This is not just about how to increase range of WiFi. Ever since Edward Snowden dropped the bomb about NSA snooping the data packets travelling in and out of the US, people have become very nervous. They are taking all possible measures to keep their data private. There are plenty of posts on the Internet that have helped them to stay private. But total privacy is a myth.
Even TOR and the best paid VPNs can be cracked with the kind of software available with the data snooping officials, cybercriminals and journalists etc. Some have made it a business to protect people but are just into money making. This they do by creating software (and even hardware) that claim to encrypt data and protect their users. We do not know which software or hardware is actually capable of protecting data packets completely. In my opinion, as I said above, complete privacy is not possible unless you go back to snail mail.
Among the many companies that have sprung up after NSA whistle blowing, there is a company that is thinking in a different manner. Proxyham is the name of that company and it is into creating a hardware that will not only let you access WiFi from some two miles away, it also helps you stay secure.
The hardware it is manufacturing is a Raspberry Pi based device that has three antennas. All you have to do is to connect the Raspberry Pi device to public Internet (remember – you have to stay anonymous so no private networks) at a café or library. You then have to place it somewhere where it is not easily detectable, say under the coffee table. The next para is about how it works.
The device has three antennas. You are not supposed to connect your laptop or tablets directly to the public WiFi. Use the Raspberry device to connect to the WiFi. The remaining two antennas will connect to your device and here is the big thing. The two antennas send out data signals at very low frequencies, such as 900Hz. Since the frequencies are too small, they can overcome obstacles such as apartments and can travel up to 2.5 miles. You can simply get out of the café or library where you placed your ProxyHam (that’s what they call the device) and connect to the Internet from far off. In essence, you can call it a repeater.
What happens when some official wants to trace you? All they get is the location of ProxyHam and nothing beyond that. That means they can get the IP address and even the physical location of the Raspberry based device but can never trace you if you do not tell the café owner or other public WiFi providers that you own the device and that you have planted it there in their café or library. That makes you secure and also increases the distance of WiFi signals. You might use it for privacy or you may use it to increase the range of your WiFi. Or you may use it for both.
The cost of ProxyHam is a bit high – $200 which may go down based on orders.