[clug-talk] Extending the Signal Range of a WiFi router

[John Jardine]

If you want to go cheap and nasty...

Try using a usb wifi stick mounted into a rolled sheet of light steel
with a flat metal back (think duct work type stuff).  You can use
tie-wraps or clothes dryer clamps to hold it at the correct diameter.
The length of the sheet is less important than the diameter and the
distance of the USB stick from the back of the tube.  Conceptually
similar to the famed pringles can - but it works better.


On Mon, 2009-09-14 at 14:58 -0600, Juan Alberto Cirez wrote:
> Thank you all for the suggestions. Given the time and money constraints; 
> I need something relatively inexpensive, quick and dirty.
> I already have to Ethernet Bridges/Range Extenders at the shop and barn 
> so I am thinking maybe getting a ARG-2301A 802.11b/g WiFi Signal Booster 
> w/5dBi Antenna for the router access point in the house (placing the 
> antenna on the window in view of both the barn and the shop) and a 
> Hawking - HAO14SDP - 14dBi Directional Outdoor Antenna on each of the 
> Ethernet bridges/range boosters at the shop and barn. Given that the 
> Hawking antenna is reputed to have a line-of-site range of 1.5 miles. I 
> guess that 150m - 200m would be ok.
> 
> Any thoughts, opinions welcome.
> 
> P.S I may get a router that is supported for a Opensource Freeware (i.e. 
> dd-wrt) and increased the router Tx power to 500mW
>