Currently, Wi-Fi signals are reflected or absorbed by solid walls, limiting their range and transmission quality, and limiting the effective range within our home. Fortunately, to alleviate this bunker effect, researchers are experimenting with a method for WiFi signals to penetrate more effectively.
Researchers from the Vienna University of Technology (TU Wien) and the University of Rennes have discovered a new method that could transform broadband connectivity in the home.
The ‘anti-reflective’ coating
The key to all this research is an anti-reflective coating that allows the signal to pass smoothly.
“Think of it similar to anti-reflective coating on glasses. An extra layer is added to the surface of the glasses, which makes the light waves pass better to the eyes than before: the reflection is reduced«explains Professor Stefan Rotter of the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of Vienna.
Microwaves were sent through a complex and messy maze of obstacles designed to replicate a challenging environment such as a living room. Next, a matching antireflection structure was calculated and the reflection of the signals was almost completely eliminated.
“First, you simply have to send certain waves through the medium and measure exactly how these waves reflect off the material. We were able to demonstrate that this information can be used to compute a corresponding compensation structure for any medium that scatters waves in a complex way, so that the combination of both media allows the complete passage of the waves. The key to this is a mathematical method that we developed to calculate the exact shape of this anti-reflective coating.” added Michael Horodynski of the Vienna University of Technology and author of this research.
Wi-Fi Obstacles
Barriers like walls plaster, cement, stone, brick, they are also an obstacle for WiFi to operate optimally in small spaces. For example, steel posts and beams interfere with the signal. The more metal in the walls of your home, whether it’s steel studs or coated insulation, the more transmission problems you’ll have.
However, the main enemy is the concrete walls, very good at the level of isolation and, precisely for that reason, terrible for the transmission of the Wi-Fi signal. Concrete block walls aren’t much better, though they don’t dampen the signal as strongly as solid concrete.
