Extended Wi-Fi Antennas?

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AZScanner

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Going to be moving into a new apartment and guess what they offer at the clubhouse? Free wifi! My new apartment is close, but not quite close enough to use it from inside. I'm sure by now you know where I'm going with this.... :D

I have a Linksys router flashed with DD-WRT that opens up the ability to create a wireless repeater. Just need some high gain antennas and I should be good to go.... right? Looking for any insight you folks can provide as to what brand of antennas to purchase, what other equipment I might need, etc. Ideally, I'd like to use the router as an internet gateway and then have a second router inline to provide a private WPA encrypted wireless network that uses the clubhouse's signal for access to the internet. I know my throughput will be decreased due to all the handshaking between my routers and the AP at the clubhouse but free internet means $50 a month or so that I DON'T have to spend, so it's worth trying. The savings over one year could buy me a new digital scanner with all the trimmings.

I think it's possible, and additional WRT54G routers can be had for a song at just about any Goodwill store.... any tips/tricks/caveats I'm missing here?

Thanks,
-AZ
 

OCO

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Google "pringles can" or "Cantenna" .. You should be able to put together a cheap antenna to use with your existing router. You'll need to find some coax and the correct plug to use with your router, but that's pretty easy to find online..
 

estefan2020

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Google "pringles can" or "Cantenna" .. You should be able to put together a cheap antenna to use with your existing router. You'll need to find some coax and the correct plug to use with your router, but that's pretty easy to find online..

stick with an n usb and gp patch antenna. cantenna only if you can afford lm-400 cable, cheaper cable just eats the signal.
 

W2NJS

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Try working the main site with just a better antenna to start with. The computer stores all sell longer wi-fi antennas which definitely work better than those short three-inch jobs that come with the PCI wi-fi cards.
 

gewecke

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Going to be moving into a new apartment and guess what they offer at the clubhouse? Free wifi! My new apartment is close, but not quite close enough to use it from inside. I'm sure by now you know where I'm going with this.... :D

I have a Linksys router flashed with DD-WRT that opens up the ability to create a wireless repeater. Just need some high gain antennas and I should be good to go.... right? Looking for any insight you folks can provide as to what brand of antennas to purchase, what other equipment I might need, etc. Ideally, I'd like to use the router as an internet gateway and then have a second router inline to provide a private WPA encrypted wireless network that uses the clubhouse's signal for access to the internet. I know my throughput will be decreased due to all the handshaking between my routers and the AP at the clubhouse but free internet means $50 a month or so that I DON'T have to spend, so it's worth trying. The savings over one year could buy me a new digital scanner with all the trimmings.

I think it's possible, and additional WRT54G routers can be had for a song at just about any Goodwill store.... any tips/tricks/caveats I'm missing here?

Thanks,
-AZ

Ok, maybe I can offer some ideas? I've been wanting to dump com(scam)cast but the girlfriend doesn't want to. :(
I've been considering these ideas;

Amazon.com: Buffalo Technology Wireless-G High Power Router and Access Point with High Gain Antenna WHR-HP-G54: Electronics

http://www.uberreview.com/2008/04/wi-fi-predator-a-diy-long-range-wi-fi-snooper.htm

http://www.ccrane.com/antennas/wifi-antennas/point-to-point-wifi-antenna.aspx

http://www.wifipredator.com/

Hop this food for thought?

73,
n9zas
 
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mibzzer15

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The WRT54G flashed with DD-WRT and longer high gain antennas should work perfectly in conjunction with the Alfa 1000w wifi card.
 

estefan2020

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check out ALFA 802.11n/b/g Long-Range 2000mW Outdoor USB AP/CPE 091037006691 | eBay

This one has specs though I think there is one at 31dbm listed
27dBm@11b/g
21dbm@11bgn HT20
20dbm@11bgn HT40

18dbm@11a
13dbm@11a HT20-(14dbm)
14dbm@11a HT40-(13dbm)

ALFA NETWORK AWUS051NH Dual Band Wireless A/B/G/N USB Adapter 300mbps Wireless N 4718050300136 | eBay

Yea here is another little stronger
Output power :
802.11b : 33dBm +/- 1 (the higher the better)

802.11g : 32dBm +/- 1

802.11n (HT20) : 32dBm +/- 1

802.11n (HT40) : 33dBm +/- 1

Sensitivity :
11b: -92dBm ( the higher negative number the better)

11g: -76dBm

11n: -73dBm@HT20

-70dBm@HT40


ALFA AWUS036NH 2W Wireless N USB WLAN Adapter+Antenna | eBay


If you go for an antenna that needs cable like the c. crane antenna (not talking about usb) look for lmr-400 or lmr-600 rp-sma and yes the cable is a bit more $$ per foot, though there are high losses at the GHZ range, you really cant skimp on the cable (or direct connect antenna to the unit, no cable).

If you need longer usb, look for active usb cable, they have a 1 usb port on the end, which uses the 5V line and refreshes the signal, corrects for long usb runs.

If your going to compare, look for the Dbm numbers, if non are listed, ask.
 

ipfd320

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I Picked up a linksys wireless N extender for my hp touch screen computer--loaded the disk and hooked up the antenna
What a pain in the ***..but anyway---everything was good untill i went to use my cordless phone...very staticy and i also noticed that my scanners wer acting the same way

I also had a Major Problem with my other PC in the Office with the internal Wireles...the pc Couldn,t get a Signal at all from the main Linksys Unit

I unplugged the xpander and all were good on the phone / scanners and office PC

I got fed up so in my Situation i Hard Wired all my PC,S to a router xpander
I DO NOT Reccomend this unit to Anyone
It Throws off way to Much RF
The Company says they Can,t do anything about the RF Interference it Put Out as per FCC Rules and Regulations which are in Spec Limits
 

estefan2020

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I Picked up a linksys wireless N extender for my hp touch screen computer--loaded the disk and hooked up the antenna
What a pain in the ***..but anyway---everything was good untill i went to use my cordless phone...very staticy and i also noticed that my scanners wer acting the same way

I also had a Major Problem with my other PC in the Office with the internal Wireles...the pc Couldn,t get a Signal at all from the main Linksys Unit

I unplugged the xpander and all were good on the phone / scanners and office PC

I got fed up so in my Situation i Hard Wired all my PC,S to a router xpander
I DO NOT Reccomend this unit to Anyone
It Throws off way to Much RF
The Company says they Can,t do anything about the RF Interference it Put Out as per FCC Rules and Regulations which are in Spec Limits

get 5.8mhz phones, dump the 2.4ghz phones for one. business ? grab a spare wireless router connect it hard wired up to a computer hard wired with your computer only hooked up to the spare router.. if your local router is 192.168.1.1 then change the spare router to 192.168.1.255. log back into the spare router, and turn off the dhcp server. next unplug the spare router, place the spare router in where ever, If there is a hard wired computer in the area great. as you will use it as a switch, plug the computer in the router, and the etherner into another jack, not the WAN jack on ether cable. plug power into the modem, if there is no hard lined computer, go to menards and get some Ethernet, hard wire it to your office router. Basically, you match your office router ip, and assign the router to .255 instead of .1, then you dumbed the router so it does not handle ip addresses, that is the function of the office router. as long as the spare router has wifi, you will have wifi out of the spare router as long as you create a different ssid and different channel, 3 channels apart from the office router. You now have a wired / wireless access point. and spare routers can be had at thrift stores or rummage sales for $5 or so. please dump the 2.4ghz phone. and if you have a wireless printer, plug an Ethernet cord in it and will double your printer speed, wireless slows down your printer. you will have wireless from a wired network, and possibly depending on where the microwave is, may not disrupt your wireless when someone heats up their lunch.

there is nothing wrong with the wireless extender, your office environment was not set up properly for wireless, probably by someone who had little to no experience setup your wireless devices, and they assumed all other wireless devices that use the same frequency to get along with each other, they usually do not.
 

estefan2020

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PS. Ethernet cable can be used in 333ft before it needs to be refreshed by a switch, or in the case above, a wireless switch. So you do not need to skimp on the cable.
 

ipfd320

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Thanks for the info ESTEFAN 2020...but i dont money to throw away on 5.8 phones that are just a crappy as soon as u go outside..been there....as for all the other info you left thats a whole lot of work to do 1st of all and 2nd i hardwired all in in less than 2 hrs....everything is good or better since the hardwire.....also the speeds came up considerably
 
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