DIY wifi antenna booster

[garyhaupt]

I have been at this a very long time and am one of those guys that boondocks everywhere and am always in search of an open wifi signal. I use a D-Link USB signal booster but there are times when I have a signal but it's not strong enough to get 'on'.

Ever hear of a parabolic mic? Of course you have...I use a Dollar store pie plate, tear it down to the middle, dangle the D-Link and point in the general direction of where the signal is most likely coming from. It's not pretty, but it works.




Gary Haupt

[older_fossil]

Fizz wrote:
I had to dig deep for this one.
This was cutting edge at one time.

Colander WiFi

Mine was #8 🙂

Hey, I also built one of those several years ago!

These days we find campground wifi systems mostly unuseable, with too many heavy users and far too little bandwidth to the Internet. We mostly rely on a Verizon 8800L mifi on an unlimited pre-paid plan. When we have to use a weak campground wifi signal, we use a Ubiquiti NanoStation antenna/router that feeds our in coach network.

Art

[MrWizard]

I made a parabolic WiFi dish about 10-years ago, several people here did various versions, I used a WiFi usb stick, when building mine

[Fizz]

I had to dig deep for this one.
This was cutting edge at one time.

Colander WiFi

Mine was #8 🙂

[wa8yxm]

CleveTripp wrote:
Hi.....if you can't enhance both ends of the wireless link, then you won't be successful. IF you can put directional antennas at each end and have a clear line of sight then you have a chance. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time.

Your alternative is to buy internet service like the majority of the people do.

Not true (Save for the last sentence)

If you can get say 10 DB gain.. that's Means you have just over 3 times the range (SQRT(10)) Both directions

Your receiver sees 3 times as far
And your transmitter Projects 3 times as far

Why is this..
Let us assume 1 watt (Why 1 watt. Easy number)

Now if you are broadcasting using an omni antenna each degree gets 1/360 watts. But if you can narrow it down to say 36 degrees bandwidth you now have 1/36 watts (and a bit over 3x the range).

And that is how gain antennas work.

[CleveTripp]

Hi.....if you can't enhance both ends of the wireless link, then you won't be successful. IF you can put directional antennas at each end and have a clear line of sight then you have a chance. Otherwise, you are just wasting your time.

Your alternative is to buy internet service like the majority of the people do.

fast turn pcb assembly

[Matt_Colie]

Gary,

I did that as well for a while. (If I had pictures, they would be embarrassing.)

Then I discovered Alfa units (look up "Alfa Wifi" on ebay). I did make a parabolic reflector that did work. That was before they were 2000mW. I might be afraid of setting the curtains on fire now.

Do a search for "diy parabolic wifi antenna". I still have the one I made - Some Where - , but with the Alfa and the high gain antenna, if it is in the county I can usually work it.

Matt

[MrWizard]

Satellite dish is parabolic
To get the best results, the dongle has to out front at the parabolic focal point

I built one some years ago, even posted pictures, used a blade cover from a round fan, did the math for the focal point, used pvc to hold the Wi-Fi dongle at the correct point, but I stopped using that when I got my 4g unlimited internet
It's been some years
There was and Oz/New Zealand site that had a lot of info
IIRC
The used a 3ft sat dish and got a Wi-Fi connection across three miles of open water during testing

[garyhaupt]

NMDriver2 wrote:
I do not even bother with the plate, just a sheet of aluminum foil will let me stream without buffering.....most of the time 😉

Nice!!!


Gary

[wa8yxm]

YOu can go to amateurlogic.tv and download episode 3.. I use that method... sort of. .I use a bigger can and DO NOT cut the antenna.

A later episode (There are only about 150 of 'em) they taker the Epi-3 Cantenna and mount it in place of the LNB on a satellite dish.

I have met some of the folks involved in that award winning show.

[NMDriver2]

I do not even bother with the plate, just a sheet of aluminum foil will let me stream without buffering.....most of the time 😉