How good is a wifi booster?

I wanted to amplify the wifi signal received by my laptop. How good is this amplifier? Can you recommand an alternative?

Thanks.

I forget to say that my laptop wifi is the 802.11n.

Other alternative amplifiers:
link1
link2
link3
link4
link5

 

Just the other day I was looking up on those too but looks like none of them suits me. I'd like something like the first link but without built in wireless card and possibly a smaller dongle, antenna and color looks fine.

Kinda like this one http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/150M-High...=190578618654&ps=63&clkid=3648188813953995905 which serves as a true gain signal booster to my existing WiFi card but without the bulk and cable yuck!

Another alternative would be too get a better WiFi card or router but the router will only serve as a better signal if you're connected to it and not using the other access points eg.: School, neighbors non-secure signal, etc.

 

Yeah, I couldn't recommend any of those (not really practical...).

Look at upgrading your internal wifi card (Intel...) to make your notebook as sensitive as possible to wifi signals.

Look at upgrading your router as Nemix77 also suggested if it is only at home/office you need better connections. This could not only be a new router - it may be something as simple as upgrading the antennae that your current router is using.

Or, (again, if at home/office) a different location for your router a better solution?

Hope this line of thinking is on the right path?

 

This works very well for me. Doubles the number of connections i get at home but i don't use it there. Gives me connections at my girlfriends which i can't get with internal card. Works good when traveling and is pretty inexpensive. Read the reviews.

Newegg.com - Rosewill RNX-N180UBE Wireless Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 1T2R / 5 dBi External Antenna / Up to 300Mbps Wireless Download Data Rates 64/128-bit WEP (Hex & ASCII), WPA/WPA2, WPA(TKIP with IEEE

 

I would not spend money for it, they work as well (limited) as the sending signals

cheers ...

 

I don't have any signal issues at Home. The signal of my wireless router and its location ensure a good signal throughout the house. I'm considering an amplifier or a booster for those situations where I don't have access to the modem (e.g. a hotel or a public space).

I've already tried various mini PCI wifi card (Intel, Ralink, Realtek, Atheros) and the strengh of the recieved wifi signal is always about the same. It seems that I'm limited by the built in antenna.

bikerboy94 thanks for the link.

qhn, are you saying that the solutions out there are no better than my built-in antennas?

Thanks

 

I have used this for about 200 days now and it will have full wireless signal when my laptop can't even see the signal. I have used it and its next generation counterpart that is rated at 2000mW and i think the one I linked is probably the better of the two.


Edit: depending on your circumstances I would probably recommend the taller antenna and the magnetic base, both of which have again served me extremely well and let me enjoy reasonable internet speeds when my built in card couldn't even see the signal.

 

For the money the Rosewill USB WiFi card looks like a very good solution however by doing so you'll have two WiFi cards when the Rosewill is plugged in which shouldn't be a problem if it serves it's purpose but kinda inconvenient many of us who would just take the route of upgrading the internal WiFi card to a higher MIMO one and not have to deal with two WiFi cards.

If this is what you need, you could also look into this Premiertek one: Newegg.com - Premiertek PT-H5DN PowerLink Wireless High-Gain Adapter IEEE 802.11b/g/n, 802.3/3u USB 2.0 Up to 300Mbps Wireless Data Rates 64/128bit WEP (Hex&ASCII). WPA, WPA-PSK, WPA2, WPA2-PSK, TKIP/AES which IMO looks better built and has a better antenna, both adapters (Rosewill/Premiertek) use the same Realtek RTL8191SU chipset which is a good thing since drivers and utilities can be downloaded via OEM.

If I hadn't already upgraded to a Intel 6205 2x2 MIMO from my default Centrino 1000 1x2 MIMO then this would have been an option I'd highly consider. In my case, buying the USB WiFi adapters now would be kinda a downgrade and upgrade from my Intel 6205 2x2 MIMO since both adapters are only 1x2 MIMO (downgrade) but definitely has better high gain antenna than my laptops default internal antennas (upgrade).

This is the reason why I'm only looking into a USB gain antenna with no built in WiFi card so that I can use my Intel 6205 2x2 MIMO with the higher gain antenna when I need it and not have to deal with two separate WiFi cards (which can be a downgrade depending on WiFi card you have installed on your laptop).

 

Speaking of which, has anyone used an alternate Wi-Fi antenna on their routers? I might try one only because when I'm outside, the signal fades quickly and have to stand ten feet from my house to get a reliable signal.

 

Nemix77 and Wildcat11,
Thanks for the links.

 

Just build a cantenna/wokfi. You can get about 15dB gain out of one if you make it right. If you want even more then you could put in some actual amplification to boost it over 20dB.

 

I tought about it but all the tutorials I found involved hard moding my laptop too which I don't want to do.

Guys is it possible to use a wireless router as a receiver?

 

You don't have to hard mod your laptop to use a homebuilt antenna. You simply canibalise a USB wifi dongle. All you do is solder the wire from your cantenna (using a shielded wire might be worth it, it depends how much noise there is) to the PCB trace of the USB dongle which acts as an internal antenna.

I'd glue or tape the dongle to the outside of the cantenna so that it looks a little neater. Just use an extension cable to plug it into your computer.

 

They are pretty much equivalent. Both antennas are 5dBi and both have the same internals. I would actually get the Rosewill unit if it will be used with the antenna it comes with, because it also comes with a stand. That way it doesn't put undue stress on the USB port. If using a 3rd party antenna connected by a cable, then buy the cheaper one. FWIW I own both (two of the Rosewill, three of the Premiertek).

Yes. The higher the gain, the "flatter" the signal. If it isn't a multi-story building, then you can probably get some super high gain omni antennas. Of course your wireless router will need to feature external, detachable antennas. Something like this works with most wireless routers with detachable antennas.

Sometimes it also helps to have better placement. For instance, is your wireless router in a closet, behind a TV or sitting on top of or next to a metal filing cabinet? Something like this can help reposition the antenna and increase gain, without having to relocate the device.

Maybe. It will have to support being a wireless client, and most wireless routers (that I've worked with) do not have that feature out of the box. I'm not talking about bridging or repeating, but being a client. Note that 3rd party firmware such as DD-WRT supports that feature, so if your wireless router is supported by DD-WRT (or alternatives) then flash it and you're good to go.

 

I was looking at this one: Amazon.com: 10 dBi 2.4GHz WIFI Antenna: Eforcity

I do have two stories in my house. My router is in my basement too, although up on top of a desk hutch, near the ceiling of the basement. I get decent signal everywhere inside, just would be nice to get further range outside.

 

Thanks

A link for a good tutorial please!

 

How to build a tin can waveguide antenna

Making a wokfi is much simpler. Cantenna's and wokfi's each have their own merits. To make a wokfi, simply find a parabolic metal dish (doesn't have to be perfect, it can have holes in it, it can be made of wire, it can even be a seive). If it's a solid metal dish then you simply hold it perpendicular to the sun to find the focal point. If it's made of wire or something then you have to place a small mirror on the side and work out where the point of light is converging to (if you're good at maths then you could probably do it that way). Once you have the focal point you simply have to put some sort of reciever in that exact spot. Some people actually mount a USB dongle on a piece of wood and have that directly in the firing line, though I think it's a little crude. A shielded coaxial cable would be better (the sort used for old TV's), with the shielding stripped at the focal point. If you put the dongle directly in the focal point then just get an extension cable for the USB, point it where you want and then you're good to go.

If you made a cantenna or used a coaxial cable then you'll need to hook it up to the antenna of the USB dongle. To do this you need to take the plastic case off (usually as simple as jamming a screwdriver in a seam). The antenna is usually fairly easy to find, it's usually a large trace in the circuit board (you could get one with an external antenna and then you know exactly where you are). You need to solder the signal carrying wire to this. Then the ground from the cable (if you bothered with a grounded cable) goes to where the metal part of the USB interface connects to the circuit board (this is grounded so it'll work fine). Then use a little jiggery pokerey (aka drill and stanley knife) to put the platic case back together and then you're done.

 

thanks for the link.

Would something as easy to make as this work?



EDIT:

What you're describing here is like a satellite dish with the dongle mounted at the front. Isn't it?

How about mounting at the back like below?

 

Yes, thise will work (if a little crude). The one made of a seive actually has it in the depression, not the other side. It's just the perspective that makes it look the other way.

Also, if you build your own antenna then you have the "pro/cool" factor too since you built it yourself and they're quite often better than commercial ones. The one thing you have to bear in mind with them is that they're highly directional. If you don't know where you need to point it then you'll have little luck, though it doesn't take much to scout out an area with one by turning it round slowly.

 

these are practically the standard I know of
can be gotten for 30 usd
ALFA Network – WLAN, WiFi phone, ADSL, KVM, Bluetooth, PoE Products

http://www.amazon.com/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8

 

I have the similar question. Need to buy good but not very expensive wifi booster, do you have any opinion about good one? Thanks

 

I bought an "TP Link TPTL-WA850RE 300Mbps Universal Wireless N Range Extender" for £29 , the wifi extender part was a bonus as it has an network/lan socket that i use to connect to my Xbox 360 as it does not have wifi and it works great, also if i ever need a wifi booter i have one.

TL-WA850RE - Welcome to TP-LINK

John.

 

Thank you for your reply. I will try to find it. I was suggest to look at wilsonamplifiers.com, but I did not find there anything similar