Yes, a Raspberry Pi 4 can function as a Wi-Fi antenna.
Yes, a Raspberry Pi 4 can function as a Wi-Fi antenna.
I just bought a new PC only to discover the Ethernet cable wasn’t long enough for my setup, and I found a Raspberry Pi 4 nearby. I’ve read many guides about using it as a Wi-Fi extender or router, but nothing about it working as a pass-through receiver or antenna. I’m looking for advice on how to make that work.
It works as a Wi-Fi bridge, though performance will be limited. A longer cable would be better; it’s inexpensive and should offer the smoothest connection with fewer problems. Alternatively, consider a Wi-Fi card.
I located a tutorial and got everything ready. I'm actually responding to this over the connection. The first person was correct—it's really slow, but it should work until the Wi-Fi card arrives. If anyone else is interested, here are the links I found: one is a detailed guide, the other contains the script that lets the Pi handle the bridge. https://www.mgraves.org/2020/10/raspberr...fi-bridge/ https://willhaley.com/blog/raspberry-pi-...et-bridge/
I located a tutorial and got everything ready. I'm actually responding to this over the connection, and yes, the first person was correct—it's really slow but it should work until the Wi-Fi card arrives. If anyone else is interested, here are the links to the two sites I found: one is just a guide, the other has the script that lets the Pi handle the bridge. https://www.mgraves.org/2020/10/raspberr...fi-bridge/ https://willhaley.com/blog/raspberry-pi-...et-bridge/
It seems the connection is progressing slowly. The Pi probably has more power than typical retail devices. Its small antennas may be limiting the signal strength; moving it to a higher position could improve the connection by avoiding obstacles like furniture.
It improved, honestly I don't understand why but it did. My connection jumped from 3 Mb per second to 70 Mb per second, which is quite impressive given my distance from the router. It's odd I'm sharing this, but I'm not sure if I'll need a Wi-Fi card anymore. I've already ordered one and it's on its way—it's just the Raspberry Pi handling it well. I'm confident I'll discover another purpose for it once the card arrives. I'm also surprised by how straightforward it was; I assumed it would be a hassle, but it took only a few steps and I was up and running.
Edit: When I mention 70Mb/s, I mean the download speed, while the upload is around 30Mb/s.