Best wifi antenna (1 Viewer)

walnut

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While at the malvern show I noticed a motorhome with a Maxiview crank up sat dish, attached to the side of the dish was a omni direction (360o) wifi antenna.
The owner said the antenna was already fitted when he bought the motorhome.
Does anyone know where I can buy a good quality wifi antenna, preferably a straight rod type antenna?
 
Jul 29, 2007
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Hi try these Link Removed they advertise on this site.

Olley
 

scotjimland

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Hi

The only wlan antenna that I've seen for a laptop is the Hawking USB wlan adapter, unless your laptop has an antenna port .. which I've never seen, this is the only type you can use unless you intend to open up the lappy and find the card, not for the faint hearted

The WIFI antenna you see advertised are for wireless routers to transmit rather than receive..

I suspect the antenna this guy was showing you was for a 3G GPRS dongle.. not a wifi.

I have the Hawking and it works superb, I'm using it now on a site wifi, about 200 mt from the wireless router with a 4 out of 5 bar signal strength.

Jim

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walnut

walnut

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I have read that extension antennas only work with a very short lead, 1 meter max.
The usb type antennas do not have this restriction.
If you watch one of the videos showing how to make a cantenna they always use a usb wifi device fitted into the antenna.
what I'm looking for is a usb wifi antenna that is not directional but boosts the signal by being long and externally mounted, (don't fancy trying to find a access point using a direction antenna, could take ages.
 

scotjimland

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I have read that extension antennas only work with a very short lead, 1 meter max.
The usb type antennas do not have this restriction.
If you watch one of the videos showing how to make a cantenna they always use a usb wifi device fitted into the antenna.
what I'm looking for is a usb wifi antenna that is not directional but boosts the signal by being long and externally mounted, (don't fancy trying to find a access point using a direction antenna, could take ages.

Sorry, I misunderstood, you want to use a usb wifi dongle rather than the built in wifi card ..:Doh:

the link Olley gave has omnidirectional antenna
 
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Douglas

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I have read that extension antennas only work with a very short lead, 1 meter max.
The usb type antennas do not have this restriction.
If you watch one of the videos showing how to make a cantenna they always use a usb wifi device fitted into the antenna.
what I'm looking for is a usb wifi antenna that is not directional but boosts the signal by being long and externally mounted, (don't fancy trying to find a access point using a direction antenna, could take ages.

USB leads are normally restricted to 3 meters, more that that and the voltage drop is a problem, there are however extender leads that have (I suspect) a dc to dc voltage converter on the end and these allow the further 5 meters.

The small dish, usb antenna (Hawking's) is very easy to use and will under favorable circumstances increase the range to 3 kilometers, I have done this myself.

The can-antenna that you have seen can be built around a USB dongle or an extension antenna from a USB dongle with a removable antenna, but here again, because of the low power you run into power loss of anything more than a meter or two of coax.

Doug...

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bashers

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3! Been boating for years. Now just bought an RV
The rectangular antenna here is my wifi aerial and the 3G aerial (more on that in another post)

Link Removed
It is the highest directional panel i could find and as its on the wineguard i can swing it round and reach distant access points.
It cost about £25 on ebay
 
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Jul 29, 2007
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Brilliant idea mounting it on the wineguard, now why didn't I think of that. :Doh:

Olley
 

bashers

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It does seem to feel heavier to raise with two antennas, but its not been an issue over the last six months, even in storms

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Douglas

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The rectangular antenna here is my wifi aerial and the 3G aerial (more on that in another post)

Link Removed
It is the highest directional panel i could find and as its on the wineguard i can swing it round and reach distant access points.
It cost about £25 on ebay

Tell me more! I.E. is it connected by USB, RF, something else? Does it have a power supply to it. and some details so the I can search for it.

Doug...
 

chrisgreen

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this is what i use.
and its a good site for all things wireless.
Link Removed

cheers chris
 

lebesset

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I have been experimenting with these things for about 5 years , and making cantenna's , chinese restaurant strainer aerials etc ; the following things are clear if you want a decent range

the built in wifi in your laptop is useless unless close to , so switch it off [ uses a lot of power ]

an external usb type is the way to go

omni directional is only a little better than the built in wifi

until recently I got reasonable results by mounting a usb wifi dongle at the focal point of a parabola [ metal strainer ] , 3 metre extension cable , fixing point on the outside mirror ; clearly would be better mounted on the roof and more easily rotated

SO , having read all the specs I have invested in a repeatit 2410 , installed it on the terrestrial TV antenna pole , run the cable inside the pole and , at 5 metres , enough length to position the laptop where I want it

not tried it yet , only wifi within 5Km is mine , so time will tell


oh dear , can't load photo ...will try later

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Scotties

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Wifi thingy ...

Don't wish to dampen the enthusiasm for drilling/hoisting/fixing etc. (we all love to do that) but recently visited USA for a few weeks and used the Hawking WIFI locator directional antenna (usb mobile phone size box) in a word BRILLIANT.

Without, you are lucky to pick up one or two Low signals.

With, it can pick up a dozen or more with amplified signal strength and quality.

The software gives full details of SSID Strength Tx rate whether its encrypted or not etc

A real plug and play device, spent many evenings there watching our Slingbxox and Sky to time shift etc from back home, virtualy everywhere.

By the way only paid on one site $3, most areas (not just Mcdonalds etc) have free access. Its also portable so can be used anywhere in the van, hotel rooms etc

Sometimes the simplest solutions can be the best

Regards Richard
 

johngee

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My record with this

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is about 5 miles across open water. It is directional (about 60 degrees), and clear line of sight is the key to connecting to distant public hotspots.

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lebesset

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you gave me a bad moment there johngee , I lost my elder brother last year , and he was always know as john G

as I stated earlier , have just installed a repeatit , installation in attached photo

I was hoping for more range than my previous home made outfit which gave the same range as the latest hawking mentioned here [ they say up to 500 ft ] but 25 times as much ????

if I get 20% of that I will reckon my money well spent !

and I didn't realise it was effective over a segment as wide as 60 degrees , is it better to optimise within that sector?

as all can see , autumn has arrived ! soon time to roll !
 

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johngee

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I can't remember where I read about the 60 degree thing, but whilst it is directional it doesn't need to be pointed absolutely at the source.
 

Kon tiki

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Often thought about making something to fit to my suitcase sat dish. I have a couple of USB wifi dongles & managed to pick up weak signals with the chinese cookware method but thought that it might be easier using the dish on a tripod. I would think the focal point would be where the LNB is mounted.

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Scotties

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Hawking ...

Hi Hilldweler, same company, different unit. Their 300% increase is no idle boast.

This is the one I use (ex ebay about £20).

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Tea strainers and tin foil may be enough for a quick e-mail check, but if you want video streaming etc, no chance.:Smile:

Regards Richard
 

lebesset

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300% increase on not a lot is ...not a lot more , and that is what is claimed ; and the technology in a usb dongle is identical it you look at the hardware used when you install
 

Scotties

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Hawking ...

Hi Lebesset, you could be right, but I can only speak as I find.

As an experiment on a housing estate we had 2 v low signals, plugged in the Hawking and got 10 sites (up to 80%+ strength and quality), logged on and streamed (Slingbox) live sound and video, this across 2 continents, no problem:thumb:

I've found the dongle fairly useless by comparison.

Not everyone is aware that Iplayer or skyplayer only stream radio, not tv, to other contiinents (not sure about Europe)

It's down to everyone to find the solution that suits them best.

Regards Richard

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lebesset

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the ability to stream etc is not a function of how strong the wifi signal is , but what the IP provides as a maximum throughput eg you could park outside my house and get 100% signal strength , but be able to stream nothing because , at the distance I am from the exchange , my IP can only provide 1/2 G download speed

by the exchange the IP can provide 3G and with half the wifi signal strength you can stream , as I have

in other words the wifi strength is nothing to do with the capacity
 

Pharmbouy

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long range wifi

We use a system we purchased in the USA. I have managed to get on the internet from sites up to 5 KM away line of sight.

Check out this website for many types of systems.... http://www.radiolabs.com

Or check out my website which shows what and how we used this system.
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bashers

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Tell me more! I.E. is it connected by USB, RF, something else? Does it have a power supply to it. and some details so the I can search for it.

Doug...

I bought a 14dB wifi panel such as Link Removed antenna for £20

Attach that to something you can rotate on your roof.Link Removed

Plug it into a multifunction wifi router that can act as an "access point client".
This means it will connect to a distant wifi hotspot as if it was a laptop. It can then be plugged into the network port of your laptop.
I used an Edimax BR-6204WLg which i bought brand new for about £25 and runs at 12V so I've plugged it into a 12V battery feed.

This model even re-broadcasts the wireless signal, called "WDS", which will help your neighbours to receive a good signal too.
This means you don't even need to plug it into your laptop, just configure it and leave it in a cupboard.

To be honest though, with the prices of wireless on campsites, I've only used it to test as the 3G option is always cheaper!!

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