Rasp Pi 5 + USB Wifi 6E as AP

Hardware Questions and Recommendations
1

Hello! At home I have a Fritz 7590 and the wifi doesn't currently cover the whole apartment in the way I needed. Unfortunately it is in a drawer (wood) and there is no space to install the external antennas (the drawer height is 15 cm, too much compared with the height of the router and the antennas).

I thought about using a rasp pi 5 with openwrt and a usb wifi pendrive as AP, in order to disable the wifi of the fritz and use the wifi of the pendrive connected to the rasp to cover the apartment.

Technically is viable, but would it work? I am afraid that the wifi from the usb pendrive would provide a weaker signal compared to the wifi of the fritz, even by setting Ireland as country to push more power.

Did someone try something similar?

2

USB WiFi is designed as client device so yes the signal coverage will not be as good as normal AP/router, also there is also antennae on the USB WiFi. Also considering the heat of Pi5, in a small drawer there might be even more trouble.

If you accept WiFi 6 (not 6E), something like Zyxel NWA50AX PRO, Netgear WAX206/218/220 probably are better choice.

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3

I mounted a WAX206 behind the television cabinet with a 3d printed bracket. I'm gonna replace it with a Zyxel t-56 soon.

Not sure if you have space there.

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4

Unfortunately the wax206 is 2 cm too height. Same for the zyxel.

And I can't cut the drawer, my mum would kick me out of the house :slight_smile:

5

The T-56 comes without the foot pre installed, it's 2-3cm high, laying down ?

If you want something really small, yet capable, GL-MT3000 or TR3000.

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6

TP-Link EAP615-Wall is also small
(do note that you need a PoE-injector as well in this case)

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7

Mount it under drawer?

Or if you really need that thin, you have to look at GL-INET MT3000, or Cudy TR3000/WR3000, but anyway they will get hot inside drawer.

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8

I did not know about the Cudy and GL-INET, I need to investigate better, they can be the solution :slight_smile:

9

Maybe consider mounting that device somewhere else with better heat dispersion and RF propagation characteristics (e.g.: mount it on a wall). Sure might take a while to convince whoever decided to hide the router in the drawer, but it might be worth it in the intermediate term...

Regarding the rpi5 idea, unless you have all required parts already in your parts box, that likely is going to be more expensive than going for a full AP-ready all-in-one device and run that under OpenWrt, assuming you still need that after repositioning the 7590....

10

This, I would discourage unless you actually are in Ireland...