High gain wi-fi aintenna

JumbleDuck said:
What's a current good deal on high-gain wi-fi antennas@ I'm using a fake Alfa one at the moment, which performs surprisingly well, but something a bit better would be nice. I was wondering about this

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Alfa-Netw...dbi-panel-antenna-Wi-Fi-802-11n-/381366520880

but the two Amazon reviews are scathing.
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Are you talking about the 7dBi antenna listed or the Alfa AWUS036NHR or both?

I bought this directional antenna a few years ago but didn't really find it much better than the Omni-directional one I was using. It also failed completely soon afterwards so perhaps I was unlucky. Nothing much inside, just a flat metal plate and a soldered joint had failed. Repair not possible as the connector fell apart around the same time.

If you are asking about the AWUS036NHR, I seem to remember this model being panned by quite a few people. I think that Alfa did bring out a mar II version and it might be OK. If you are picking up "b/g" and not bothered about "n" then the old AWUS036H is still difficult to beat.

I see that CrucialWiFi (http://www.crucialwifi.co.uk) had unpackaged AWUS036H at £9.60 and ran out of stock but still have them boxed at £23.69

I'll have a quick look at newer kit to see how it rates on price/performance.

Don't rely on quoted power when buying. The old AWUS036H (500mW or 1000mW) way outperforms newer AWUS036NH (2000mW I think) on b/g access points. The older kit locks on to much weaker signals when newer stuff wouldn't connect at all. It is also accepted that some (or all) manufacturers lie about the transmit power and 1000mW might only be 100-300mW. But as I said, transmit power isn't everything.

You could look at the Tube versions with larger antenna if you don't mind something a bit larger. I wouldn't bother about the marine grade external antenna unless you are going to leave a tube outside all the time. The standard 9bDi antenna performs just as well and should be fine in odd rain shower if you use a little self-amalgamating tape.

I use a range of older Alfa kit when cruising in med. and don't pay for WiFi. It works reasonably well but range is very variable. Best ever was about 12nm but 5nm range is a more normal limit. However, I can often find a particular access point 100m away blocked by masts & concrete walls. Line of sight is king for WiFi.
 
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Mistroma said:
Are you talking about the 7dBi antenna listed or the Alfa AWUS036NHR or both?
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Both, really, or rather the combination.

I bought this directional antenna a few years ago but didn't really find it much better than the Omni-directional one I was using. It also failed completely soon afterwards so perhaps I was unlucky. Nothing much inside, just a flat metal plate and a soldered joint had failed. Repair not possible as the connector fell apart around the same time.
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Sounds a bit unsatisfactory, so I'll strike that one off the list.

If you are asking about the AWUS036NHR, I seem to remember this model being panned by quite a few people. If you are picking up "b/g" and not bothered about "n" then the old AWUS036H is difficult to beat.

I see that CrucialWiFi (http://www.crucialwifi.co.uk) had unpackaged AWUS036H at £9.60 and ran out of stock but still have them boxed at £23.69
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Sounds good. It's a fake one of them I am using at the moment. Cost me a tenner, refunded when I pointed out its fake-ness but device itself not collected. Are Crucial WiFi a reasonably reputable bunch? One bitten and all that.

I'll have a quick look at newer kit to see how it rates on price/performance.
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Many thanks. I really appreciate the time and effort you have put into this.
 
A lot depends on how you will be using the Alfa. If simply boosting a signal in your marina and best signal is on "n", then you'd be better getting newer kit. If wandering around and using lots of different public access points then "b/g" should be widely available. Even new kit is run to give widest audience of "b/g & n" and AWUS036H could be better.

I keep meaning to get something to handle "n" but keep forgetting as my older kit keeps on performing.

From memory:
AWUS036H (or anything with genuine RealTek 8187 chipset) usually gives a more solid connection to a weak signal than newer kit. But only on "b/g" as it won't even see "n".

AWUS036NH was widely reported as having worse performance than AWUS036H. I should be able to find technical articles and lots of reviews to prove the point. I also did some tests in Galicia and they confirmed superiority of AWUS036H at about 5nm range. So only worth choosing AWUS036NH if access point guaranteed to only be "n".

AWUS036NHR was also reported to give pretty poor performance and I don't think it was even very good with "n". So a fail for "b/g" and "n". However, I think that Alfa did redesign it and it could be OK now. I think I did find something to that effect and will do some digging.

Alfa also do "Tube" versions which are more suited to being left out in the rain. You can buy a more weather-proof antenna but standard interior 8dBi antenna works just as well. I have a Tube(G) which has same chipset as AWUS036H and use it outdoors instead of my older AWUS036H models (500mW & 1000mW). I haven't tried a Tube(N).

I have used CrucialWifi several times over many years and friends have also used them. Pretty certain it is actually a one man band. However, service has always been great. I only had trouble contacting him once but his web-site apologised for any delays due to a death in the family. I had emailed before reading that and he got back to me within a couple of days. Other queries have been answered very quickly. I had a technical issue with my last purchase and Alfa's web-site didn't help. I emailed CrucialWifi about midnight and had a reply before 06:00 next day. His initial suggestion didn't work but we exchanged more emails and had it sorted mid-afternoon.

I would say that you have a better chance of getting genuine kit from CrucialWifi than most other sellers on internet.

I'm certain that there's other good kit out there and seem to remember Nigel Mercier mentioning something from another manufacturer. Alfa used to be great but that doesn't mean their new kit is the best available now. I still say AWUS036H would be a good choice if use of "n" access points is not important.
 
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I wouldn't bother too much about a cantenna. I have tried several directional antennae (home brew cantenna, expensive highly directional model, Alfa panel style etc.) and haven't bothered to keep one on the boat.

It's similar to sticking your head out the hatch when at anchor:
Standard Omni antenna is a bit like just looking around with your eyes, detail OK and you see the whole bay without effort
Panel type, think of using binoculars to get more detail but you have to work to keep looking at an item of interest
Cantenna style is akin to using a telescope to get a good close-up but it's almost impossible to keep something in view.

Even if you do get something with great performance it won't be much use at anchor but might help if tied to a pier in calm conditions.

AWUS036H:
I picked this old comparison of Alfa card at random but the story was always the same regarding performance when I was looking years ago.
http://rooftopbazaar.com/wirelesscards/
 
For many years I used an adapter branded 'STARBASE'. It was b/g only but worked very well and was quite heavy and chunky so did not topple over with a flat-plate antenna on top.

I now find that most of the time in UK I am connecting to BTWIFI routers which are all 'n', and get better results using an AWUS036NHR . The Alfa though is so light weight that it topples over with an antenna directly attached. I use a short extension cable to the antenna (attenuation in the thin coax can be very high). When in a static location (and especially with the caravan) I use a highly directional YAGI with about 2m coax.
 
For years I've been extolling the virtues of Alfa kit. Then two things happened: I fitted a 10m USB extension lead, none of the Alfa devices I have like it. The second was Windows 10, they didn't want to play nicely, even without the lead.

I'm currently testing a TP-Link TL-WN7200ND Wi-Fi Adaptor. It is a lot more stable than the Alfa devices, despite using the same chip as one of them.

Currently very cheap at some outlets: http://www.pcnation.co.uk/product.aspx?id=5455&af=11
 
TQA said:
If you are using the standard short aerial inside the boat it is worth getting the remote long aerial which comes with a mag mount. Mine is glued onto a short plank.

Frequently get online at one mile + with it and the standard Alfa.
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Do you mean that you are connecting the antenna to the Alfa with coax and keeping the Alfa inside the boat? If so, you are introducing losses with the coax. It would be better to couple the antenna directly to the Alfa and use a longer USB cable to connect back to the PC.

You would obviously need a decent USB cable up to 5m or an active one if longer. Long USB cables can be an issue but should be fine up to 5m.
 
nigelmercier said:
For years I've been extolling the virtues of Alfa kit. Then two things happened: I fitted a 10m USB extension lead, none of the Alfa devices I have like it. The second was Windows 10, they didn't want to play nicely, even without the lead.

I'm currently testing a TP-Link TL-WN7200ND Wi-Fi Adaptor. It is a lot more stable than the Alfa devices, despite using the same chip as one of them.

Currently very cheap at some outlets: http://www.pcnation.co.uk/product.aspx?id=5455&af=11
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Nigel, I've also experienced issues with some USB cables. One 10m active cable wouldn't work but another one did. I had a 5m work even with a 2m and 0.5m coupled to it but only did that once or twice when the first 10m active one wouldn't work.

I haven't spotted any problems with Windows 10 yet with either AWUS036H models (500mW & 1000mW). I keep meaning to get something for "n" just in case I need it. I delayed over the years when there were problems with some Alfas as they came out (NH,NHA and NHR etc. if I remember correctly). I think that the early NMRs did have driver problems so wouldn't be too surprised if they didn't work with Win10. Can you remember the model and vintage of the kit you had with issues?

It sounds as if TP-Link might be worth considering. Do you know if packet injection performance is good or not? I'll check online but seemed to remember you'd did have Kali so thought that you might know.
 
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nigelmercier said:
For years I've been extolling the virtues of Alfa kit. Then two things happened: I fitted a 10m USB extension lead, none of the Alfa devices I have like it. The second was Windows 10, they didn't want to play nicely, even without the lead.

I'm currently testing a TP-Link TL-WN7200ND Wi-Fi Adaptor. It is a lot more stable than the Alfa devices, despite using the same chip as one of them.

Currently very cheap at some outlets: http://www.pcnation.co.uk/product.aspx?id=5455&af=11
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That's a bugga!
Supports Windows 2000 / XP / Vista / 7
 
westhinder said:
I have used a Powerwifi 2.4 GHz antenna with pretty good results
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Looks like an Alfa TubeU(N) rebadged or a clone sold for a bit more money. It think the TubeU(N) was available for £40-£50 but can't see one offhand. However, a lot depends on the antenna they seupply as this can bump up the price. Usually worth comparing tech. specs. before buying.
 
Mistroma said:
Do you mean that you are connecting the antenna to the Alfa with coax and keeping the Alfa inside the boat? If so, you are introducing losses with the coax. It would be better to couple the antenna directly to the Alfa and use a longer USB cable to connect back to the PC.

You would obviously need a decent USB cable up to 5m or an active one if longer. Long USB cables can be an issue but should be fine up to 5m.
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By using the cable between the aerial and the Alfa this enables me to stick the aerial on deck or even higher which helps pull in the weaker signal while keeping the Alfa warm and dry.

If you put the Alfa on deck it gets wet and promptly dies.
 
TQA said:
By using the cable between the aerial and the Alfa this enables me to stick the aerial on deck or even higher which helps pull in the weaker signal while keeping the Alfa warm and dry.

If you put the Alfa on deck it gets wet and promptly dies.
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I used to pop a plastic bag over it and tie at the bottom. It never leaked, even when wet and windy, as long as it was hoisted or mounted with open end at the bottom. Never ever had any problems with it getting wet and dying. Of course that was in Scotland where the weather is always great. :D

I've often found that lower is better recently and under the sprayhood is fine. I suspect many cafés put their router on a high shelf at the back of the room as that's where bar, till etc. are often located. The buildings are usually concrete and sometimes have a balcony sticking on floor above. So the strongest signal can actually be low down. Might be a Mediterranean thing and I'm rarely in a marina during the summer (not at all in Balearics last year).

I haven't used a poly bag for last couple of years as my main worry now is preventing the Alfa melting. So the sun is more of a problem than rain you've been getting.
 
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KellysEye said:
>Gain 7dBi

High gain antennas have a DBi of 12+, which we had.
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Don't get confused about the gain of the antenna, and the gain of the adapter. You can put whatever gain antenna you want on a given adapter.

Unfortunately many people confuse these two, so we have a thread with "antenna" in the subjdct, and we are correctly now discussing adaptors, so do it by mistake :)

Incidentally, to get maximum power out of a WI-Fi adapter, tell it you are in the USA. You will lose the top two channels, but the gain is higher. Also illegal of course.
 
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