Wireless Connectivity Tip

[Chael]

Hey all, didn't see any posts about this so hopefully this will help someone out.

I lost my internet a while back because Comcast decided I needed to fork out $420 just to turn it back on. So anyway, my neighbor gave me the WEP key to his router and told me I could use it as much as I want; problem was, I wasn't getting a solid signal. So I grabbed a long ethernet cable, cut the ends off, and spliced in some USB jacks, basically making a really long USB extension cord. Then I got a long pole (17 feet), taped my wireless card on the end of it, leaned it against my house, and plugged in the new cable. Before this I was getting 2-3 wireless networks, and now I get around 13 at one time (altogether I found over 40). The only real downside to this is that the card picks up a lot of interference from all the wireless networks, so you might have to change channels on the router or try putting some metal behind the card so it blocks signals from one direction.

Thanks for reading!

[markp1989]

Hey all, didn't see any posts about this so hopefully this will help someone out.

I lost my internet a while back because Comcast decided I needed to fork out $420 just to turn it back on. So anyway, my neighbor gave me the WEP key to his router and told me I could use it as much as I want; problem was, I wasn't getting a solid signal. So I grabbed a long ethernet cable, cut the ends off, and spliced in some USB jacks, basically making a really long USB extension cord. Then I got a long pole (17 feet), taped my wireless card on the end of it, leaned it against my house, and plugged in the new cable. Before this I was getting 2-3 wireless networks, and now I get around 13 at one time (altogether I found over 40). The only real downside to this is that the card picks up a lot of interference from all the wireless networks, so you might have to change channels on the router or try putting some metal behind the card so it blocks signals from one direction.

Thanks for reading!

i dont know what the max length of a usb cable is, i think its about 5m before it can start to cause problems, apart from this i have done similar , in the loft conversion i had a long usb extension, taped the dongle to the cable so it wouldnt fall off and just threw it out of the window when i was borrowing next door internet whilst mine was down, getting dongle away from the pc always helps a hell of a lot :)

[||Console||]

If you like this Try looking into a "Cantenna" or using a Old sat dish . There are also High DB antennas you can get that make a BIG difference.

[MikeD1883]

Hey all, didn't see any posts about this so hopefully this will help someone out.

I lost my internet a while back because Comcast decided I needed to fork out $420 just to turn it back on. So anyway, my neighbor gave me the WEP key to his router and told me I could use it as much as I want; problem was, I wasn't getting a solid signal. So I grabbed a long ethernet cable, cut the ends off, and spliced in some USB jacks, basically making a really long USB extension cord. Then I got a long pole (17 feet), taped my wireless card on the end of it, leaned it against my house, and plugged in the new cable. Before this I was getting 2-3 wireless networks, and now I get around 13 at one time (altogether I found over 40). The only real downside to this is that the card picks up a lot of interference from all the wireless networks, so you might have to change channels on the router or try putting some metal behind the card so it blocks signals from one direction.

Thanks for reading!

Wait, I am confused. Did you put the wireless reciever on top of a 17 foot pole outside and connect it to your PC with the long USB cord? Would rain not mess it up?

Why does it help when the reciever is farther away from your PC?

Sorry for being a wireless noob, just curious exactly how your set up helped you pick up so many new networks.

[||Console||]

Wait, I am confused. Did you put the wireless reciever on top of a 17 foot pole outside and connect it to your PC with the long USB cord? Would rain not mess it up?

Why does it help when the reciever is farther away from your PC?

Sorry for being a wireless noob, just curious exactly how your set up helped you pick up so many new networks.

Yes he did spliced a USB onto a Cat5 and then is pluging a USB wifi card into it .

Its not that getting it away from the PC the the big help it is the benifit from less interference ( Your walls, Tv , Phone , Baby Monitor, Fridge ) + plus the extra height.
You could use the same thing to help you if you use a PCI wifi card with a removable antenna just buy a big antenna and put it on your roof vs the crapy stock one you are given .

[markp1989]

If you like this Try looking into a "Cantenna" or using a Old sat dish . There are also High DB antennas you can get that make a BIG difference.

big +1 on cantenna, i always wanted to give 1 ago, but i havnt got around to it yet.

[Chael]

Yes, it is on top of the 17 foot pole. We tried soldering a wire onto the internal antenna and putting that up on the pole, but it didn't like it. The idea is that you want the antenna high and unobstructed, and if you can't move the antenna by itself, why not just move the whole card? Oh, and rain hasn't been an issue yet, but I can always just throw a plastic bag on top of it if I have too. As for the cantenna, the guide says to buy some special jack and special wire; I imagine splicing would work just as well, but what I've got works fine, plus I had all the parts (pole and wire) just lying around. Probably would be better with shielded wire, but I haven't noticed any problems.

[Krogen]

I recently made a cantenna, never made one previously. I just used a normal can from corn, and stuck a USB wifi antenna inside. Works great with a 16-feet USB cable. I think that's as long as you can get with USB.

It actually doesn't look that 'ghetto'. I put some effort into making it. It improved my signal by a huge amount. I don't have a camera, so I can't take any pics.

EDIT: Actually, I also tried it with a longer cable (25 feet, I think), and it worked. However, connecting my 16 foot cable to the 25 foot one made the WiFi antenna unrecognizable.

So anyways, what's the longest USB can get?

[markp1989]

I recently made a cantenna, never made one previously. I just used a normal can from corn, and stuck a USB wifi antenna inside. Works great with a 16-feet USB cable. I think that's as long as you can get with USB.

It actually doesn't look that 'ghetto'. I put some effort into making it. It improved my signal by a huge amount. I don't have a camera, so I can't take any pics.

EDIT: Actually, I also tried it with a longer cable (25 feet, I think), and it worked. However, connecting my 16 foot cable to the 25 foot one made the WiFi antenna unrecognizable.

So anyways, what's the longest USB can get?

i think the max is 16ft/5m , then you will need a powered hub to go any further.

you can get somthing like this http://www.google.co.uk/products/catalog?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=usb+ethernet+extender&um=1&ie=UTF-8&cid=10234423747342540056&ei=aTIjTLuYKJG7jAfrnd0-&sa=X&oi=product_catalog_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CCsQ8wIwAg# that lets uses network cables, letting you have 200ft long usb :)