Hello everybody,
I am in the process of setting up wireless internet at home, but am still a complete novice in this field. I have just bought a ZyXEL G-202 USB wireless adapter and I am making an antenna of sorts following some instructables as we speak. On my laptop I usually get 1-2 stripes at most when it comes to signal strength, so I was planning to do some piggybacking with my desktop. :) (hey, internet is not cheap here in the Balkans. :P) Anyway, I live in the capital where we have many Cafes and institutions providing free wireless, so why not make the most of it, it's not illegal here. :)
The only problem is, I live in an block of flats; so many surrounding buildings tend to block and corrupt the signal. For instance, in my room (using an Acer laptop with built-in wireless) I get a list of 5-6 free (read: unsecured) APs, but the signal is so weak, it's good for nothing. :(
Now, having examined my options, I was planning to make an antenna and put it on the roof of the building. But, when I climbed to the top, I found this old abandoned satellite dish SEE PHOTO (I asked around the building and nobody knows who it belongs to. Additionally, it's very run down as you can see, and the cables are torn out, so I was planning on claiming it. :p).
Now, my questions are:
1. Can anyone tell me if it's a good idea to use this dish as an antenna, if I weather proof my USB receiver and mount it on the focal point of the dish? (Line of sight (aerial) distance from it to the nearest free wifi hotspot is approx. 600 meters)
2. Is there a possibility that my USB will get too hot, maybe catch fire, because of the signal boost? (Maybe this is a dumb question, but I really don't know much about these things)
3. Finally, I would also need an advice in regard to the cables needed. I already downloaded the "How to extend your USB using UTP" instructable, but since the cable should be about 60 meters long, is there a way to make it not loose too much signal?
Thank you all for reading this, and thank you in advance for your advice. Any type of help is welcomed. :)