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Hardware damage operating 2 APs in close proximity?

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Zonkd

Very Senior Member
Just upgraded to 384.9! Does anyone foresee a problem with an RTAC68U and RTAC86U operating side-by-side on a desk with both APs broadcasting on seperate non-overlapping channels? I heard such close proximity could cause damage to the wireless hardware. Anyone know for sure?
 
Just upgraded to 384.9! Does anyone foresee a problem with an RTAC68U and RTAC86U operating side-by-side on a desk with both APs broadcasting on seperate non-overlapping channels? I heard such close proximity could cause damage to the wireless hardware. Anyone know for sure?
Me and anyone else using test routers on a regular basis would have broken equipment all the time.
This must ben a myth.

Say you live in a flat and your neighbour has his router right next to yours on his side of the wall. Have you ever heard of damages because of that?
 
Me and anyone else using test routers on a regular basis would have broken equipment all the time.
This must ben a myth.

Say you live in a flat and your neighbour has his router right next to yours on his side of the wall. Have you ever heard of damages because of that?

Do you run multiple routers side by side for prolonged periods like months at a time or do you turn them on off as required just for testing?

I’m not sure how common is a scenario of flat neighbors placing two routers within 60 cm of each other on the opposite sides of a shared wall. Any such cases could be so few as to be under reported, or so common but unknown to the owner. I think you’re correct on this but I wonder if anybody else has heard of this myth or seen documentation about it.
 
IF the AP RF front ends did not have proper overload protection and IF power levels significantly exceeded the maximum receiver front end power limit for extended periods of time, then it's remotely possible the front ends could be damaged.

Possible damage would be more likely on 2.4 GHz than 5 GHz because those signals are less attenuated by distance and obstacles.

I've observed that newer routers are much better than older ones at handling high signal levels. I frequently encounter high signal levels in my closed chamber testing.
 
Should be fine - worst case is that one might desense the radios and this would impact performance...
 
not to be a raincloud here, but there's a part of me that wants to raise awareness of what close proximity to this type of radiation can do to us on a prolonged basis...as in, never mind the hardware, how about yours, YOU?
 
IF the AP RF front ends did not have proper overload protection and IF power levels significantly exceeded the maximum receiver front end power limit for extended periods of time, then it's remotely possible the front ends could be damaged.

Possible damage would be more likely on 2.4 GHz than 5 GHz because those signals are less attenuated by distance and obstacles.

I've observed that newer routers are much better than older ones at handling high signal levels. I frequently encounter high signal levels in my closed chamber testing.

And as some routers even have two 5 GHz radios within the same device, I assume it should be a non-issue.
 
And as some routers even have two 5 GHz radios within the same device, I assume it should be a non-issue.

At the same time though, being designed from the ground up as a 2 same band radio set up, they may have taken extra precautions too.
 
not to be a raincloud here, but there's a part of me that wants to raise awareness of what close proximity to this type of radiation can do to us on a prolonged basis...as in, never mind the hardware, how about yours, YOU?
OK, so some of the frequencys used in your router are also used in microwave ovens. Try this, set a frozen dinner next to your router and time how long it takes to cook. I would suggest having some peanut butter and jelly handy just in case.:D
 
Just yesterday I temporarily needed to run the old wifi router (arris) and new (rt-ac86u) in close proximity to switch wifi IP cameras to new router at a customer's house. Neither router was blinded by the other in the process, at least not enough to impede what I was doing even with the cam in the back 40 which is not strong. I have three access points in my house, with no more than 25 foot between them with no issues. In Ham radio I have always been cautious about overloading receivers, and my instinct is to avoid doing it with routers or any other transceiver but it may be harmless in this case, dunno.

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I've been running my n66 next to my 1900 for the past year or two, or at least since I got the 1900. No problems whatsoever.
 
Just yesterday I temporarily needed to run the old wifi router (arris) and new (rt-ac86u) in close proximity to switch wifi IP cameras to new router at a customer's house. Neither router was blinded by the other in the process, at least not enough to impede what I was doing even with the cam in the back 40 which is not strong. I have three access points in my house, with no more than 25 foot between them with no issues. In Ham radio I have always been cautious about overloading receivers, and my instinct is to avoid doing it with routers or any other transceiver but it may be harmless in this case, dunno.

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The transmitter power in most consumer grade routers is very low compared to the transmitter power in the average Ham transceiver. However I probably would not want my access point setting next to my main router. Anyway, welcome to the forum Roadwrenchtech and 73.
NC5J
 
The transmitter power in most consumer grade routers is very low compared to the transmitter power in the average Ham transceiver. However I probably would not want my access point setting next to my main router. Anyway, welcome to the forum Roadwrenchtech and 73.
NC5J
For sure. the 50mw or so is a tiny whisper next to the 1500 watts we can heat up the dipole with, lol. Thanks for the welcome, I've been lurking for awhile, figured I better sign up.
 
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And as some routers even have two 5 GHz radios within the same device, I assume it should be a non-issue.
"Tri-band" routers have frequency filters in front of both 5 GHz radios to attenuate each other's signal
 
"Tri-band" routers have frequency filters in front of both 5 GHz radios to attenuate each other's signal

Thanks for confirming what I guessed at in post 8. :)
 
OK, so some of the frequencys used in your router are also used in microwave ovens. Try this, set a frozen dinner next to your router and time how long it takes to cook. I would suggest having some peanut butter and jelly handy just in case.:D

I'll ignore the smartypants aspect of that, but I have no doubt that radiation -even in low doses- is having a significant effect on us and our habitat because of the duration of the exposure. Call me deluded or alarmist or a conspiracy theorist, but in addition to all the other pollutants humans didn't have to contend with a few generations ago, I'm certain we're unwittingly modifying ourselves to our detriment.
 
Don't be silly - WiFi, even in close proximity is lower power than what one might see with 3G/4G Wireless...
 
I'll ignore the smartypants aspect of that, but I have no doubt that radiation -even in low doses- is having a significant effect on us and our habitat because of the duration of the exposure. Call me deluded or alarmist or a conspiracy theorist, but in addition to all the other pollutants humans didn't have to contend with a few generations ago, I'm certain we're unwittingly modifying ourselves to our detriment.

Stress causes cancer. Worrying about what gives you cancer and how to avoid it creates stress. Loop.

Like most men I favor my jeans front pocket for holding my phone snugly against my nads all day, every day. Now if I ever do catch a particularly nasty case of testicular cancer, I still won’t blame my phone — I’ll sooner blame the tight jeans.

I wouldn’t rip on someone for being committed to growing their own food with less/no chemicals and purifying their water a bit. That’s a good idea. Especially if they share with me. Preferably on a property with great wifi coverage so I can stream+eat.
 
Info from another concurrent post:

https://www.snbforums.com/threads/s...ave-emf-radiation-exposure.55514/#post-471106


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Thank you.
While there is much more ridicule, nay-saying and speculation than fact in these threads on this topic, there are reasons that bees are dying and whales are beaching themselves, never mind strange/rare cancers becoming more prevalent, and I'm pointing to radio waves to possibly be a cause. Don't get me wrong, I carry a cell phone and sit within 2metres of my ac86 as I type this, and am fully aware of how that makes me a hypocrite when it comes to this, but I do believe we should collectively take a pause to reconsider how much lashing of the ether is really going on and what the effects are, and if we really need the speed and convenience in our pursuit of data exchange.
 

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