Wifi Booster Aerial

jamieh

Hi all,

I have a wireless network with a Linksys Range Expander.

However, we've built an extension and now I can't get wireless coverage throughout the house.

I was looking at booster antennas on ebay like this:

http://cgi.ebay.ie/Booster-Aerial-Yagi-antenna-18dBi-5M-RP-SMA-Wifi-Dlink_W0QQitemZ230264155565QQihZ013QQcategoryZ61816QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Would that work for me or do I need something else?

MickyJoe

Is the aerial on your Linksys detachable so that you can try attennae such as these ?

The aerial you are looking at is pretty directional - if you look at the characteristics of the aerial on the page you gave the link to - how would this affect the use elsewhere in the house if you want to have access in other parts of the house.

You could also consider these http://cgi.ebay.ie/Umbau-Omni-Stab-Antenne-9dBi-Wifi-WLAN-Linksys-WRT54G_W0QQitemZ230262271208QQihZ013QQcategoryZ79505QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262

I'm next to Howth in Dublin and I have one of these you could try out if you want and can call out (I got it from the same supplier on eBay - I got a few things from him and I received them very fast and he gave me a great price on combined postage so I feel that I could recommend him).

jamieh

Thanks for the reply man.

Unfortunatly I'm based in Waterford so I can't try it out...thanks a mill for the offer anyway.

I just bought two 9dbi antennas from ebay so I'll let you know how it goes.

What kind of range are u getting with the 9dbi antenna? Do they make much of a difference?

MickyJoe

I'm not actually using it. I tried it out on a site that I was seeing if I could get a radio signal from one house to another. Definitely was an improvement over the standard antenna. Ended up not using it as the second house had got their DSL problems sorted out before I got a chance to call out.

If you're looking at repeaters etc then try this - http://www.dabs.ie/productview.aspx?Quicklinx=53L7&SearchType=1&SearchTerms=edimax&PageMode=3&SearchKey=All&SearchMode=All&NavigationKey=0 - these have the matching connector for those antennae.

jamieh

If I buy that do I have to run loads of CAT5 from my router to the repeater?

MickyJoe

You can accomplish this wirelessly,

The Edimax box that I gave the link to can be set up in a number of modes such as access point (which is probably what you would use), repeater etc. I'm not an expert on this but I spent time looking for boxes that I could try the 9dB attennae with on the job I mentioned previously so I just thought that I would mention that you can change the aerial in less than a minute with the Edimax - they also have a WAN port and four ethernet ports so they are fairly flexible in what they can be used for. I used a pair of them (set up in different modes) to relay a broadband signal from a BT Voyageur (with no wireless) router to the other end of a large bungalow using their standard antennae and unusally, for me anyway (USB WLAN adapters break my heart by deciding to sit down after a couple of days), they have given no problems since

I would see how you get on with the 9dB antenna before you buy anything else. Did you check to see if you can just screw of the aerial on your Linksys before you ordered ?

jamieh

Cool, I'll see how I get on with the antenna so.

Ya I checked, the antenna just screws on and off

MunsterCycling

Try a powerline adaptor kit to connect to another router in the wifi black spot in the house, prob the easiest way to sort this. Heve you downloaded NetStumbler? Install it on your laptop then roam around the house checking the signal, some antennae on sale on the net produce no where near their marked dBi.

MC

maglite

Lads just a questoin on the link in the first post, 6km? range


Hpow does the laptop comp with comunicating back?, or can this be boosted too?

MickyJoe

I'd say getting 6km range would not be too easy !

If the laptop is within the areas that the aerial concentrates the signal then the reception would be better as well particularly if there are no other signals in the way.

The same dealer also does these USB adapters http://cgi.ebay.ie/WLAN-USB-54Mbps-Dongle-Stick-5dBi-RP-SMA-WEP-WEP2-Wifi_W0QQitemZ230265514954QQihZ013QQcategoryZ139563QQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1742.m153.l1262. The connector for the aerial on this is the same as the connector on the originally mentioned aerial so you can change this as well (those 9dB aerials are pretty big though!)

MickyJoe

Jamieh - how did you get on with the new aerial ?