Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 22:42 Post subject: WRT54G V5 connection sharing with antennas
I would like to share my inet connection with a friend who is located approximately 100yards away in another apartment building. There is no direct line-of-sight between our apartments, so a signal from my wrt54g would pass through my wall-> outside -> through wall in adjacent apartment to friend-> through other wall into friend's apartment.
Currently I just have the stock antennas on the wrt54g, and he is using a desktop pci wifi card with stock antenna. I have looked at everything from omni to directional (cantenna). I would like to keep it as cost effective as possible. Could anyone recommend the best way to go about setting this up?
Posted: Fri Jul 28, 2006 23:56 Post subject: Re: WRT54G V5 connection sharing with antennas
craftyguy wrote:
I would like to share my inet connection with a friend who is located approximately 100yards away in another apartment building. There is no direct line-of-sight between our apartments, so a signal from my wrt54g would pass through my wall-> outside -> through wall in adjacent apartment to friend-> through other wall into friend's apartment.
Currently I just have the stock antennas on the wrt54g, and he is using a desktop pci wifi card with stock antenna. I have looked at everything from omni to directional (cantenna). I would like to keep it as cost effective as possible. Could anyone recommend the best way to go about setting this up?
What effect does the xmit power have on range?
Hopefully the walls in question don't contain too much metal... Let's just say that your best bet would be some 18dbi panel antennas pointed as best as you can at each other. But before you invest and buy that, i would suggest just doing some tests with the stock antennas to see if you at least detect eachother in the Wireless Survey page..
100Yds is quite a ways, I'm not suprised with the results but then again I am less familar with G and it's standards. Anyways, my only suggestion is upping the mW output to 75, I wouldn't push it too high otherwise you can burn something out.
If that doesn't work, it's probably time for better antennas, I know Adi knows 10 times more about this than I do. In a wireless world sometimes better antennas on the router aren't enough, you also need better antennas on the client. I don't know if the positioning of the router higher or lower or parallel will help better the results either...
I will tell you I set it at 28mW on my router, and I got 15% signal and the computer is only 30 feet away from me, but these walls are solid plaster. But with that being said, it is only an 802.11b client receiver. _________________ WRT54G v 5, running DD-WRT v23 SP2 build 7/15/06 (the folder). Currently boosting range using an 802.11b Linksys signal booster, piggy back.
Posted: Sun Jul 30, 2006 8:10 Post subject: try this
I don't have the link handy, but there is a site that has instructions to make reflectors that fit on the WRT's antenna and give a healthy boost, close to the cantenna, but have much better coverage.
basically, a sheet of metal, or screen, or other wire mesh is bent to the correct curve (like a "U" shape" and then some foam is glued to the inside of the "U" and a hole is placed int the foam so the antenna can fit in. the curve needed is very very specific as is the distance from the antenna - basically it's a curved reflector
Hey, maybe BS can make a section where we can submit info/pictures of neat things to do with wireless routers?
The instructions explain how to make the antenna out of thick paper. How effective would a paper one be? Since it is significantly easier to work with paper than sheet metal. Also, the distance is actually about 50yds, I must have been half asleep when I wrote 100yds
