Dell Laptop WI-FI High Gain Antenna Mod, Increase Internal Network Cards Range and Signal !!!

Hello, This is my first instructable. Today Im going to sho you how to significantly increase the range and signal power of your laptop for about 15$. I have a Dell E1505 but this can be easily adapted to other brands of laptops. Its very Easy and quick mod but you must be very careful not to hurt your laptop... cuz that would suck, and im not buying ya another one. So Here we go !


Specs on laptop are:
Dell - E1505 - 2.0ghz - 2gb - 100gb - Ati x1400 - 1680x1050 tbhg - 9 cell - Dell Wireless 1500 Draft 802.11n Wireless Mini-Card

Step 1: Things You Will Need

Things you need :

U.FL male to RP-SMA Pigtail Cable ( make to get RP-SMA Not SMA )
2.4GHz 10 dBi Gain Wireless WIFI Antenna ( any antenna will do )
Flat # 2 screew driver
Philips #2 screw driver
Small plyers
Needle nose plyers
Dremel with a strait cutting bit ( you could use a drill but dont push to hard )
Optional -1 Tool stealing always getin in the way lovable ferret :)

Link to cable and antenna I used from Ebay @ $10 - $15
http://tiny.cc/antenna
http://tiny.cc/cable183

Step 2: Disassembly

First step Remove Battery, power cord, upper cover, silly ferret, and keyboard from laptop. then remove stock antenna plugs from wireless card and then remove wireless card by pushing back the two clips that hold it in. Now take a quick look inside where you will be cutting to see how tight its gunna be. You sure dont have much room for error do ya.

Step 3: Reassembly

Then with a dremel or similar tool cut a small hole the same size as the two audio holes next to it and the same spacing( like three holes were meant to be there. Now feed the new cable up into the hole from the inside, and secure it with the nut on the outside.Tip: If you have some locktite use a dab to keep the nut from ever getting loose.Then reinstall the card and plug the U.FL side of your new cable into your wireless cards auxiliary antenna connector(thats the black one). you could use the main connector if you want don't think it matters much. I used auxiliary because i figured the main stock connector has a bigger anntena.
Now finally reassemble the laptop in reverse ( don't forget to reattach the key board cable like i did and have to do it all over again...lol ) then screw in your new antenna and find all the tools the ferret hid wile you weren't watching.

Step 4: Finnished Product

Well hopefully every thing went ok and you can now screw in your choice of antenna. and go google somthing :) I think it came out prety clean looking dont you. Before I moded this I could only see one network ( mine ) now i can see @ 6 networks. in city I see @ 30 or more networks !!!

Step 5: Bouns to Be Continued........

Here is a little tase of how far you can go with this. This is a pic of my dell with the antenna mod and a 1watt 2.4ghz wifi amplifier @30db gain, moded to run off usb power with a 15db anntena !!!

Take a look at the signal after this they were off the screen !!! I was in my car in the middle of a townhouse parking lot.

If there is any interest I will do an instructable on how to mod the amp to work from usb power :)


Well if you liked my Instructable show some love and comment :P