radiowaves 101

what is the standard range for wifi and is it affected by glass, metal, etc? that is, i can use starbuck's wifi from the first few spaces in their parking lot, but i'm wondering just how far it goes. haven't experimented in detail, but i seem to recall that by the 6th or 7th space the signal fizzled out. does this sound about right?

i usually have the windows CLOSED when i do this. do they, in fact, interfere with the signal? that is, could i maybe make it twice as far, say, if i left the window open with line of sight back to the building?

lastly -- my REAL question -- can i do all this from the TRUNK?! if i park in front of starbucks, mcds, the public library, etc., could i actually rig my PC to download stuff all day while i'm at work?!

just curious. i've pretty much decided i can do that from up front in the car, but i wouldn't want to leave the PC visible like that.

 

Uh, hmmm, uh, climb in the trunk and see if you can.:-D

(Yes, the signal is affected by metal. Too many environmental variables to give you an answer on distance.)

 

i would think a trunk would have signal issues due to the solid metal frame/cage around it. hard to say though with out experimenting.