Uni-Directional WIFI Range Extender

Easily receive WIFI signals from far away using a standard USB WIFI adaptor and a bit of ingenuity. This Simple idea requires no modifications to a USB WIFI adaptor or your computer. A simple way to increase the signal strength and range of your WIFI. Plus it works with all USB WIFI adaptors

Step 1: Tools and Parts Needed

You need only a few parts for this project and they all are pretty cheap except for the USB WIFI adaptor. ( I got mine on sale for $10, just check the ads)

1 - Metal Strainer/Steamer
1 - USB WIFI Adaptor
1 - USB Extension Cable (I chose a 10ft long)
½” Drill Bit (I like to use stepper bits for metal)
Gorilla Glue (Epoxy works well too)
2 - Zip Ties

Comments

[jb0579]

I am dumb. Not in the literal sense, as my auditory and vocal capabilitites are abundantly adequate (even too adequate at times). I have a problem which I have ennumerated to hundreds of people who haven't been able to help, so I am going to try to posthere in hopes one of you kind folks'll help me. I w ill laud the person who can help!! I bought my mother DSL so the hotspot is at her house with a wifi capability, and we live about 200 ft apart. But my Sony Vaio VGN-NW310F only gets 1 bar - if that. So the first thing I bought was a Hawking HWUN3 high gain antenna that just unput into my USB. Didn't work - if anything it was worse, plus - their customer service at Hawking Technology is absolutley intolerably, insanely, inadequately, pitiful. So I returned it. It took them 5 minutes to charge my credit card when i bought it, and a month and a half to refund it - but i digress...... The Westell 327w router from the phone company had a puny antenna on it so i upgraded the antenna to a beefier Lynksys 7dBi high gain antenna hoping that I could improve from 1 wifi bar to at least 3. Didn't happen. I get 2 sometimes now, but rarely. The antenna was like $40 which is fine if further modifications suggested here will work in conjunction with it to solve the issue. Actually, the new Lynksys antenna ( model HGA7S) seems to be a good unit! Question is this...what can i buy, make, install, change, or whatever on a decent budget that will get me a better signal. I am willing to mount something outside, drill a hole in the house and run a USB cable inside if i have to - whatever is necessary. I did look at this: http://www.instructables.com/id/Uni-Directional-WIFI-Range-Extender/ But it just doesn't seem adequate - unless there are people out there whi will testify that it works well... As far as line of sight goes - nope. There's a garage 'tween us, however, remember, I still get 2 bars (sometimes) with the new, beefy antenna on the router/modem thingy, AND, when the laptop was out of the boxand with the old puny antenna on the router I STILL got 1 or soemtimes 2 bars - even with no "clear" line of sight. If someone could please help I'd love you forever. Preferably, I'd love you to email me as it is easier for me to retrieve responses that way... it's [e-mail] (and that's a ZERO after the 'b', not the letter o). Any and all help would be greatly appreciated. i am a disabled vet and this laptop is one of the only things i have left - plus it's supposed to run med equipment - IF I CAN GET A DAMN SIGNAL! Someone, please....help? Jim 218-256-1135 cell 218-566-1135 home

[shortw]

jb0579
I do not know much about a DSL system, since I have cable internet.
Does the DSL have a router or does your mother have a router with the DSL system. I you can not send the signal via air or wireless, would you consider a wired system?
A Ethernet cable is able to carry the internet signal for 100 meters or about 330 feet without loss. You would need a router at your mothers house. Use one ethernet cable for your mothers system. Then use another ethernet cable from the router at your mothers house and run it to your place. Put the cable a few inches below ground, if you have to gross a driveway etc.put the cable in an electrical conduit so it does not get damaged.
There maybe an other option for wireless connections. Use of two external yagi antennas, one at your mothers house and one at your place. Something like that http://www.amazon.com/Cable-Wireless-Antenna-Booster-Bluetooth/dp/B0054MLMLA/ref=sr_1_2?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1357416794&sr=1-2&keywords=yagi+wifi+antenna
Just google yagi antenna for wifi.
You would need to mount it on a pole outside both house, the higher the better, Do it at your mother's place as well your place. Aim the antenna  from your mother's place toward your place and vise versa.
Remember those yagi antennas are very directional so aiming must be exact to get the best signal.
Hope this helps.

[Slim49]

WellJim,
you need a directional antenna.
go here: http://martybugs.net/wireless/biquad/
good directions, I have made 6 of these biQuads. any metal will make a good back plate.
you need to get a reverse sma antemma extender cable, cut off the connector not needed & solder its end in the biquad. I use one on the distant computer to bump the signal up 3 bars. the garage is not much an issue.
My hawking tech usb antenna has a removal antenna. I just screw in the biquad & aim.
your router may have a larger connector, so buy the cable & solder it in.
teh biquad will boost singals thru the wall & thru a window is steller!
I have made ALL the various antennas. the single Bi-Quad is my Fav!
Mr Steve

[YukonM]

Jim, You have an interesting problem but you should be able to handle it. Have you tried sitting on the roof of the garage with your laptop? If that works then try mounting the Lynksys antenna on the roof of the garage and running some coaxial cable to it Do it temporarily with duct tape and whatever else you need to see if both you and your mother can connect to it. If you have only 200 ft between your computer and the router thenit seems to me that you should be able to connect to it without expensive modifications.

[alesserivy]

Good instructable, it's always good to see peoples diy projects, everyone's unique way of looking at a problem, and implementing a solution.


This ones my personal favorite. Picking up signals from hundreds of feet away is cool. Picking up wifi from a couple miles out.

Legendary.
http://www.ab9il.net/wlan-projects/wifi3.html

[helllordkb]

Quick tip on this. The dish strainer is acting as a mirror/focusing the rf single for the usb wifi receiver, however since sits not actually connected to the antenna in the usb adaptor you only get some benefit. Some usb adaptors have an external antenna connector. They are usually RP-SMA, RP for reverse polarity, so the matching connector on the antenna you want to connect it to will need RP-SMA as well, unless you have an antenna wire to connect them with different types of connectors.

[fivefingers]

this is amazing. but i was just wondering if this would work with a home wireless router setup. also, i want to know if you need to put the satellite with the wireless USB adapter near the window to increase reception.

[anibioman]

if your router has a removable antena then yes you can (in theory). if you can find a matching cable for the attachment for your antena, you can use it instead of the usb extender and have the original antena where the usb thing plugged in on the other side of the dish. i might not be making any sense so ill try a makeshift diagram

_______
l router l=------cable------(---- antena
l______l.....................dish
REPLY
[flag][delete]

[helllordkb]

Quick note here. The longer your antenna wire, the more noise you can introduce into the signal. And its alot easier using moving the router closer to the antenna and using longer ethernet cables then it is to filter out the noise. In addition even the antenna connectors can be noisy. you can get noise resistance or shielded antenna wire but it only does so much.

[edrichhans]

can i ask what the zipties is for??

ty

[GmanM]

Looking at the photo, you can see two small loops at the sides where the zip-ties are laced through the holes at the edges of two separate petals of the strainer. The effect is to lock the strainer into an open position.

In my experiments I found paper clips to be more convenient because I could remove them to close the strainer for travel.

Also, if need be, you can also use the zip-ties/paper clips to lock the shape of the dish into a different parabolic shape which may better focus the "hotspot" of the signal for a particular wifi adapter.

Remember, the strainer used as a parabolic focusing device can also be used to increase the signal of a bluetooth device or a cellular phone, so the adjustable aspect of the parabolic shape of the strainer makes for some good experiments.

I disagree with hard-mounting the USB cable of the wifi adapter to the center of the strainer. Instead the hole in the center strainer should be based on the width of the wifi adapter, or even better, based on a small piece of plastic tubing which the adapter can snuggly slide back and forth in.

How one would make the hole is up to the individual and the tools at hand, but making four cuts with a pair of tin snips and carefully bending the pie-shaped pieces with pliers to hold either the adapter or a two inch long plastic tube to mount the adapter into is not rocket science.

Not only does this allow for the adapter to be tuned for best signal strength, it also makes the unit very portable and easily dis-assembled, and preserves the wifi adapter and its USB cable in their original condition for other applications.

Cheers
Gman

[mhoffman52]

Note you can do this with a female usb adaptor. Make it so it would fit in the center so both the adaptor and cable and be removed. Also you it would not damage either end.

[FrozenIce]

real cool :) but does this make ur wifi signal larger or will it make how much ur computer recieves more?

[lvraider3]

Would you think something as simple as a soup can would work? I just was to be able to pick up reception a few hundred yards so I don't need something so strong. I'm pretty sure it would not have as much range as the dish-like strainer but would it still work? I don't know if the cylinder shape would affect the range or reception compared to that of a dish shape. Great Instructable!

[tinyneutrino]

Only thing missing is the drivers to make it work on Linux systems. I can plug the usb in all day but without the driver to recognize it, it don't want to work...... Searching for drivers I constantly find ways to build the antenna, but no instructions on how to make it work....

[94todd]

lol, is that a pampered chef strainer?

[kaZantipman]

It's funny how did you make wifi extender from all this tools :)
I think it would be easier to buy adapter for example from wireless adapter reviews website. It's only cost 10-20$

[H3xx]

That would defeat the purpose of this site. also, those cheap little omnidirectional boosters aren't nearly as strong as a cheaper, high end usb wifi adapter with a mono directional wave guide. One guy made a wifi connection from 128 miles away using a 12 foot dish. This should get you at least two miles.

[wilgubeast]

Even a few years later, this project is still awesome. Thanks for sharing!

[kazefal]

does it work???

[mrob]

I just did what you said but used a pringles can an duct tape no drilling. I got internet now. I'm on it now. No signal before.

[330]

rubish its not free so tipe how to bulid a wifi hotspot that wifi is 100% free

[shadow4742]

Wouldn't you have to find where to parabolic's focus is instead of just randomly guessing as to where it is?

[SeanPatrick]

It would maximize your reception to have the adapter right at the focus of the parabola but since this instructable uses a strainer you should be able to adjust the shape of the parabola instead. This way you can guess and check rather than doing any math. Not that there's anything wrong with math.

[kaZantipman]

You can buy very powerful WIFI usb adapter for less then 15$.
My favorite is Alfa AWU

You can find various reviews of best usb adapters here

[lukeford]

thank you i have been looking for that for a while now i have been seeing it around the internet

[ourmoneypit]

This is a great 'ible.  If I had only seen this a year ago, I wouldn't have sent that old satellite dish to the scrapyard...

We regularly spend time at our cottage where we are internet-less.  As the crow flies, we are probably only about 1 km from an unsecured wifi network, but it is 10 minutes over rough roads, and it would be kinda obvious if we just parked outside.  We also have an antenna tower on that side of the house doing nothing, since we have satellite. 

Since I have a USB wifi adapter that's been sitting in a drawer doing nothing, I am definitely going to give this a try.  I would be willing to climb partway up the tower with my laptop to connect to the 'net occasionally to be able to download weather forecasts and download/upload e-mail when we're there for longer spells.  If it works, I'll post back with firmer data!  Wish me luck!

[Slim49]

Hi,
try making an Cantenna out of a 46 oz. juice can.
if the probe making & construction is troublesome & it is.
teh simpler way is to
just take the can & measure 1.24" from the cans rear. cut a slot your existing ubs donagal antenna fits tightly into. shove it up inside an 1" to 1.3".
you will need a short usb extender cable.
play with it to find the HOTSPOT. aim the can & you will be amazed at the improved signal!!! cost of a can of juice.
I have made several, gave to friends .
Mr steve

[AmericanColleen]

I JUST got a strainer from my mom two weeks ago! Now I have something to do with it! Oooh, this is gonna be fun!

[dwarren-1]

that is awesome, im gonna go get a strainer and try it out.......wait a sec, I already got 2 WiFi networks at home. ill try it out anyway

[jc penny]

what's war drive ?

[SparkyGage]

"driving" or walking around looking for open wifi connections.

[pvanheck]

I built one myself and have it suspended from a ceiling light fixture, it just about triples my signal and data rate from a home wifi router and I am 300 foot and several wall thickness between the line of sight.

[GFriday]

Hi! I hate to appear stupid, but there's no way around it thistime...can this setup be used with a wireless router? I'd reallyappreciate some help with getting things right the first time! Thanx!

[anibioman]

f your router has a removable antena then yes you can (in theory). if you can find a matching cable for the attachment for your antena, you can use it instead of the usb extender and have the original antena where the usb thing plugged in on the other side of the dish. i might not be making any sense so ill try a makeshift diagram

_______
l router l=------cable------(---- antena
l______l.....................dish

[Kryptonite]

This would be a lot harder to be able to attach the antenna to the little dish, making it impractical. I do not think it would work very well, but you can try it!

[XOIIO]

:But ther's no way around it this time" LOL! nice

[SHIFT!]

This is my all time most favorite instructable! It's amazingly simple in design but oh so extremely effective! I built one from your plans a year ago and it works amazingly! Thanks so much for sharing this on the site!

[GmanM]

Wow.. I am surprised to see this thread still er...steaming along.
It is a good place to start on a wi-fi extender project, with many more different examples shown at  http://redirectingat.com/?id=487X782&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz%2F .

The problem I found with this particular setup is the hard mounting of the USB cable, which is not only unnecessary, but also may be placing the USB adapter out of the parabolic "hot-spot".
A quick and easy way to find the hot-spot is to cut a piece of paper to the curve of the dish, then take it outside and point it at the sun. The focused sunlight will show the parabolic hot-spot of that dish. (there is also a mathematical method to calculate the hot-spot at the orcon.net.nz site above)

I think it may have been more advantageous for this project to have hard mounted a piece of plastic tubing of the apporopriate diameter to allow the USB adapter and cable to snuggly slide in or out to adjust reception. 
This technique also would allow for further experiments with the same cable and adapter using other types of dishes.

Some photos and directions for the making of my variation of the (portable) wi-fi steamer can be seen in the comments at http://www.instructables.com/id/usb-wifi-antenna/?&sort=NEWEST&limit=50&offset=100  (October 12 2006).
I found that the five foot cable attached to the base of the USB adapter, could not only be removed from the base, but it was made at a 90 degree angle to the cable which meant that drilling out the steamer was unnecessary. As luck would have it, I found that the tip of the USB adapter was perfectly matched to the hot-spot. (beginners luck) All I needed to do was zip-tie the USB adapter and cable to the steamer and it was good to go, and totally portable. I even fashioned a spring tension coat-hanger base which held it open and allowed it to sit-up straight. (if I hung the steamer with a hook from its top, the petals stayed open by gravity)

When hung from the raingutter outside of my window, depending on which direction it faced the setup worked well enough to receive 17 to 20 wi-fi networks in my neighborhood, several of which were not password protected. I suppose that if it were mounted to a pole extending above the roof which could be rotated, I would receive many many more networks.
I had similar results in Bangkok, and elsewhere on the road. Just remember that your reception is always based on line of site.

As I said, this project by tm36usa is a good starter, and from there you will find other useful dishes/strainers/steamers/reflectors etc to play with.
I found a clamp-on work light with an aluminum reflector which works awesome for extending the reception of my home wi-fi network from three bars (very good), to five bars (excellent). This is through several walls and a distance of about 60 feet from the network router.

The veggie steamer has moved-on to its next job, as base station for my cell phone. My cell phone reception inside my home has always been terrible, one to two bars at best.
I mounted a piece of a coat hanger with a loop at its end to the center post of the steamer, and hung the steamer on the wall facing my window. Then, I hung the phone by its antenna from the wire loop and presto, four out of four bars reception! If I get a call, as long as I am in front of the dish the phone works great.
The nice thing is that if I take a trip, I can re-rig the steamer for wi-fi duty in about five minutes.
So again, if you want to do this project, think about hard mounting a piece of plastic tubing to the steamer instead of the female USB cable end, and you will likely find you can use the same tube/cable/USB adapter combination with other types of parabolic dishes too.
Have fun experimenting.
Thanks again tm36usa for this instructable, and thanks again Manuka for the great ideas at the orcon.net.nz. site.

Cheers
GM

[Splash Wounds]

would using a antenna rotator with this? (I don't know what they are called exactly, we just called them rotors.)

[GmanM]

Sorry Splash Wounds for the delay, Yes, an antenna rotator would have worked well for tuning puposes. However, my experiments were strictly to test the theory, and not intended to be a permanent fixture meant to leech internet service from my neighbors. Having a dish of some sort mounted on a pole is not exactly invisible, not to mention that your traffic may show up in a temp file of some sort on their computer. It is also known that many people who leave their wireless networks unprotected may be like spiders in a web preying on unsuspecting borrowers of their wifi signal, be careful as far as personal information. One of the things I liked about the veggie strainer was its portability. There are places where you may be legally using a wifi hotspot where the dish can significantly improve signal strength, because it can be aimed. I bet if you were in a city environment and you were to go up on the roof of a tall building, you would be amazed at how many wireless networks you would see listed, dozens and dozens, even if most were password protected, I would imagine you could find a few which were not. To extend the range of my wifi at home, I prefer to use a clamp-on worklight with an aluminum reflector (the one with the dark brown plastic light fixture body, not the metal body). All you do is remove the light socket by unscrewing the retainer on the inside of the reflector, pull the socket out and unscrew the wires, and then unscrew the back side of the plastic light-socket body. What remains is the part of the socket body the clamp is attached to. Roll up the female end of your USB wifi adapter cable inside some cardboard, or a plastic tube which fits the socket body snuggly, and then slide it into the socket body. Take the reflector outside with a piece of paper, aim it at the sun and hold the paper inside the center of the dish. The sunlight focused inside of the dish should light up the "hotspot" of that particular dish shape on the piece of paper, and that is the spot you want the last inch or so of your USB wifi adapter to be positioned. http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/578207030moEJRC Attach the USB adapter to the female end of the USB cable which is at the end of the rolled up cardboard or plastic tube, and slide the rolled up carboard in or out of the light-socket body to position the USB adapter in the hotspot and Bob's yer uncle. Should take all of 20 minutes maximum to assemble. Not quite as portable as the veggie strainer, but should work very nicely nonetheless. Cheers GmanM

[Planet_Jeroen]

I have seen a lot of antennas that are supposed to be easy to build etc. etc.

This is still the ultimate winner for both simplicity and gain: www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html

[Asmodeous]

This did nothing for my network.

[Planet_Jeroen]

It enables me to use internet through 4 concrete walls and boosts the 5Mbps connection to across the street to 54Mbps here. I did make it on A3 sized paper tho (twice the original size) and used quite a few layers of foil.

[Kryptonite]

This looks similar...
www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/

[guineapig101]

anyone know if this works for traveling with a notebook?

[WIFIENGINEER]

The vege strainer might make a good hollywood prop for agent 007, but
like most attempts at a dish antenna, this one also does not have the adapter positioned at the focal point

You can easily calculate the focal point of any parabolic as follows

Focal point =the square of the diameter divided by the depth of the dish.

 

[thedorment]

I made one and it works great i used a gps suction mount to put it on my window instead of the roof
just modified the plastic a little and used zip ties

[sn00ze]

 this site has a focal point calculator. its important to get the USB adapter close to the dishes (cookware) focal point.
UrbanWireless.info

[kea]

Yep. You must get the focal point right. Using 2 Chinese woks about 400 mm diameter extends the range, to 9 km to an island just off shore.
Works great, except rain & fog effect it. Some times the signal drops out in these conditions though not always.
cheers kiwi john.

[sn00ze]

 9km !
nice work.

[pljm]

 This seems as if it works pretty well. I was wondering whether or not you could use the usb adapter on a ps3? My ps3 has very low internet connection and could easily use a bit of boosting

[Lance Mt.]

 I'm going to say no. 

[akonichi]

how can i use this if i am using a laptop with a built-in wifi adapter (i.e., i  do not need a usb wi-fi adapter)?  the signal I get from my room is only one or two bars (maximum is five bars). please help me. thanks in advance.

[geno8]

Where would I buy the strainer/steamer, like the one the photo????

[capt.tagon]

Any kitchen supply or department store with a large kitchen section will have these.

[ninjadizzle]

Hey, i already have a wifi adapter IN my laptop. If i attached this via usb, would it bipass it?

[ferny_dx]

all you would have to do is disable the one in your laptop, its either a manual switch in front of the laptop or go to
Win XP:
Start>Connect To>Network connections, then find the one that your laptop is currently using, right click and click disable disable

Win Vista: (also works on XP)
Start>RIGHT CLICK Computer>Manage

Computer manager should come up on the list on the left, choose device manager, then go to the list on the right, and click on the + sign on network adapters, RIGHT click on the WiFi adapter and click disable,

and thats it!

[ninjadizzle]

cool. i have the switch on the front....yet another of those 'why didn't i think of that' moments.

thanks

[ferny_dx]

you're welcome!

[LiquidExplosion]

If you have aluminum blinds or blinds made out of metal, just put your wireless USB antenna behind it and make sure they are closed. Find out where the strongest signal comes from and use that Blind. I have this set up downstairs using a laptop as a Bridge going to a PS3. Works awesome with internet and gaming. Upstairs I have the setup you see here with 3 USB chords together going all the way to my Master Bath. Signal isnt as strong because of the lenght of wire but, it does what its supposed to do, get internet. Oh and I have another PS3 upstairs in that bedroom so, my Girl and I can play online against each other. Hopefully I save some of you a few dollars.

[pedla]

Your girlfriend is upstairs in the bedroom and you are in a seperate room playing Inet games with her? Does that mean this age of geeks will be the last? or is there a world of virtual children about to descend upon us?

[randy82k]

You could use a stick of two part epoxy puddy  which is sold in hardware stores for plumbing and other repairs. Just cut off as much as you need and apply around cable and strainer. gets hard quite fast 30 min or so.

[static]

Sometime back the crew at ww.amateutlogic.tv constructed a "cantenna" in a similar fashion. The principal is the same place the donfle's antenns whhere the antenna would be placed in a con conventional wave guide or a reflector.

[covrt1]

I made one of these today and went from 43% to 96%... What a great idea. Thanks!

[james.mcglashan]

flashback -  this was the first instructable i had ever seen and i have been on this site ever since hehe gr 3 now im in gr 6 and going to highschool soon yay cant wait..

[XOIIO]

You aren't very close to being in high school if you are in grade 6. Wait until you are in grade 8 to say that.

[Questor]

out here 7th grade is your first year of "High School", not back in my day, bit it is noe!

[james.mcglashan]

hehe in the year this was published

[marmara34]

 The idea is great. I also think that you will get rid of radiation a little bit more if you place it far from your PC.

I am going to try to make similar one.

All the best

[gemtree]

Ok, don't laugh at me please. I am not a tech at all. But I am mechanically inclined. So, I have a very long house I am living in. My electric outlets in the middle of the house are ungrounded and I lost two computers before I figured it out that they were killing my equipment from being ungrounded. So I have my puter on one (grounded) end of the house and a guest (grounded) bedroom allll the way on the other end of the house.

I can't get wireless signal way over at the other end of the house from my wireless router when I am now safely grounded. Will this antenna pick my wireless signal up thru the walls of the house? I get little to no signal at the opposite end of the house from my router now. I can't plug into any closer plugs to get a better signal due to open grounds on electric plugs and lack of privacy/space.

[degrove]

Does anyone know how to make this for an xbox 360 connection and having Comcast as your cable company.. i wouldnt have a good signal just using the ethernet cable and my laptop..Thanks in advance

[purplemutant]

I tried this a while back. It's not that good. The veggie steamer isn't parabolic. A wok or a spider (Chinese cookware to lift stuff out of hot oil), work well since those are both parabolic. Google USB wifi antenna and look for a site from New Zealand. That has TONS of info.

Wave guide antennas (cantennas) also work great. Jefa tech sells the N connector with the small length of copper wire already soldered to it. So you can save your self the hassle of soldering. All you need to do is find a cantenna calculator so you know where to drill the hole in the can. Then mount the N connector to the can. You then hook up a pig tail (the shorter the better) to the N connector and the antenna connector on your wifi device. If you goggle cantenna you can find tons of info.

[deathnote_213]

do you think it will work in a wifi router if i use it as an antenna because my father has a pc on his office inside our lot and it is to far from the house 
can i use this as an wifi extender
??

[Servando Moreno13]

Hello u wont mind if i use your ideas for my science project if you let me i am wondering how do you mostly do that

[tyride]

Is it possible to use something solid like a metal bowl as the dish? Or does it have to have holes like a strainer.

[sn00ze]

 it can be a solid bowl with no holes. TV dish/sat dish can be solid.
eg:
urbanwireless.info/index.php/antennas/dish-with-biquad-feed

[Splortched]

I tried this tut awhile back, but I'm not satisfied with the results. The signal boost is really minimal compared to some of the other antenna designs here.

[mhel_mcs]

hi I'm newbee here, I just want to know if how long is the range that can recieved by this antenna? and can this be used to get the signal coming from my neigbhors house?

[Kryptonite]

There are no specifics for this, depending upon your usb, where you are and alot of other things like that, the range can change by a vast number. Usually you would be able to use your neighbour's signal without this, but it would be better with the antenna.

[tyride]

Is it possible to use something solid like a metal bowl as the dish? Or does it have to have holes like a strainer.

[Kryptonite]

The holes are not necessary, this is just projecting wifi signals into the usb, creating a stronger connecting, so yes, a metal parabola would work.

[thepaul1993]

In the last photo it looks like you are using a long USB cable (5M??), did you need a external power booster for this?

[MediocreNinja]

 Lol, great idea. Just dont know how practical it is to carry it around, but I guess its good for a docking station at home. And why were you on the roof? Lol, got a whole little set-up there don't you?

[sn00ze]

For best performance its important to get the antenna of the USB wifi adaptor in the focal point of the dish.
This page helped me find the sweet spot.
UrbanWireless.info

[mariandl]

Thanks for this tip. It really gave it the final boost once I put the adapter into the focal point of the dish. This antenna totally worked for me trying to pick up the signal from the main house 150 yards away. I'm now from a crappy, intermittent 'Very Low' 5.5Mbps connection up to a steady 'Low' 48Mbps. Life is good.

[sn00ze]

no problem.
really efficient directional antennas can be made with a TV satellite dishes, but this can be more complicated
urbanwireless.info/index.php/antennas/dish-with-biquad-feed

[XOIIO]

You could even do this for house-wide bluetooth!

[manuka]

Well shown sir!  Yes- these certainly work OK, but improved performance arises with deeper & wider reflectors, although these are bulky & less convenient  for field work.  Check  www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz  for assorted "WokFi" ideas developed by some mad Kiwis back in 2004.

[XOIIO]

Yeah about your site...

[jimmiejames]

ty 4 the idea.. i made this out of the same products and only cost me 30 bills
and  its really works...receive 20 sites so far ,wifi is so much faster! put a small
servo motor on it and u can scan all over the place~

[alamokidd]

first of all i want to thank you, this worked perfectly. i went from one unuseable signal, to about 10. And now i get free wifi. now if we could figure out how to tether it to another pc withput losing signal strength and using a long usb cord. People keep asking me where i bought this when i take it to the park, they all want one. lol.

[tupacshakur1016]

the best thing that ever happened to me was reading this instructable... masters of the game... when i first thought.. no way that it can happen.. but i juz try it.. theres no harm in trying..it happened to work amazingly from LOW signals.. it raises my signals up to the very maximum.. i got VERY GOOD signals across the neighborhood w/thin 4 to six blocks.. w/the aluminum strainer.... now im planning to buy a satellite dish for future usage.. the bigger the baddest.. thnx and more power instructable masters and gurus

[LiquidExplosion]

[Nimrod97]

Alright, here goes. Before I give up my results (as I have already tried this), I want some feedback. Will this work with a USB modem (aircard)??? I work at RadioShack and a co worker made this for his Wifi. He said it increased connectivity from 50% to 72% and he picked up 6+ routers that his comp never saw before so I thought maybe I could increase my signal stregnth so I made it and have seen what it does. Has anyone else done this or does anyone have any theories? Thanks for any feedback.

Bill

[LiquidExplosion]

[The Legendary Samurai]

holy cow... this actually works... as i sat here and read this i looked over to my wifi adapter hanging from the window and said "im gonna try it..." i remember seeing one of the steamer things but i couldn't find it... so i found a deep fry basket looking thing about the size of a basketball, found a pair of metal snips and cut a small flap in it... i stuck the cable through it and bent the flaps down cause i didnt want to wait for glue to dry.. and i almost have perfect signal now... i've been looking for something to help get my neighbors wifi and here it is... THANKS!!!!.

[frostyhog]

This does it too..... it's exactly what I wanted it for..... www.wifi-x-tender.com

[sanderson111]

Try using a concave metal strainer mesh it gets about 2.5 times stronger signal then this method. As the mesh soacing just so happens to be to the right spacing between each neiboring mesh hole for the 2.4 GHz freq. range. Actually I have a friend who was able to get over 4 miles with the mesh. Even better for people is get a hold of a Sat. dish the bigger the better. Play with the USB moving it away from the center point and focus the dish outwards towards the city. I know two people who are sharing internet access across the bay one living up the side of a hill about 17 miles away. And also picking up WIFI's from almost 30 miles away. Don't get caught as it is not legal. Also just so you know some USB software drivers will give you an error as you will pickup more then 255 WIfi's with this method and some software drivers crash I would presume because of a 255 limit?

[maneter112]

its not illegal in the USA if you are from some where else and if ur from here its illegal only if it is a protected network

[bsclark6804]

If I may ask, where did you find your "concave metal strainer mesh"? Also, what is the correct spacing between mesh holes for the 2.4GHz frequency? Thanks

[Kerry.Lord]

Do you have a picture of a "concave metal strainer mesh "? What size? Thanks

[vishaldm]

there is an internal antenna for my linksys wrt54g2 wifi router. please help if there are similar cheap solutions to range extending problem. i am unable to use wifi in my room. please help

[frostyhog]

try www.fifi-x-tender.com

[frostyhog]

HAHahHAHA let's try that again WWW.WIFI-X-TENDER.COM I had the same problem... this fixed it for me... I went from having no AP's to having 7 to choose from.

[technocrat]

Unfortunately the wrt-54G2 has two internal tiny tin 1/4 (or less) wave antennas and no external antenna jacks. While it is possible to mod the 54g2 . It requires quit a bit more work than simply running the fragile internal coax to a new antenna jack. It's common for many to mix up the "wrt-54g V2", and "wrt-54g2 v1". The confusion is understandable. However that also means no one has a commercial antenna for a 54g2. Also. I have yet to find any other homemade mods for the 54g2 , The 54G2 has some rather serious problems with its transceiver.

[beanzorela]

Try this. You could try on both your router and wireless card.

[beanzorela]

http://www.instructables.com/id/WIFI-Antenna-Hack!/

[Wasagi]

Is your wifi adapter plugged in via USB?

[technocrat]

Good design idea. I used one of those metal telescoping drinking (survival) cups as the parabolic. Works great.

[Basement Geek]

Be Rather careful when you do this, i bent mine and it is really hard to modify when the leaves keep falling off. I recommend that you drill the steamer\strainer from the back so as not to bend the plate holding the leaves on.

[H3xx]

A can of some kind would give you a stable base, so as not to bend the petals or back plate.

[laxman735]

what exactly does the strainer do?

[H3xx]

It communicates with the mother-ship! ;) In all seriousness, though, it acts as a waveguide and reflects all of the adapter's waves in a single direction, therefore increasing its range. The drawback is that you have to "aim" it to get a signal.

[H3xx]

And using a strainer like this makes it a bit more portable as it can collapse on top of itself. The tripod is a nice touch in my opinion.

[Cfreeburn]

Hi, first off thanks for the great idea. I was thinking of a way to improve on this but do not know if it is possible. 1. the advantage of wireless is just that, wireless. one can scamper around their house cordless as can be. Problem: this method establishes the connection however is restricting on the "scamper" factor. Solution: there may possibly be a way to not only pick up a connection, but to direct it to a personal wireless router within the home and therefore enjoy the freedom of wireless roaming. Any thought?

[H3xx]

use a coax wired antenna from your wireless router and point it to the connection you want. as most routers have more than one antenna, you can simply use the remaining ones to broadcast your long connection through out the house. simple as pie.

[Liam Wolf]

Would this, in theory, also work for bluetooth adapters?

[H3xx]

I don't see why it wouldn't. it works for a cell phone tethering system. its just a wave guide, and should work with any kind of waves.

[rntonp]

I wonder how well one of those heavy gauge steel Woks would work. Damn, I hope my wife didn't throw it away! I also noticed someone asked about "weatherproofing" components/connections for temp use outside.... I just thought of this rubberized spray coating I saw at Home Depot or Lowe's recently next to the spray paints. You can just spray and you get a layer of pliable rubber after drying. The more coats, the thicker. They also sell small cans of it and remember it having an image of dipping the end of a crescent wrench to form a rubberized handle, for example. I wonder if the rubber coating would interfere with reception if I spray coated a Wok? And, just for information purposes, I don't "dipping" anything such as a body part would protect from STDs. /Heh Heh.....

[Devil_Dog]

Lowes...in the Electrical Hardware isle....has Liquid Electrical Tape. It works GR8! FYI....it probably wouldn't protect against the STDs from the women I associate with.

[rntonp]

Hoorah................... Got that right Sir!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[colajet]

I have tried it and it works. It is a good idea for increasing the wifi signal. Does Somebody know how to increase more the signal with a USB Wireless adaptor? Thanks.

[triggernum5]

huh? Thats what this is..

[colajet]

I mean that once you have built it, I want to know if somebody knows the way to increase more the signal of this antenna. Thanks, (Sorry: the English Language is not my first language)

[Phoghat]

You could find or build a bigger reflector. Some have used small Dish satellite antennas. Anything that is parabolic and you can determine the focus point.

[paqrat]

How does one determine the focus point? I apologize if this has already been mentioned . To find the steamer or collanders someone might try their neighborhood thrift store. Goodwill or Salvation Army has had both and if they are more than $1.00 I'd be very surprised.

[triggernum5]

Basic parabola math..
http://www.downeastmicrowave.com/PDF/dishfp.PDF

[triggernum5]

The really old solid aluminum ones would be sweet!, but I don't know about the mesh ones because of frequency/wavelength.. But I could be wrong, I'm not even sure what band satellite signals are in.. I always assumed a few MHz.. Small solid dishes are actually feasible I suppose, and the pickups will already be at the focal point.. Actually, the dish perfection might even be a problem.. It will be pretty perfectly focusing all signal right at the focal point, so if your pickup isn't aligned properly you'll get virtually no signal.. Another thing that could work, is that giant parabolic mirror array, that some enthusiat engineer built for the MythBusters to test Archimedes Death Ray..:)

[triggernum5]

Perfection, size, and material in accordance to the math I mentioned.. But it would take some pretty hardcore diy skills to build a perfect 10 footer..

[H3xx]

just find someone with an old school satellite dish in the back yard. 10 - 12 feet is the norm, and fiber glass is common. offer to take it off their hands and most likely they'll oblige.

[zoltzerino]

I made one of these, just with aluminium foil in the shape of a dish, worked well. If you put one around the sending and recieving ends and point them together it should work better.

[beauwalker23]

Okay, my computer has built in wifi, so will this work anyway if i use a USB stick?

[kaarapuzz]

Have a question. I got two kind of Strainer/Steamer, one made from Stainless steel another one from Aluminium, witch could be better to use? thx :]

[hdez94]

it will be better to use aluminium:)

[KalynSS999]

Aluminum I would assume seeing as most antennas are made of Aluminum. I tried this instructable with a Stainless Steel Strainer and it didn't work, so I'm going to retry with an Aluminum one.

[ken247113]

would it be ok to glue down the usb adapter insted of the cable to make it more portable? that way you can just plug it in

[hot15236]

how far will this thing pick up wifi

[flipper133]

I had it coming... With my zero kitchen experience, I stopped by the local homeware store only to get overwhelmed by a choice of 3-4 types of strainers... (by type I mean the proportions between the flat-middle round surface and the concave metal leaves surrounding it). I was sure I was getting one with dimensions similar to that in tm36usa's photos. Boy was I wrong... I wonder if any of the radio/signal folks in on this project could give us an idea of the reflector dimensions we are aspiring to, i.e. those that should give the best gain, given the frequency used by wi-fi (is this 2.4 ghz?). Thanks a lot in advance, Flipper

[chicho187]

nice, easy and creative, good work

[coneliu]

Great News!! You will not believe this idea until you try it out yourself. I have this Broadband 3G USB Dongle. I never get good signal. Best was 3 bar and the download is never better. I look into this idea and I went to buy a steamer. I did according to what is being told here. GUESS WHAT!! IT WORKS! My broadband signal hit to 5 bar, putting at the same location, some more, download speed was only 5KB/sec now boost till at least 120KB/sec. This is really helpful. Thanks!!

[fareweahtersmile]

do you think this would work if i was using the xbox 360 wirless network adaptor instead of the usb wifi adaptor in the center of the dish?

[mayday295]

possibly, but i think if you just want a solid better connection, and still keep everything tidy, try this one: http://www.instructables.com/id/WIFI-Antenna-Hack!/

[birdofmanycolors]

first let me say i am a dumbass. i got this thing from sprint, plugs into the usb and it has alil flippy cell atn thingy? is that the same thing a what i see in the pics?

[klynt69]

No the thing you got from sprint connects you to a cellular network. the thing in the pics is a general wifi adapter. it connects to networks setup by individuals or businesses that have wifi routers. Like at your neighbors house or at the starbucks across the street. The thing you have gets its signal from the same tower that your cell phone connects to. The antenna should work for you too though. You'd think you wouldn't need an antenna for the sprint net connect but ift is worth the effort to find out.. The antenna is really easy to make. theres no electrical connections/no soldering.

[Eduiño]

Why I cant take the metal ears with my own hands?

[jgoo]

what about lightning protection? is there an in line surge protector with usb ports out there?

[bgmiller]

You can also make a similar device using a Dish Network / Directv dish, you mount the wi-fi adapter on the receiver area pointing toward the dish and connect with a usb extention cable in the same manner.

[natethegreat88]

I was thinking of doing this to use it to get Xbox Live instead of paying $100 for a USB adapter. Do you think this would work?

[bullyork]

NO!!, i tried that and the xbox has to use the microsft live adapter for some reason. it wouldnt work and i wasted like $35 dollars on one of those things. look on ebay for one of the old original xbox wireless adapters, there usually cheaper and dont take up a usb plug, they use an external powersupply and the plug into the ethernet port. hope it works for ya

[natethegreat88]

Well thanks for the heads up. And maybe ill buy the original adapter or just buy the $100 adapter.

[rogueydog]

I haven't tried this instructable yet, but is it possible to get more range if you created a fractal antenna? I'm not much of a "geek" at all, and by no means mathematically or scientifically inclined, but I love to learn and try to utilise different ideas. I really like the fact that this instructable was simple, to-the-point, and not too technical.

[JuCo]

this's so perfect. i used to steal my mom's when i was a kid and imagine that it was a portable satellite dish.

[Renagade]

dude, I thought the same thing XD, and now, it basically is one

[gballa50]

is this compatible with macs?

[force9000]

as long as the USB wifi adapter is

[Phoghat]

JEEEEEZUS! You Mac guys are supposed to be smart.

[klynt69]

Where did you hear mac people are supposed to be smart. I thought the whole reason people get macs is because they don't want to think. They are all "Macs are so easy to use and you don't have to learn how to use a computer to use a mac." Everything is all automatic, most people don't know how to open a console and even less know what to do with it.

[Rigormortor]

You must have never touched a MAC in your life. Macs are not easier to use, they are not as user friendly. I swithed to a MAC a few years ago.  They are good computers and as long as the USB wifi stick is MAC compatible it will work.

[Phoghat]

Because Apple's OS is based on Unix which is supposed to be MORE SECURE Geeks in general prefer Apple. NOT for ease of use as you say. The EASY part is pablum for the masses to increase sales which you seem to be slurping up for breakfast.. That being said, my name is Phoghat, and I'm a PC. Of course I'm running Ubuntu .

[Th33w0krap15t]

Ive never heard of true geeks using Macs, why own a computer if you cant rework it every 2 years and add cold cathodes and extra fans and whatnot? Besides, real geeks dont need secure OS's because they know how to get around it. I do duel OS between college and home and I have to say Id even take Vista over OSX.

[bobbytwotwo]

Actually all of the my geek buddies and I use Macs, we just play around in Darwin (Unix) and install various forms of Linux on them. True geeks don't use iMacs, or for that matter any kind of all in one as it is not possible to open them up and mess around. I have a G4 tower, and am saving for a Mac Pro. There is very little in the way of the original guts in my old G4, except the motherboard itself. I suspect most true PC geeks have some form of Linux on their boxes as well.

[Phoghat]

Not to mention just about every CGI company because the Mac handles video and image editing, I've even heard that Micro$hit uses macs for designing GUI's

[triggernum5]

It has nothing to do with platform.. You're just focusing more signal power at the antenna.. Its not unlike how a concave mirror focuses light to a hotspot..

[benz_z]

i wonder if i could do this to my touch my wifi doesnt work in all the rooms in my house

[octavian234]

I was thinking about building a huge dish for my usb wifi dongle. i was thinking about making it out of aluminim foil its goin to be 3 feet wide. to get the best signal how curved should i make it? I need to make the aluminum foil as unwrinkled as possible right? If i do build this will it make a dramatic increase in my signal strength

[lukkbox]

you dont need a biggie mate i improved my dongles reception from 10% (kept losing connection) upto 70% using just a 10" x 8" peice of card and some tinfoil bent into a parabola if you want ill send oyu some pics or might just do my first instructable this way i can fold it into my laptop bag and take it with me anywhere, it folds flat, then just takes 3 seconds to put it back in shape

[benz_z]

my friend even used a tomato tin

[rocketman221]

Ive got an old satellite dish, would that work?

[slinger14]

yes it should work just put the adapter on the receiver and the dish should face toward the source for best reception

[firefoxx298]

Has anyone tried waterproofing this? i.e. using hot glue to seal all of the ports, so it ccan sit outside for a little while and survive some moisture?

[rocketman221]

find a mold that will fit the usb adapter and plug, suspend the adapter and plug in the mold, and fill it with casting epoxy, let that set for 3 days and you should have a nice block with everything sealed inside.

[lukkbox]

if you slide a plastic pill bottle over the dongle then close it off with some insulating tape its then ready for all weathers the plastic wont interfere with the reception hope this helps

[stranoster]

Whack a baby bottle over the wifi dongle. It should keep it waterproof, and the wire itself is anyway.

[VIPER000]

someone plz help me!! i am "borrowing" internet from my neighbors but i have to be in a certain place so i can catch their network. this idea seems to be a good one so i tried it, but i made my own USB extention but i think the wire was too long. my laptop identified it as USB malfunction any ideas what i should do? plz reply fast thnx

[rocketman221]

the wire is probably too long, not properly shielded, or both. and make sure any splices in the wires are properly soldered together.

[lukkbox]

first, apologise to your neighbour then ask politely if you can use his network (consider a small bribe)

[davolc]

I had the same problem too, The problem its the cable, try to use a High Speed USB 2.0 cable, make sure its written on the usb cable, because i tested in both cables and it only works on High Speed USB 2.0 cable and my adapter works on USB 1.1 ans 2.0 but 2.0 its better.

[splatterpaintballer]

I've tried to make my own usb extensions before too. The most likely problem is that there is a short somewhere. Check all of your soldering connections and wires.

[eyestrain13]

There must be something wrong the USB Wireless adapter. Otherwise your laptop would have detected it.

[Mexican Amigo]

Someone has to answer this question! If I do this, and attach the usb to my xbox 360 will I be able to play xbox live with no lag what-so-ever?

[bFusion]

This wouldn't make it any faster, really. It would just make it so you don't lose signal as often.

[TorinMiasma]

Probably not.

[Splortched]

I tried this and it didn't work too well. It was very clunky, painful, hard to do... and most of all didn't give me significant wifi increase! I'm getting much better use out of a large baking tray...

[unbentcrayfish]

now can you make a transmitter for the wifi?

[lukkbox]

nice most laptops have their wifi aerial in the base, where they are susceptable to all kindsa interference from the other components IBM's put their aerial behind the screen for better sending/receiving my two other laptops pick up 3 wifi signals from here My thinkpad picks up 16! nuff said

[Fasteners]

but how will i steam my vegetables?

[lukkbox]

dont cook vegetables you lose 90% the vitamins :D

[junits15]

where can i get one of those usb wifi adapters?

[pitty]

http://www.dealextreme.com/details.dx/sku.13821~r.40929620

[junits15]

thanks!

[kittesvsr71]

Hello, I just signed up a few minutes ago, and I just came across this and decided to try it out myself. I am testing it with a dell dimension desktop and have a 10ft USB 2.0 extension cable and have it hooked to a Linksys wireless N adapter WUSB300N. Before I built all this I tried the adapter straight to my USB connections on my desktop without the extension cable. However when I had it hooked up to the USB connectors on the desktop I could only pick up one or two nearby wireless networks. After doing this Instructable as it was shown how to be built, I have not gained any other wireless networks. So what did I do wrong? Does this not work with a Wireless N adapter? ALL help is GREATLY Appreciated Thanks and Great to be a part of this site! Jeff

[astro boy]

there may only be 2 net works in range and you have to swivil the dish like a radar because all it dose is direct the signal to one direction

[pazsion]

Regarding weither you should turn off your internal wifi.. no.. you will have more bandwidth and stronger signal with more wifi adapters. Tho your internal one may not have good cooling. And may heatup various components tied into it.. turn it off if things improve keep it off.. if it's 802.11g its going to be 54mbs max tho my linksys, with original drivers, topped out at 115+ mbps.. Turn it on. test your internet bandwidth.. speedtest.net or whatismyip.com are god sites i've used to test my connection changes.. 1 wifi 54mbps plus 2 100mb nic's full-duplex i get consistent d/l 25mb/s and u/l 2,5mbs Of course u are limited by the source speeds set by your provider, And if they allow multiple connections from the same ip ranges.. Another perk with wifi, is you can workaround that limitation with wifi, by connecting to other networks that dont go through your router.. But this is pointless if the signal is not as strong or stronger then yours..

[lugwrench]

If you do want to fold this for transport ( I thought thats why you would use a folding collander?) you can use the twist ties that come on bread or food storage bags.

[uninstructed]

looks like a cool device but let me ask, if I make the strainer larger would the wifi pick up be more powerful? if yes up to approximately how big can i make the metal until it reaches maximum pick up?

[viper29]

Wasss Uppp all. Im going to build this dish for my laptop. and I was wondering if a regular strainer would work or if it had to be the collapsible one, and if so were could I find the collapsible strainer I tryed my local walmart and all they carry are the regular ones. Thanks for the help

[Sunkicked]

You might find this more useful:
Colander Antenna

Good luck!
-Sunkicked

[Sunkicked]

While I haven't seen the results that some have reported, I did notice a good increase in signal strength and Mbps with this project. Prior to this hack I was getting a paltry 45% signal strength and an average Mbps of about 49. After hijacking the steamer and applying some elbow grease and hot glue I'm getting a mediocre (don't laugh, it's a big jump) 65% signal strength (20% increase) and an average Mbps of 54 (right around a 10% increase). I think if I get some USB extensions and reposition the antenna I can achieve a greater increase, but until then I'm fairly happy with the results. Thanks!

[mowie]

will this pick up wifi from around 400-600 meters away?

[jdmike13]

anyway i can use this on my xbox?

[neemo6]

Is there anyway to feed the wifi signals that are picked up by this antenna directly into a router?

[thedrifter]

This looks like just what I need to pick up those weak truck stop WiFi signals but I'm still kinda new to this WiFi thing. I just want to make sure I understand this correctly: I have a Dell laptop with a built in wireless card. If I understand correctly, all I have to do is build this setup, disable my internal card and plug the USB cable in. Then the wireless adapter in the "dish" takes the place of my internal wireless card, right? Can anyone confirm if I'm on the right track here?

[bikerbob2005]

yes that is the idea , my dell laptop has a pci card for wifi ,at times it wont find anything so i have a belkin usb thumb and a 4 foot cord in kit bag some times it will grab the signal better . I am working on a dish for the belkin now ,I have the tripod and mount done next is the dish part . BTW war driving now from across the road might be 150 ft my sig stinks tommorow hope its better

[Phoghat]

Abso-Frackin-Lutely. I'm doing it myself, works fine.

[canalcop]

Correct, Try to visualise the radio waves for the Wi-Fi as being like the light from a torch. If you want the light to travel further you have to focus it more tightly (so you sacrifice range for coverage area). This also works in reverse as it helps to "collect" the signal and focus it on the antenna when we are receiving. Like the light beam the placement of the usb adapter (the bulb)within the reflector will have an effect so some experimentation will be needed to find the "sweet spot" that gives the most output and finally like the torch we get no light out the back so our antenna is now "directional" and must point twoards the target we want to reach. Most wifi adapters have a piece of software that lets you monitor the signal strength and you can use this (with the aid of a friend) to make your adjustments. Because we now have a directional antenna it is not possible to send signals in "front" and "behind" us simultaneously.

[gup1936]

"disable internal card" I have laptop with switch for wireless, rather than disabling same could you (in my case) just turn the switch off?

[canalcop]

It depends. On some laptops the disable button only turns off the RF output it doesn't "disable" the rest of the cards functionality. On my laptop I disable the RF out and when I plug in the USB adapter it defaults to the USB connection

[spartan 117]

madman thats exactly what iwas wondering,if u put a password on the link so knowone else picks it up it should put out a signal as if u were plugged in directly

[themadman]

would this principle work if i did the same sort of thing with the router, and would i still get a signal over a mile away? and which would work better, a satellite dish or one of those antennas for analog tv? i would have thoughts that the satellite dish would focus the signal better, possibly increasing the strength of it

[Yerboogieman]

good idea, it would work, but what about integrated WIFI Laptops? how would you do that? i cant find that anywhere

[Phoghat]

If your laptop has integrated WIFI just disable it and install software from the USB stick. I have a newish Compaq with B/G and added an N USB adapter works fine. On my laptop all I have to do is flip a switch but if you don';t have one it usually can be disabled through Control Panel. Happy Hunting

[Yerboogieman]

i dont have a USB stick, and.....dont wanna buy one. but i dont use that laptop anymore, i got a new one, and have this card that fits in this big slot one the side

[bigren]

USB dongle is better than a net work card.

[Yerboogieman]

who cares. it works.

[Phoghat]

This site has WIFI range Tech For Lessextenders. What you do is set up the unit and plug it into mains. It will pick up signal, strengthen it and re-broadcast to your card.

[xjessie007]

Hi, this is awesome idea and I love the design of it! On the other hand, if we calculate the cost: $20 for the dongle, $10 for the dish, $5 for the cable, then several hrs of time. I just purchased Hawking Dish USB antenna on Amazon for $50 which works probably as good as this. So, unless you really want to do this for fun, I do not think it is economically better than just purchasing it online. Just a thought..

Btw, sticking the dongle in the middle of a 12" airconditioning duct works well too. :)

--
http://www.maxi-pedia.com

[Robertofromitaly]

Davvero bella e pratica, complimenti!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

[veryfitartist]

I did build this and unsure if actually working. here's some facts> Del laptop XP already wlan internal wifi. I pick up default only. with this new device external I pick up many routers outside with new 54 mbps. But, curious...do I rid wlan inside laptop? Or just turn that wifi off? I do NOT have internet connection for few weeks. I rely on wifi but the only enabled is default. Yes a 10' wifi USB cable, strainer and wifi adapter connected. The wlan internal wifi reads 54Mbps. the list on the new adapter reads various speeds from 2% to 50% and I read Bell at 60%. How can default be 2% on the new self built while my Wlan is always picking default 54Mbps? Should I invest in a 108Mbps wifi adapter? There are also obstacles front of my balcany like other high rises and trees but I'm also on second floor. Any other ideas appreciated or I need to figure the other system which I admit only half understand. Wireless G X7 (booster mode) 54Mbps with docking cradle. Package also came with cd for downloading this which I did. Richard

[bigren]

you have to have to go to manage network connections and disable the internal adapter the your good

[veryfitartist]

BTW, I forgot to post this is more for test. Please feel free to view my site has absolutely nothing to do with wifi and tinkering yet is ironically part of my interests. U can't email bacause site is off(as previously mentioned) NO internet connection. site is there for now. www3.sympatico.ca/richard.dominick I wiil create one "simple" on google soon I hope. emails don't work. Please email me at > [e-mail] I'm a non profit person as more interested in people knowing what I do and who I am and same goes with me viewing other people's lives is very inspiring. "If I was rich, I'd buy what i want but if I was rich, I probly be the same" Richard

[freerunnin1]

would chicken wire work if you kept on layering it up?

[djphatlife]

Is there anyway to hook this up to a wireless router and use it for a laptop and a desktop at the same time?

[ddavel544]

Yeah, nice looking rig. But will this work with my Dell c610 laptop's internal wireless card? Also, I bought a Netgear 108 Mbps Wireless PC card-- WG511T....any tips on how to get it to work on the laptop. Oddly enough, I can only connect to neighborhood wifi with the internal card, and the Netgear with all drivers loaded....does nothing (shows as: 'not connected'). And yes I did disable the internal Ralink RT2500 wireless LAN card. I thought the Netgear was supposed to be better. Any helpful tips will be rewarded with my 'first born'.....Thanks, Dave [e-mail]

[colonelroberts]

OMG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! sorry for yelling. But this is the thing ever. I thought I might improve a bit on over all strength. My software had been saying I was getting a about a 72-74% signal off my WiFi that is in the other room about 30 feet out. But after doing this I am getting 100% thru two different rooms. Ever thing loads about three times faster with no lag time now. this is the best ever project that I have done for some time. Now once I get my ER1 Robot a new power source. This will be mounted to extend it's range also. Again way too cool!!!!!!! of a project. But I glow in the dark now a bit more than I used too, is that normal??

[mattgatten]

Awesome 'how to'. I'm building one this weekend, hopefully. I found a boatload of USB WiFi adapters here on Ebay. Starting at 5 bucks each. Less than 10 with shipping if you dig a bit. Woohoo.

Cheap USB Wi-Fi Adapters on Ebay

[parapa]

THANK YOU so much!!!!! I have a co-worker who moved her office 100 ft away from our WiFi router, and now she can only get our signal with a very low strength, and even that is iffy. Of course that may have something to do with the cinder block wall between her and the router. I am going to make this contraption tonight, and hopefully by tomorrow she will be able to fully connect. All the conventional methods are WAY too expensive and, since we have a Netopia router that I cannot figure out how to get the dang antennea off, most won't work for us anyway. Oh if only I had a Linksys like I do at home. Then I could get all kinds of things that would help. Anyway, thanks a ton. I kept thinking there had to be a way to do this easily. I even thought about something like this, but you have spared me the trial and error method. :)

[DWRead]

This reminds me of the Professor on "Gilligan's Island." He could make a radio out of a coconut, but he couldn't fix a hole in the side of a boat.

[Splortched]

Tried this hack exactly as the instructable posted. Unfortunatly, my card works just as well without the strainer. I'm going to try wombat7's instructable, because he suggests using a mesh strainer and lodging the adapter halfway through. That seems more sensible than having the card all the way out of the antenna 'booster'.

[Phoghat]

Doesn't matter as long as the receiver (USB Card) antenna is at the approximate focus of the parabola.

[emac]

could you do this for the mac?????????????? great idea though

[ExitPass]

how about rigging it to an airport express? via a usb hub?

[emac]

how would you do that ??????

[Yenmangu]

hey, I would like to say congrats on such an amazing Instructable. while i do not currently have any cook ware i can mangle and distort i did however use the same basic concept except i used a piece of very thin sheet metal cut to a rectangle and rolled to form a crude bearable. the result; well aim on Instructables in the middle of nowhere lol. i am amazed at the power of these things and i worship you for allowing me to have Internet in this remote region in the lake district, the concept is brilliant and i am sure some bright spark somewhere will come up with a way to use this for the good of mankind.. possibly you have already achieved this.. i certainly think so. once again thanks, such a simple concept yet amazing. many regards, Robert.

[Lucron]

(removed by author or community request)

[triggernum5]

Why would you do that? There is no reason to use ICS with a router, thats for hubs and xover connections.. You can make a network bridge without a dedicated pc too.. You need a router that supports DD-WRT etc, to act as the client to your target network, and another router to act like any other router to serve the internet to the rest of your house.. If thats what you mean then yea, your method uses the pc to do the same thing I guess..

[triggernum5]

While doing it fly-by-night will help a bit given random reflections alone, you could really tune it using a bit of math.. Ideally the reflector should be a parabola, and the antenna itself should be located at the focal point of the parabola.. p = x_squared/4y in a vertical parabola, the math is on the net if you don't know what I mean..

[Stylezy]

hey i was just wondering if a plastic salad bowl covered in aluminium foil would work just as good cos i saw another version of this where they used the foil covered bowl but i dont know if it would work as good as this one and some of the other ones are quite complicated too. i get a crappy signal on my internal wifi card for my laptop so i am definately gonna try this one out because this is the only one ive seen that is clearly explained and simple to make so thanx.

[BMWalsh]

Most likely you won't be able to get a better signal using your aluminum foil method. This is because the aluminum foil tends to get crinkly which will bounce the signals all around. I would just spend the few extra bucks to buy a metal strainer of some sort.

[Body4Change.com]

I've been reading a LOT of this WiFi stuff here on our extraordinary Instructables.com and was wondering if anyone has tested the strainer method against the coffee can or pringles method and also against using an old directv satellite and such. Which one would give me the best reception? I'm guessing the satellite dish but I am new to this. TIA!

[mistere23]

Is there any reason this wouldn't work with the new 802.11n standard? I've tried two different strainers with this new device and the preliminary tests don't look too promising.... :-( I know that the N devices use multiple antennas, but I don't know much else about these new gadgets and why it would make a difference. It definitely picks up signals better than the G devices but nowhere near the distances people are claiming in this thread.

[GardenGnome07]

Is there any possible way that this would work for an Xbox 360? This idea is much cheaper than the $100 adapter ment for the Xbox.

[Illidan]

How would you recomend i link this to an apple itouch

[gorak]

Would it be better to solder the USB wifi device to the strainer? Or would that damage the USB wifi device?

[ScottSEA]

Soldering the dongle to the strainer won't improve signal strength.

[Jr Hacking kid]

hay i found the video for this i think this guy didnt make this.

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1036998/how_to_make_a_wifi_antenna_to_boost_your_wifi_signal/

[tm36usa]

Actually, that video was posted almost two years after I created this instructable. I know that I was not original creater of the idea behind this instuctable but I did in fact make this version and post it to the instrucables website. The video that you link to in your comment was posted on January 14th 2008 and clearly uses all of my pictures from my instrucatable here. I can provide any proof that you may request as to confirm this, be it the original images, more pictures of the dish, more pictures of the hifi cabinet the pictures are taken on or of my roof. As for the video on metacafe, I am wondering if there is a way of having it removed or making it ineligible to receive rewards for it's viewing. I had not originally posted this instrucatbles with the intentions of another person stealing my images and using them for profit. Does anyone have any ideas on how to go about doing this? Thanks in advance.

[Jr Hacking kid]

i have to removing form to take it off from metacfe for you cuz i have an account there hope your happy and then you should make a real on for yourself k

follow this link for the pdf form:

http://akimages.metacafe.com/i/RemovalForm.pdf

[tm36usa]

Thanks for the link! As it turns out the video has already been removed. I'll start working on a video to post on metacafe in my free time. Thanks again!

[Sandisk1duo]

you should set that tripod antenna up near a military base, just to see what they say

[DMercer]

Fantastic idea; I'm currently deployed, trying to figure out how to get an existing wireless signal through our aluminum trailer walls, and stumbled upon this. If I can't find a metal strainer or dish, I'm going to use a coffee can (variation on the cantenna). I'll let you know how it works out. THANKS!

[daryn987]

I tried this setup, It works to, but not perfectly, before i tryed this i had no wireless networks nearby, but i picked one up a few towns over, so some more tinkering and i can probably get it to work. Thanks for the inspiration!

[vivianaldridge]

Hi, I bought a wifi adaptor and noticed it comes with software that I supposed to load on my laptop. My laptop already comes with wifi software however. All I was planning to do was to turn off the built in wifi antenna and use the extender mounted in the steamer. Do I still need to load the software that came with the extender I just bought? (I do not want to mess anything up in my laptop.) Thanks for your help with this really wonderful idea! I have been trying for sometime to get a stronger signal from the free wifi post near my house. --Vivian California :-)

[pr-guy11]

Thanks man, great invention. I no longer have to pay for DSL and I can get signal in my room which was impossible. I screwed my metal stainer to a plastic bucket and it works great.

[roadslugs]

Hi. I'm in South Florida. I have a comcast cable Internet connection with a belken n wireless router. What to share my connection with a few neighbors. Can the strainer antenna work to do this. Should they have the antenna or should I have it to send out a better signal. I sorry but I'm new at this but want to learn.

[dishbowl]

Hi I'm new to this but got some great results making a parabolic reflector from an aluminium mixing bowl. I'm just using a belkin g usb adapor as a feed held in front of my dish buy cardboard arms. I was wondering can you get even more gain by having two reflectors or one and an omni or yagi? Also could you just pluug two usb adapotrs in and expect it to work or do i need some jiggery pokery? Thanks. great site.

[hawkeye619]

Looks interesting. My question is has anyone used a dongle with a satellite dish and a powered usb hub using a usb extension longer than 10 feet? If so, how did it work. If not, anyone have any theories on how it would work?

[drummer ian]

hey, great idea, will somthing like this also boost the 'sending' power of my usb wifi drive?

[sanderson111]

Try using a concave metal strainer mesh it gets about 2.5 times stronger signal then this method. As the mesh spacing just so happens to be to the right spacing between each neighboring mesh hole for the 2.4 GHz freq. range. Actually I have a friend who was able to get over 4 miles with the mesh. Even better for people is get a hold of a Sat. dish the bigger the better. Play with the USB moving it away from the center point outward and focus the dish towards the city. I know two people who are sharing internet access across the bay one living up the side of a hill about 17 miles away. And also picking up WIFI's from almost 30 miles away. Don't get caught as it is not legal. Also just so you know some USB software drivers will not work as they give an error and crash once they hit 255 Wifi's found. And using a dish pointed at the right direction and with the usb spaced like an LNB would be but the proper distance away from the face of the dish could get you 1000's of WIFI's in some cities as long as your USB drivers are capable of handling it.

[platinumsteel]

hi sanders could u please show me a pic of what the concave metal strainer looks like?i really wanna try it....thanks

[rickiev]

What can one do, if they have a pre-install wi-fi card in their notebook computer ? How could one boost the signal ?

[sanderson111]

Oh ya also when you use a USB extension don't go past 10Ft long as you will loose the signal from the WIFi.

[sanderson111]

Buy a USB 802.11g Wifi on E-bay for around $10 as they are far better then any WIFI hookup in a desktop or laptop. The fan and the hard drive inside computers interfere with wireless cards plugged into or that sit near the case of computers. The side effect is usually a drop of 1/3 signal strength. If you get a USB WIFI and use an extension to get it away from the computer you will find more networks out there then if you just plug it directly into the computers USB. To much interference from the fan and HD. Actually I tried about 5 different Name brand ones and 3 no names the best one I found is on E-bay if you type "NEW Wireless USB 2.0 LAN 802.11G Adapter 2.4GHz 54Mbps" look for a clear pack with light blue pack and inside an oval the words IEEE802.11g as it by far out preforms all the ones I tested and to my surprise is the lowest priced one available.

[joshracko]

I typed NEW Wireless USB 2.0 LAN 802.11G Adapter 2.4GHz 54Mbps in to the ebay search and nothing came up. Do you have the sellers name or any other info to pin point it? Thanks!

[oboist1]

I am trying to find the USB WiFi recommended by sanderson111. An eBay search for the item number comes up with nothing (90 day policy) Is this the USB Wi Fi he was talking about ? If you bought it, can you describe it ?

http://cgi.ebay.com/802-11g-54Mbps-Wireless-Wi-Fi-USB-2-0-LAN-Adapter-NEW_W0QQitemZ290217139775QQihZ019QQcategoryZ45002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[sanderson111]

I posted an answer to your question to steve

[sanderson111]

Search for 200143552160 on E-bay that would be the one I am talking about

[oboist1]

I just read your well researched recommendation for a great USB WiFi wireless adapter. I searched the item number and heading. The item number has been deleted per ebay's 90 day policy. I found this:<br/> <a rel="nofollow" href="http://cgi.ebay.com/802-11g-54Mbps-Wireless-Wi-Fi-USB-2-0-LAN-Adapter-NEW_W0QQitemZ290217139775QQihZ019QQcategoryZ45002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem">http://cgi.ebay.com/802-11g-54Mbps-Wireless-Wi-Fi-USB-2-0-LAN-Adapter-NEW_W0QQitemZ290217139775QQihZ019QQcategoryZ45002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem</a> <br/><br/>when I typed in a truncated search. Is this it ?<br/><br/>Thanks.<br/><br/>Steve (Evanston, IL)<br/> <br/>

[sanderson111]

Hello Steve,

I have a black one of these but the white would be better as if you had it in a windown it would not get as hot from the sunlight.

I have 3 different 802.11G Wifi USB's and found this one to be the best and to my surprise the lowest price also. Range is really good.

http://cgi.ebay.com/802-11g-USB-Dongle-Adapter-WLAN-Wireless-54Mbps-WiFi_W0QQitemZ140220089071QQihZ004QQcategoryZ45002QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

If you are look at others find one with simlar specs as this one also allows you to use it as a rounter if needed.

Remember when hooking up don't usew more then a 8 ft USB extension cord prefer 6 ft. This way you get it away from the interferance of the computers Fans & Harddrive spinning which reduce signal strength.

[oboist1]

Thanks for your letter ! I just won a Hawking USB Wi Fi for $16. I am also considering the EnGenius Sanao EUB-362 (about $50 incl S&H on ebay) based on some killer tests at this site:

http://www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/

(see pic #'s 75 and 85). I like the detachable antenna for further antenna design flexibility. I'm looking at a parabolic antenna. Maybe an old Dish or an asian cooking strainer for reduced wind resistance. The site above has a bunch of great ideas.

Your are right, your USB Wi Fi at $15 including S&H is tempting. I think I'll pick it up. I mean what the heck, you could throw $15 into the street or a 12 pack.

Best,

Steve

[oldham]

Question. Does anyone know of a similar way to improve cellphone reception?

[mdevelle]

search for "alternative wireless" - they sell antennas for cellphones.

[cdkolarik]

does this thing really work? what if you already have an internal wifi card do you have to turn it off? can you make this thing and use it at the same time you are using your internal card?

[jasono31]

HWU8DD Dish AdapterOr instead of making one of these you can purchase a Hawking Technologies 8dBi Directional Dish USB Wireless-G Adapter that already has a tuned dish antenna.

Hawking has many Wi-Fi range extending products including Hi-Gain indoor and outdoor antennas, boosters, repeaters and adapters.

[lady_fenring]

This worked really well! We had to play around with how "open" or "closed" the basket was, but after that we're getting great reception. Thanks!!

[lamakila123]

i had a question...i was looking at your picture and saw that the flaps of the dish seem like they are on hinges....would moving them in or out (to make it more or less concave) allow it to focus better on certain distances....i was planning on adding a rope through each of the flaps so i can easily pull to bring the flaps in......if not.....it can still be used to shrink the dish to a more portable size...right?

[cyberoidx]

Cool project Tm36. I need some help, hope u'll reply :) Anyway, i Got myself one of those usb wifi adapters, for my desktop, so that i could create an adhoc network between it, and my laptop which has wifi inbuilt. It was rated upto 330ft, but i didn't go beyond 4 metres in my house, the signal used to die, and i decided to return the usb adapter. So i'd like to know if this project would owrk for me, indoors, where i have a wall or two in betwwen, so its not a direct LOS, and if this antenna is directional (in a straight line) or if it would cover a larger area... (I dont need more than 20 metres i think) thanks a lot.

[tm36usa]

Thanks cyberoidx. I'm pretty sure this will help you out with an ad hoc network but I'll do a little testing with mine and i'll get back to you. In theory it should work. The only problem i could see is what would happen if you were to move out of the directional beam with your laptop, you would loose the signal. Im just curious why you dont have a wireless router running in your house instead. You would get a lot longer range compared to the usb adapter you tried to use because a router has a much larger antenna and therefore, more range. Plus your desktop would not have to be on in order for your laptop to have wifi. Let me know.

[wanna-b-wise-1]

tm36yusa - Thanks for posting this. It looks cool and I needed a booster. Put everything together and here are my Q's:
- I have built-in WiFi, but installed the USB dongle software but can't test it yet, b/c...
- my system won't recognize the adapter when used with the extension cord. It is fine plugged directly to the USB port, and with the extension gets power (the light comes on). I have tested the cord w 3 different USB devices - same issue.
- I'm using a 16 ft. cord - could that be part of the problem?
Thanks in advance. And *if* there was no need to override my internal WiFi in order for it to work (tho' I can't see how), please let me know.
Ciao!

[tm36usa]

Yeah, the 16 foot extension cord is whats bringing you down, as thats really close and in this case past the maximum usb cable length. As a good rule of thumb, nothing over 10 feet usually works so stay to 10 feet and lower. Just swap out the cables and all should work fine.

[wanna-b-wise-1]

tm - Thanks. Got a 6 ft cable. Now working, but hasn't improved signal...still tweaking my set-up and need to get closer to window. Thx.

[320I S]

sup peeps!!! was just wonddering if this will work for getting wireless internet from school if u live 150 meters away of that school. in my case, i got a laptop and as i work from school to my place, i still got wireless internet from school .... untill my door. there the connection shuts down, breaks. I was just wondering if there is sumthin that could help me gettin that wireless internet from a distance of 150 meters.. thnx

[wi-fi astronomer]

Chances are it will not work over the 150 metre distance. You can try it, but no guarentees. You can try the wok-tenna method or you'll have to make a dish type antenna. The dish type antenna aka radio telescope is easier to make than you think. An old satellite dish can be gotten on eBay, both the large ones and the DirecTV size dishes. Put your cantenna or wifi fob at the focus and try it out. Once you build your dish-tenna you can try a stationary variant of war-driving! If you can get wifi until you shut the door, you are in range - barely. That might work out with the wok-tenna. Are you already using a wifi fob? If so, you are potentially in luck. Note that improving antenna gain by any method will also increase interference from undesired routers. That problem is directly analogous to interference found by radio astronomers. Good luck! I get the same problem with my setup where I use an old satellite dish. I tried the wok-tenna but it failed. Your mileage will vary, hopefully for the better. All manner of matter attenuates the signal at the 2.4 gigahertz. That's why you lose the connection as you shut the door. Since you are barely in range explains why the attenuation is just enough to kill the connection. At that frequency, RF behaves a lot like light itself. As you design the antenna, it helps to think of the RF as like invisible light. If you are already using a wifi fob, it just might be enough to get USB cords to put it outside that door to catch the signal. Do that and put the fob in a wok-tenna, and you should get a good signal.

[tm36usa]

Yes it should work just fine 320, provided there are not too many objects in the way. (but if you receive it with the stock antenna on your card at your door then you should be fine.

[kyzonz]

hello Can u give me what is wifi (how they work,intall, and constructs)

[DeusXMachina]

The internet, which is a series of tubes linking across the globe, is very cumbersome and doesn't easily fit on the back of the truck. So, in order to make it mobile, they invented wireless internet by vaporizing the tubes and wafting them through the aether. Wifi adapters work by collecting the ionized tubes like a butterfly net.

</sarcasm>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wifi

[oddree]

The whole concept of using a USB stick as the receptor ... is pretty interesting. I tried to make a dish antenna like this using a tacky 1970's table ornament. It was similar shape, a little flatter, and without holes. But my antenna gave me a 1db gain, which barely registered in my tests. While, my old cantenna gave me an 8db to 9db gain. Now, what if you combined the cantenna with a USB stick?

[grippmart]

Does it have to be a USB WIFI adaptor, or can it be the type thats integrated in your pc? the cable is about two meters long and it can't be removed from the pc

[thorpozon]

hello, Im addressing this to anyone who has done this or knows anything about it. I have a wireless adaptor in the roof picking up a signal from afar. It works but I want to convert my house into a hotspot from what i am getting. is it possible?. don't worry, i also own the signal where it is coming from. hopeyou get what I mean. It is like a signal repeater or booster or something.

[aceman 569]

as I said on another similar instructable, could I modify this for a Nintendo DS?

[josh6025]

(removed by author or community request)

[SeaLion]

ehehe...i got mine for less than that ...from some special place called the 'computer mart'...i 4got where..." tehe...but those things are magic!

[giveaphuk]

i made the same antenna, but used rivets in place of the glue for step 3. makes it more uniform, & more durable.. saw some good results..

[SESS]

This is really cool. I like the whole concept, cheap and efective

[Eddbot]

instead of lopping off the legs of the strainer you couled leave them on or make them shorter, then you can wrap the usb extender around the legs for travelling

[Punkguyta]

I tried this with a wire mesh strainer (medium sized) and it didn't work, didn't see any signal boost.

[tm36usa]

How big were the holes in the mesh? Did you have the receiver at the focal point of the parabola? Just putting the receiver in the strainer will not work, especially if the holes were bigger than 3/8". This design works by reflecting stray signal back towards the receiver and if the holes are too big there will not be as many reflected waves. Let me know some specifics and I can guide you toward a solution.

[Punkguyta]

Mesh StrainerWell it's very close to this one and yes, the hole I made was in the center (think I was stupid enough to put it in the edge or something??). Do I need one that's like micro mesh or something more solid?

[tm36usa]

That strainer has too many holes. You need something that has more metal surface area to bounce the waves off of. If you get a strainer more like the one in my pictures then your results will improve alot. Its all about the flat metal area the waves have to bounce off.

[bergotronic]

Hey, try coating the strainer with Aluminum foil.

[Punkguyta]

I was just gonna reply to tm36usa's message asking if that would work. That might work, what about picking up a old sat dish from a yard sale and zip-tying the wireless adapter onto the longhorn, of course, making sure it's attached in the correct angle/posistion.

[TooShort4]

Hi. Awesome tut, thanks. I just have a question. I wanted to share my net with my neighbor, which his pc is maybe 30-40 feet away w/ walls and stuff. Would this connect to his house from my 30ft or so away?

[tm36usa]

It should work fine. All you have to do is set the usb adapter to run in ad hoc mode and then bridge your net connection with the usb adapter. You can almost go 30-40ft with a good stock router.

[ajsfunn]

I built my unit to look EXACTLY like this one so as to get the expected results. I can say without a doubt that it DOES improve reception by 15%-20%. I was not able to surf the site I was connected with though. I am guessing at this time that is has something to do with the software for the usb modem that I was using. The site I was using was encrypted but I did know the code. I can say if the site were not encrypted then the setup I had would have worked. I tested the setup with a site that was not encrypted and it surfed fine but distance was not an issue. I would say this is worth building if you are getting a signal but want just a little more of a boost. It may be useful If you know you are on the verge of getting a signal because you do get a hit once in a while and know it is there. Good luck all!

[letitworknow]

dude great idea!! i used a 13 drum cymbol for mine and it is everything i expected and more

[HOMEPIE64]

ok yo is there a way to hook this up to my psp? PS awesome

[radiorental]

This certainly looks cool and it may improve wifi reception, or it may not. I dont think that simply making something that looks like a satellite dish means you've built a btter receiver. I would like to see some meth back this up. Wavelength of a/b/g frequencies, whether the size of those strainer holes makes a difference. Great idea though, thought: dont people normally use a pringles tube for this? I think there's been a bit of research in to that method which proves it does improve reception and focus direction.

[technodude92]

the time when math really matters is with a Pringles tube setup, because you need to know the exact wavelength so as to position the receiver correctly. Secondly your not building an antenna, its more of a signal concentrator.

[zachninme]

The size of the holes will NOT make a difference, because the waves are way bigger than that! ( I know microwave oven's waves are 4 1/2in, and WiFi is radio, so I am guessing 10in)

[enahs]

Wifi is on the frequence as a microwave oven so the wave length should be about the same

[seljer]

yep

the speed of light / (2.4 gigahertz) = 4.91785528 inches

[zachninme]

No... microwave ovens use Microwave frequencys. Wifi is radio. However, microwave ovens do block out wifi reception.

[IMB]

Microwaves ARE radio waves. Wi-Fi (802.11b/g) operates in the unlicensed 2.4GHZ ISM band. Microwave ovens also operate in that frequency because that's the resonant frequency of water.

[DELETED_dannydutton]

(removed by author or community request)

[IMB]

You clearly haven't got a clue what you're talking about. That, or it's a really lame attempt at a troll. You care to tell me where on earth you came up with such ridiculous statements? Microwaves are radio waves in a certain portion of the electromagnetic spectrum, generally from about 1GHz to around 60GHz.. The reason you don't get "fried" next to a wireless access point (or bluetooth, or any of a number of devices that operate in the 2.4GHz spectrum) is that the power levels are extremely low. It takes 700-1500 Watts of power for a microwave over to do its thing. ISM-Band devices function in the milliwatt range (and are limited to 1W) Most fiber optic signals used for communication are solidly in the infrared band at 850nm, 1300nm and 1550nm. 850nm is barely visible in the red end of the visible spectrum. "Beaming" and infrared remote control devices typically operate at 1065nm (which also happens to be the same wavelength as the targeting lasers used to guide laser-guided weapons).

[qvan43]

Wow !-IMB.Thanks for such explaination.I'm learning more of these things because of the debabates in this site...ja,ja. Keep sharing your ideas and intelligence ! Thanks to all !

[IMB]

No problem - I used to maintain aircraft radar and electro-optical systems for the military, and currently am a network engineer. Sharing knowledge is what the web is all about (and calling BS when I see it, too!)

[DELETED_dannydutton]

(removed by author or community request)

[IMB]

Pot. Kettle. Black. Quit being such a troll.

[Scheibe]

They are both on the EM spectrum, but they are not the same thing. Radio waves have larger wave lengths than microwaves

[chayzer]

λ = c / f ?

[tm36usa]

In the first day using it i noticed a huge increase in wifi reception. I was able to connect to my friends house (with his permission of course) who lives .2 miles (1000+ feet) down the road through houses, trees, cars and what ever else was in the way just by pointing the dish out my window at his house. Granted the signal wasn’t the greatest, but still enough to connect and share files / surf the net. I plan on making another one with a better dish and working the math to get the highest gain. Believe me, I didn’t just make this so it looked like a satellite dish, I made it to make a better receiver. I'm pretty sure I succeeded in just that. A Pringles Cantenna works pretty well, but they are very unidirectional. You have to have them aligned pretty much dead on in order to get any reliable signal. Make one and try it out for yourself.

[phoenix124]

hey, fellow modders i'm ordering a usb wifi adapter. its rated at 400 meters max range but i doubt it's going to reach that. my goal is to connect with a friend about 230 meters away. there are no obstructions between our two, 2 story houses except 4 trees and a single 2 story house. with a DIY parobolic antenna like yours, would it be plausible to make a connection?? here are the specs: Standards: IEEE 802.11b/g Data Rates : up to 54Mbps Frequency Band: 2.4GHz - 2.462GHz WPA/WPA2 : WPA Modulation : Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) Transmitted Power: 14dBm ± 2dB Antenna: Omni Directional Operating Range: Indoors: Up to 328 ft (100 meters) Outdoors: Up to 1312 ft (400 meters)

[tm36usa]

WOW! Your lucky to have such a nice straight shot to your friends house! I was able to connect to my friends house which is .2miles (1000+ feet) down road with my dish and that was through 5 2 story-houses and a bunch of trees. (it was also at night, but rf signals carry better at night). Using this logic, I see no reason why you wouldn't be able to get a link made between the two houses with the dish. And If for some reason don't work, a pringles cantenna would surly get the job done (I'm in the process of testing some new ideas for antennas with those cans, check back soon.). If the cantennas didnt even work then you could go with some old Dish network or direct tv dishes to use as antennas (also working some new ideas for those as well, check back later.) As always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact me for some help. Good Luck!

[phoenix124]

i just did some testing and my friend's router only reaches a fourth or fifth of the way to my house and, sadly, i ran out of cash buying the single adapter for my side. lol, i probably should have checked his range first. i could connect w/ him but he wouldn't b able to connect with me. sigh, so close and yet still so far... i am determined tho, he bet me a dollar we wont b able to get this network going lol. ahh what we do for a buck... anyways, should i try to tweak with his router to get it to reach the last 500 or 600 feet (guessing) or buy another adapter like mine (when i have the money, which could be a while)? are there any range boosting tricks for a router??

[tm36usa]

There are a couple things you can do. The one I would suggest would be to get another usb wifi adapter and run that in ad-hoc mode with the one you already bought. If you then wanted to share internet, one of you could bridge their net connection to the usb adapter and you could both surf the web from the same connection. Now there are a couple ways you can "tweak" his router to increase is range but they are not easy. First they require a router with an external antenna jack (a router might have its antenna attached through a SMA jack, which is what you want.) Also if the router is a Linksys, they do not have removable antennas but if you open the router up there are BNC-like connectors that the 2 antennas connect to, which will also serve your purpose. If you don't have an antenna jack, you would have to solder your own coax to the board of the router to connect an antenna. (The shorter the coax, the less signal is lost before the antenna, so shorter is better). Here come the tricky part, you now have several antennas to choose from. There are bi-quad antennas to use with old satilite tv dishes like explained in this guide here, http://www.trevormarshall.com/biquad.htm . There are also the pringles cantennas that I have talked about before such as this guide, http://www.netscum.com/~clapp/wireless.html . (if you didnt want to make one and you wanted to buy one, this site sells them but they are super expensive for what they are giving you http://www.cantenna.com/ .

I hope this information has helped you try and figure out your best plan of attack. The best be would be to get another USB adapter. Just out of curiosity, how much did you pay for the first one? You should be able get them online for around $10 like I did. Let me know if you need anymore help.

[phoenix124]

it turns out my friend didn't order the adapter for me (probably just as good since i wouldn't b able to connect person to person yet anyway) wow, where did you buy an adapter that has that good of range for 10 bucks?? i haven't been able to find any good adapters with the range anywhere near what i need under $20. i found (after many hours of looking) an adapter for $10 but it had terrible reviews... crappy range and signal strength. any help would be great!!!

[phoenix124]

oh wow!!! i just spent the last few hours looking for this apparently almost mythical usb wifi adapter for around $10. either they're total junk or , as in the case of ebay, the shipping itself is like 15 bucks. GAAAAAAAA!!! lol if anybody has any good usb adapters that they have had good experiences with ( 3 or 400-ish meter range and good signal strength) for arround 10 bucks i would b reeeeeeeally grateful if u could tell me where u got it!

[tm36usa]

Hey phoenix,

The model usb wifi adaptor i have is a Hawking Technologies HWU54G Revision Z2. They are going for about $20 on ebay now and I haven't seen the deal at Micro Center for $10 in quite some time. Here is the hawking tech page to show you what the adpator should look like : http://www.hawkingtech.com/support/details.php?CatID=19&FamID=33&ProdID=175 . I have not tried any of the other revisions but I would just try and stick with the one that works. Hope that helps steer you toward what you want. As always, come back with any questions.

[radiorental]

excellent, well done. I actually work for a company that designs and builds this stuff (amoung other networking equipment) so I was a little skeptical as there's some high end math in increasing gain. But again - well done!

[radiorental]

I should point out that I dont know any of this 'high end mathy engineering calculatritative wizardry'

[mikesty]

There's all sorts of WiFi antenna mods. Parabolic antennas, Cantennas/Shotgun style, Biquads, grid-like antennas, etc etc. I think this is the simplest and gives you good gain for such simplicity. You'd obviously get the best gain from a perfect parabolic dish and use a little math to find the focal point of the dish, but all you need to do is shove a WUSB adapter in front of some metal piece of crap that looks somewhat like a parabola and VOILA! On the contrary, hooking up a biquad/cantenna is a little more complicated, and usually requires you to use good wireless equipment.

[radiorental]

meth would be funny but I means MATH (o;

[ikepigott]

meth would be short for "methodology", which would include math, hypothesis, control groups, and experimental repeatability.

[antonc81]

either that or methamphetamine

[XsimonXcoreX]

Or Men Eating Tin and Hammers. I'd like to see some of that. I'm just saying.

[Punkguyta]

I still see you saying stupid things or objecting to these taxidermy instructables. Don't you ever go away?

[fareweahtersmile]

do you think this would work if i was to replace the usb wifi adaptor with the xbox 360 wireless networker so that i would be able to gain access that way?

[Punkguyta]

Btw man, you mean this is a "Directional" antenna right? Unidirection means in all directions, this here, you have to aim in ONE direction. Btw, could someone help me make something like this for my ibook perhaps? I have no idea whereI would get a plug to fit my wifi card in my ibook, but if someone could help me there, then I can pretty much do the rest. What I plan on doing is buying a satellit dish (There is actually quite a few people that sell them for like $15 around here, then run a line to it. I would actually have to modify the dish a bit first, but that isn't a problem. I'm also going to have to buy a in line 2.4ghz amplifier, but I do know they exist. Anyone able to help me out?

[number01]

Actually, unidirectional means, "operating or moving in one direction only." Omnidirectional means, sending or receiving signals in all directions."

[magiceye]

I am keen to try this project as I like idea of the steamer.In windows XP there is wireless network connection utility which displays speed and signal strenght,but I am tolded this is just a guide.Is there a program that can display accurately the WI-FI signals strenght and direction?

[Punkguyta]

Hehe, mac os x has a great little built in program for mesuring the signal strengh accuratly, but I also have a app that will show the percentage down to a fine decimal.

[jueston]

the only way it could do that is if it rotated, so it could test it at multiple points. there is no way to tell the direction with a standard wifi adapter.

[tm36usa]

http://www.netstumbler.com/ for the signal strenght. Its what I use.

[jesuswet]

una pregunta el adaptador toca la superficie con el pegamento al cubiculo de metal esto es de jesuswet

[waltersfield]

Quick question. The USB cable for this, does it need to be 2.0 (which sells at Radio Shack for $26.00) or can it be the cheaper A/A extension cable? Thanks for the help!

[tm36usa]

Either will work, but the more expensive one will NOT give you any performance gain despite claiming to be USB 2.0. You need the A/A extension cable. If you dont mind waiting a couple of days, www.jameco.com has them (thats where i got my 10ft ones) for $3 each with little for shipping. Chances are you will find something else at jameco that you want/need.

[travs]

thanks for your reply tm36usa. another question: is it safe even though it gets wet from the rain?

[tm36usa]

It all depends on the usb wifi adaptor you use and how you mount it. I do not think it will survive direct contact with rain but if you intend on leaving the usb adaptor in the dish then you could use silicone sealant around the usb plug to make it water tight and then mount the dish under an awning so it could stay some what dry. If you mount it correctly theres a good chance it will survive.

[travs]

can you still get reception even without using netstumbler?

[tm36usa]

Yes, netstubler is only to find and fine tune networks (although you can use it to connect if it is an unsecure AP). I use XP's built in wifi config to connect once i find an AP.

[lightmark]

Well, I tried this with WiFi adapter / locator, just holding adapter up in front of dish and scanning for signals, no change from previous readings. As I said previously, there is no visible antenna across parking lot. I could take the wifi locator to pool area and determine where strongest signal is, maybe even locate an antenna there, which is most likely pointed in opposite direction from my place. Still searching for the solution.

[lightmark]

Wow, I have one of those veggie steamers in my rummage sale pile, and a rather weak USB adapter that has Mac OS X drivers, could try that first, and matter of fact, Will try it before I drill, cause the adapter is also a wifi locator. Would need to weather proof, or will it work behind glass? The thing is, I am capturing public signals from our HOA pool and clubhouse area, about 300 feet away and cannot locate any antenna.

[moreice]

Any ideas on waterproofing it?

[otyler]

This morning I started searching for over the counter fixes for my poor wireless reception. Happened upon your srainer ideas and decided to give it a try. Got a cheapo, mesh strainer from Target, came home, cut a hole for the already long wire usb, inserted, secured and set it up in the window. Viloa: got an immediate "excellent" rating for reception. Thank you!!!!

[GmanM]

Hi SoulKeeper,
Try looking at the photos at the Wok-Fi site:
http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

You will notice the shapes are all curved, which allows the signal coming in to be "Focused" at what is called the "Focal Point".
The photos will show how to make a suitable "dish shaped object" into a working antenna, and how to find the focal point.
Since your wastebasket has a flat bottom, it would not reflect the signal to a focal point.
You may be able to cut the mesh into an appropriate shape, but when you look at the photos, you will have some good ideas to work with.
But the only way to test one, is to build one.
You may want to start by purchasing the USB adapter.

Cheers
GM

[SoulKeeper]

Hi, i'm interested to buil my own antena, i have bought a little wastebasket made from steel and have a solid steel base and the sides have grates with small holes, less than 0.5 cm(holes), the wastebasket have a diameter of 10.5" in the open part and like 8" in the base and have a height of 12-14", i was wondering if i can make a hole in the 8" base and put there my usb extension and them connect the usb wifi adapter and work as great as the others antena, can you please help me, sorry for my bad english, i'm from venezuela, I will aprecciate any type of help, i can send a pic of the wastebasket, [e-mail]

[GmanM]

Hey tm36usa,
Thanks for this thread.
I made a version that does not require drilling that worked very well.
My coathanger base provided the spring tension to hold it open.
Without the base or extension cable, it closes up enough so you could put it in your pants pocket.
Mine is the one at the bottom.
http://www.instructables.com/id/E8NV19KY8DEQZJI5IF/?ALLSTEPS
Many thanks to all who have posted on this subject.
Cheers to Stan in NZ.

GM

[TheMadScientist]

i always thought those steamers looked a little like satalite dishes... hell, i think i tried attaching it to my radio antenna once...

[aptucta]

It's great!!! this is the cheaper and SAFER way to improve the range of your USB adaptor!! IT WORKS 100% I got +10-12 db of my net.

[mamato]

has anyone looked into building something more portable (ex. foldable)?
here's an example of what i'm thinking about:
http://www.angelfire.com/80s/shobhapardeshi/twelvesided.html

you can fold it and put it in your backpack. when you need to cook, you put the foil inside, when you want an antenna, you put the foil outside (to prevent risks of fires).

[_soapy_]

With the foil on the outside you are going to kill most of your signal off.

[craven]

hi manuka thanks to your reply i think steel do the damage. u think if i take the antenna outside with cable that be enough or try to take something else to increase the signal?

[_soapy_]

Anything steel (or even tin foil or water containing leaves) will block the signal, in the same way that the metal aerials we are making will bounce the signals back, but without the structured result.

[Zolihonig]

Do you think that a metal bowl would have better coverage since it doesn't have the straining holes? Or do the straining holes make it better?

[_soapy_]

The air can travel through the mesh, so reducing wind forces on it. The mesh is also mathmatically smooth to the 2.4GHz radiation, as at 2.4GHz, the wavelength is 12.4 cm, which means that the 1/4 wavelength distance is 3.1cm. Anything smaller than this will have almost no effect on the reflectance of the wave. Keep your holes smaller than 1.5cm and you can remove as much metal as you want without penalty (as long as the conductance stays high/resistance stays low).

[godzilla451]

A good way to get by without "mathiness" would be to take your strainer/tinfoil umbrella/whatever out in the sun and SEE where the hot spot is. put your usb wifi there! .... or use it to cook a hotdog

[Saga]

Wow, excellent idea. I love it when different properties, in this case light waves and UHF, share the same reflective properties...

[_soapy_]

They are all based on exactly the same equations that Maxwell determined all those years ago, because they are all the same EM (electromagnetic) waves, simply at different wavelengths.

[craven]

hi i have a dsl router and ia want to connect with a friend who lives 2 floors down. he had a pci level one card and beacuse he had no signal he buy a asus antenna. but still he had no signal!! any advice???

[manuka]

(removed by author or community request)

[gadgetgeek]

thanks for the advice

[gadgetgeek]

I'm really interested in building one of these, my laptop currently has a linksys adaptor CARD, so would i have to uninstall the card to use the WUSB or could i use both or just one at a time. Thanks

[kryz2per]

Hi guys I hope someone can help me. I'm planning to create a usb wifi antena with a parabolic cookware and I'm having problems with the usb cable extender. Here are the components I'm using. 1. USB adapter linksys wusb54gc 2. usb 2.0 cable 5 meters The problem I have is the usb adapter is not being detected when it is connected to the 5 meters usb cable. However, it works when I use the usb cable that is included in the package which is only 1 meter. I have tested that the the usb cable is working well. A friend of mine has the same setup but he is using a CHORONOS usb adapter and it works great. I wonder if linksys does not work with long usb cable or if it has a certain limit. Please let me know your thoughts and recommendations. You can email me at [e-mail] Thanks

[OhChuts]

That sounds like a cool idea. I'm using a pcmcia adapter (Engenius)on my laptop and I can boost the signal by about 20% using the corner of a cardboard box lined with foil and angled at greater than 90 degrees to approximate a parabola around the end of the adapter that sticks out of the slot. The small increase makes a marginal signal useable.

[cricketlachica]

Hi, I know you guys do this technique with a USB WiFi adapter. But I'm just wondering, could this technique, or a variation of it, be applied to laptops? I mean, without using a USB WiFi Adapter, just the one built-in INSIDE the laptop? Any ideas are warmly appreciated. Thanks!

[ArmChairQB]

Polarity? I wonder if you mounted the the usb adapter differently if it will boost it? Say parallel vs. perpendicular? Guess it depends upon the internal antenna? The height from the center of the dish would be important, too

[ArmChairQB]

Polarity? I wonder if you mounted the the usb adapter differently if it will boost it? Say parallel vs. perpendicular? Guess it depends upon the internal antenna? The height from thecenter of the dish would be important, too

[menwhatdorockbaby]

I have an old Sky satellite dish that has been made redundant since we got and extension and blocked the signal so we switched to cable. Anyway, I was wondering whether I could use it to boost my Wi-Fi signal. Does anyone know whether this is mathmatically just for this type of signal?

[sharkilepsy]

satellite dishes work extremely well, simply mount your usb antenna facing the dish on the arm that holds the reciever.

[pluish]

wahahahahah wat cool, kan je gorrila glue ook in nederland krijgen?

[nicolai]

ok i have buyd a usb adapter but i dont like how it works everytime if i discconnect it i have to instal it new but good it was only for testing but i want do the serious thing can someone advise me a good usb wireless ?

[WolvesOfWar]

NICE, the only problem for me is: where i live(canal house in amsterdam) ill need to put the antena thing downstair(my pc is upstaris) and the wireles access point is there to, so i could use a cable for that. BUT ill use this thing once in my life, im sure. THANKS

[plunker]

I have a usb adaptor which can be used a access point too . If i make a antena using this , will it be useful to boost wireless signals

[ando]

what a great project! mine works fantastic, and I just wanted to say thank-you~

[nicolai]

i see a few comments about math how can i calculate the right diamater and high for the best gain someone has a link to a site?

[pathemo]

Reading these comments made me think of those solar cigarette lighters. This reflector has a clip for holding a cigarette and you just hold it in the sun to concentrate the rays. A quick search found these possible alternatives:
http://wildwoodsurvival.com/survival/fire/reflector/index.html

[Scissorman]

When my neighbour's connection failed a while back, I had to find someone else to piggy back off. I used a wok and a coat hanger to secure the usb wifi adapter. I was amazed at how many different signals I could pick up. It was heavy but it worked, so long as the signals weren't secured.

[Sparticus]

That should work, since it is already set up to bounce a signal to the receiver point. Just put the USB WiFi where the receiver point is. Kinda heavy though isnt it?

[godsdog]

Love the simplicity...

[nicolai]

now im wondering i have a wireles network and want to test how secure the web is but i know not all chipset are good for cracking of wirelles networks someone knows a good usb wlan for wardriving?

[nicolai]

i have a neighbour and i'm pretty sure the house is of a kind of metal can it work (6)

[ryanmetcalf]

Free Antennas .com
Paper print out antennas
with hard math
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html

[Nate53085]

I've been playing around with this a tad, looking at how one of these things reflects. Its not very good at all. I built one to see if I could verify the results and didn't have much success.

[macrumpton]

I was wondering how a golf umbrella lined with tinfoil might work for this purpose. WiFi from Jupiter? I wonder how important the dish shape is? Could you just cover a wall (on the opposite side of the wifi source)in your office with tin or copper foil and then find the sweet spot to put your desk in?

[Nate53085]

No, shape is important. Think of reflecting light to a single point. A wall would just reflect everything away from it. This project is attempting to be a parabolic reflector.

[goobster]

this has been around for quite some time. The New Zealand link is boss, he's been doing this for a long time. Also check out wifi-networks.net for some funny videos from a couple years ago.

[thebobman]

Cool Implimentation!
check out http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/ for a similar set up (doesn't use a USB 802.11 dongle, tho)

A couple things to keep in mind:
802.11b/g signals are 2.4Ghz so the diameter and curve of the dish matters a lot. Check out http://www.qsl.net/n1bwt/contents.htm for a bunch more detaiiled info. You might be able to tweak a few more dB outta your design!

[bloodniece]

Umm, this idea has been around for some time. This dude in New Zealand has a great site about making WIFI antennas out of just about any parabolic dish (even umbrellas!)

http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

He provides theory as how it works, as well as, statistics.

[tpuck]

I made mine from the front of an old fan it works great.

[Spookiefish]

will this work if i have a built in wireless adaptor?

[tom61]

You'd have to find a really big colander, or extract the built-in antenea. It'd be far easier to just buy a ~$20 USB wifi adapter instead.

[Nate53085]

Have you played around with shape to see if opening it a specific amount gives the best gain? Also, have you done any actual dB tests with it?

[cokebottle tuque]

you might be able to drill the tripod mount hole in such a way that it goes through 2 of the blades and be able to do away with the zip ties, so you can easily fold it for storage and have it lock open wen mounted and in use.

[tm36usa]

Thats pretty much just what I did, when its on the tripod, the bottom blades are held in place so they in turn hold the top ones in place too So I cut off the zipties.

[mikesty]

I have this azn noodle strainer doodad I found in the supermarket about a year ago, and I snagged it just for such purposes. Unfortunately, I still have no devices that require a WLAN :) I'll likely be getting a laptop at some point in the near future, and I think I'm going to opt to use a WUSB on it coupled with something like this.