Any Antennas With More Slack?

Ozzy

I'm using this Wireless NIC http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=301248&cks=SPK
I got it soI can move the antenna around and get a better signal. The only problem is there's not enough cable, its too damn short.

A couple of questions I want to ask.
Firstly, is there any knowledgeable legends out there that can tell me if I could get an antenna anywhere with alot more slack? The longest ones on Komplett only reach to 1m and i'd like more than that - about mmmm... say around 10 metres.

Secondly, would using a cable of such a length affect the speed which data could be transferred across?

Fobia

I've used that particular antenna before and have to say I found it to be pretty bad...

You could certainly setup a link with some slack using a WLAN omni from www.wi-pipe.com then hook that up to a wireless NIC using co-axial cable, pigtails and N connectors. However this setup would probably set you back around €120....there are probably some cheap antenna cables or something that will fulfil your need but I havent come across any..

As for your second question, the answer is "maybe". Any cabling reduces the signal from the antenna, if there's not much of it then the loss shouldn't be significant enough to affect your transfer speeds but if there's alot then indeed you might start to see a difference. I'm guessing you don't want to use more than 5m of cabling though, so you should be ok.

Ozzy

I was wondering if there were any alternatives. Thanks for your help Fobia. I'm not much of an expert with networking! Using all that gear seems like an expensive and headwrecking option though (more so headwrecking).
L a z y M a d d a f a c k a

Any chance you can recommend me a decent antenna to get for the best signal?
I was looking at this one http://www.komplett.ie/k/ki.asp?sku=300373&cks=PRL


Another question if you don't mind - Would there be much gain (if any at all) on a directional antenna over an omni directional one?
Thanks for your help buddy!

Fobia

I'm afraid I don't know much about those cheap antennae so can't really recommend one..you can be pretty much guarenteed that none of them will have a lifespan of over 4 years generally though..

By gain, do you mean as in power or as in "one is better than the other"? I'm guessing you mean the second one, but the gain of an antenna is also a factor in how good it is (measured in dB). The difference between a directional antenna and an omni-directional is the way in which they transmit/receive signal. With directional antenna you point them at your target (ie the Ap), whereas with an omni-directional you usually mount it vertically (vertical polarization). In the "bigger world", directionals are generally used to connect people to aps, and omni-directionals are used to let people connect to them. However when you're only using the small stuff it probably wont make any difference, just remember if you're using a directional to aim it at the ap .

Ozzy

Much obliged for your help.
You guessed right! I should be more specific.

I think i'll go apply for Cisco networking certificate with this wealth of knowledge I have now