Uni-Directional WIFI Range Extender

Step 4: Finish

Just plug the USB WIFI adaptor into the socket on the dish and plug the other end into your computer. Enjoy boosted signal strength and improved distance. Fire up Netstumber or Kismet to really see the gain in power. This works even better than I thought it would. Be sure to leave your comments on how well it worked. Works great for war driving too.

Comments

[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
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[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.

[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

[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.

[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]

[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

[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!/

[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..

[mowie]

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

[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.

[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!

[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.

[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!!!!

[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.