.
We're back.
Four point one kilometers.
So, that was four point two eight kilometers with one of these, where I have hacked on
the antenna.
It's absolutely terrible.
And the packet loss?
And the packet loss was 6% through the entire trip.
That means, okay, so towards the end it was losing some, but you know, they were hanging
around two kilometers, and getting almost all the packets.
So, that's pretty insane.
Now we're gonna go try it on one of these modules with the circuit board based antenna
and see how far are we gonna get if you buy one of these straight out of box.
We're at thirty meters.
Two hundred thirty meters, just dropped him the first time.
Got him back.
We're at 425 meters.
Lost him again at 530, got him again, got him back.
Here we go, we should get him back, maybe?
Got him!
Uuuh... 1.95 kilometers.
And two kilometers.
We're good.
Got him.
Ok, what range?
2.6 kilometers.
And pretty reliable now- uuh never mind.
Got him.
Got him?
Yep.
At 3.03 kilometers.
Ok, he's gone again.
It is a lot shakier this time.
Just stopped again.
Got it.
How reliable is it?
Kinda?
Ok, I lost him.
So, that answers it.
This tiny little wi07 with an ESP8266 is able to talk under practical outdoor and clear
line of sight circumstances up to almost half a kilometer if you put on an antenna, and,
it's able to talk up to 4.28 kilometers if you are gonna be ridiculous and use a dish.
So, I think this thing is gonna be pretty sweet.
I can't wait to see what other projects people are gonna do with it, and uuh if range was
ever a question, I hope this settles it.
Thanks for watching.