Wifi long range antenna

[sarabande]

Does anyone have experience of this device, or other, similar products, please ?

http://www.wifispark.com/index.php/content/view/90/

 

[Bat21]

I am told that the most efficient way of extending wireless networks is to place a 'Pringles' container over the aerial.

 

[DickB]

I fitted a so-called hi gain antenna for yacht based WIFI. Made no difference whatsoever... Not impressed at all!!!

 

[st599]

High Gain antennas are more directional, it could be that you're no longer "on-beam" from the base station.

A Pringles Cantenna is a precisely manufactured waveguide system with an unbalanced feed (which needs to be the right length in the right place) - not just a pringles can slotted over an antenna.

Also, this would raise the ERP above the legal limit.

 

[sarabande]

"ERP" please ?

 

[john_morris_uk]

[ QUOTE ]
"ERP" please ?

[/ QUOTE ]Effective Radiated Power

The Pringles container has me amused. And no it won't work!

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Check this out. It made a helluva difference to the reception in my house with its thick stone walls. Flatenna

 

[Orla]

We are about 550ft from the MDL wifi antenna, from inside the boat we couldn't get a signal. So we bought a usb extension, shoved our usb antenna into a tupper ware box and taped the whole lot to the top of the granny bars.
Now the antenna is about 10ft higher and is working just fine. Being surrounded by a fleet of highrise nauticats 44s didn't help.

 

[castlevar]

Fitting one to day problem with the software will keep you informed

 

[david36]

After trying various UK sourced external bits of kit with limited success, I eventually hit upon a Netgear WG121 USB adaptor, normally available only from USA. This is now a discontinued model but is still available at very reasonable costs ,??£25, if you eBay.co.uk etc. Brilliant bit of kit that is much more capable of dealing with weak levels of signal than anything else that I found. PC now works well inside my boat where previously I had to sit in the cockpit, lift the antenna bit up the rigging etc etc. I suspect that it is not strictly "legal" outside the USA but if you can find one I recomend it. It does the job for me. I have no connection with the product other than a satisfied user.

 

[Birdseye]

Why not try http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

It has to be worth it just for the look on peoples faces. And it should work - its simply a parabolic aerial /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[jeremyshaw]

Getting good reports from friends in the Caribbean on the WaveRV (does not seem to be sold in the UK yet).
www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/wireless-marine-antenna.php

If you are in a marina you may be able to work with highly directional wifi, but if you are moving around or at anchor it's important to have 360 degree reception (which the WaveRV has).

Signal loss is another big issue with wifi, as well as the limitations of USB cable length, so this needs to be considered too in looking at options.

 

[Robin2]

I am writing this courtesy of a wireles and antenna supplied by Wi-Pipe. It comes with 30m of rj45 ethernet cable and a power-over-ethernet adapter and a transformer. They have other stuff also. My CB3 4040 system connects to a regular home-type indoor access-point about 400m away.

 

[Gumpy]

The problem with external wifi antennas is that there comes a point where the gain of the antennea is less than the loss in the cable.
Let me try and explain:
Say you have an antenna that has a gain of 3dbd this means that it will have an ERP ( effective radiated power ) of twice that of a dipole ( a standard referance antenna) now if you put this on the end of a 5metre cable you will have losses of about 9db (using RG58 cable) so you will see that you are 6db worse off with an external antenna .

The best way I have found to get round this is to have a usb wifi system on the end of a usb cable something like this:
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?LIN-108158
or this
http://www.novatech.co.uk/novatech/specpage.html?NOV-54USB

Placed in a window on the side that the Wifi node is.

That is the simple way:
I have modified one of the linksys adapters and have it mounted in the roof lining of my steel boat connected to a TNC connector that goes therogh the roof that is connected to one of these:
http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/products/product/9db_omni_directional_antenna__outdoor_/

This means that the cable is about a foot long which with the connectors give me a <3db loss which is more than made up for by the antenna.
I could of course plug any antenna onto the connector .
The secet is to keep the wifi cable as short as possible and use usb to extend to where you want the antenna.

I have also built one of these
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html
and they do work........

Julian

 

[yoty]

Will the signals be crisp from a pringles cantenna?

 

[kandoma]

thanks arglena, your entry saved me a lot of time, searching the net for a solution.

Peter /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif

 

[tome]

We modified a Linksys USB wireless access point by removing the external antenna and soldering a short tail in its place. This is connected to an external Netgear 9dB antenna via a short cable, and to the nav station via USB. Works very reliably. Don't know how often I've posted these, must bookmark the link!

 

[Gumpy]

I had to do a double take on that
Its exactly what I have except it has a TNC rather than an SMA connector and my antenna mounts on a bracket on the roof.
Wifi from inside the boat slightly more of a problem for me as the boat is steel and has very small windows hence the extrenal antenna.

Julian

 

[tome]

Great minds, or fools never differ?

I ran most of the cable via USB for the reasons you stated (antenna cable loss) and have no performance issues with 9m of USB cable which I'm sure is more than recommended

 

[Budgie]

I've excellent results using a Hawking minidish - about £60 from Maplin.