Wi-Fi and wireless signal

Added in v1.0.1

Sending a redstone signal from one tower to another without laying a hundred blocks of dust is possible. But be careful: here, radio behaves like real radio. Distance, weather and even an ill-meaning neighbor can ruin it.

The Wireless Signal

One block, two roles. Set to transmitter, it sends the redstone power it receives. Set to receiver, it outputs it on its side. Two blocks talk to each other if they have the same frequency.

Recipe: a compass in the center, redstone on the four sides, iron in the corners.

Setting the frequency

The frequency is set to one decimal place (12.5 for example). A click changes it by 0.1, Shift + click by 1.0. Pick an unusual one: on 1.0, it'll be crowded.

What weakens the signal

The interface shows everything live: redstone in or out, range as a percentage, blocks in the way and the interference rate.

• Distance. The base range is 64 blocks, in clear weather and at sea level (Y = 63).
• Altitude. Up high, you gain up to +25% (at the top of the world). Underground, rock takes away up to −50%, so don't put your antenna in a basement.
• Weather. Only a block under the open sky is affected: −25% in rain, −50% during a thunderstorm. An antenna under a roof is safe.
• Both ends count: the range is the base multiplied by the transmitter's factor and by the receiver's.
• Obstacles. Each solid block in the way multiplies the quality by 0.85. Ten blocks of stone, and your signal has lost three quarters of its strength.
• Neighbors. An active transmitter on a nearby frequency (less than 3.0 apart) adds noise.
• Collisions. If several active transmitters share your frequency within range of the same receiver, they jam each other. A clearly stronger signal gets through degraded, otherwise they cancel out and you see "Signal collision!".

The Wi-Fi Router

Craft: a Wireless Signal in the center, surrounded by four gold ingots (top, bottom, left, right).

The router registers in your name ("Router registered!"), and only you can change it: others read "This router belongs to X." In the Network tab, you choose:

• the network name (required);
• the protection: open, or password.

Why bother with a network?

Because a transmitter and a receiver only talk if they're on the same network: either both without Wi-Fi, or both connected to the same router. If one is on your network and the other isn't, nothing gets through: no signal, no noise, no collision. A protected network keeps your line safe from intruders, even on the same frequency.

A well-connected receiver also gets more reception range, up to twice as much with five Wi-Fi bars.

Extending the network with relays

In the Relay tab, a router wired with redstone to a Signal block relays its Wi-Fi. Relays chain together: a relay is connected if it's in range of the original router or of another relay that's already connected. So you can cover a big base by placing a router every few dozen blocks.

Two rules: a relay router has no network of its own ("Relay of ..."), and a router that already serves relays as their network can't become a relay itself.

Connecting

In a block's interface, the Wi-Fi tab lists the networks in range (32 at most), marked Secured or Open. Click Connect, type the password if needed. If something goes wrong, you'll see "Wrong password.", or "Wait a moment before trying again." if you try too fast. If the connection drops (too far, thunderstorm), you're notified: "Connection lost:" followed by the network name.