My Stealth Fon....errr Wd World Ext Hdd

[itsm0ld]

OK so after getting the pineapple working I had everything setup in a laptop bag but It was kinda bulky...so this is what I did.

The idea is that unless your searching for the guy with a fon or very interested in my setup you wouldn't take much note of the EXT HDD setting on the table next to my laptop with only one cable. Everyone here knows that a full 3.5 ext HDD needs power but hey if I really want to look legit I can still plug it in...also usually if you wanted to use your WD world on a single laptop you wouldn't use an Ethernet cable...but...

Ok to the pics:

So what do you guys think?

My project to-do list:

1) Make the fon LED's work on HDD case

2) Externally accessible switch to turn off (currently have to pull the case apart)

3) Add the power jack next to the Ethernet port so I can charge the battery again without having to pull the case apart...or to power it from an outlet

4) Get a WD ext case that isn't so scratched up......anyone want to donate? Ill pay shipping?

Edited October 25, 2011 by itsm0ld

[bobbyb1980]

Nice, I remember someone making something similar here. You should probably keep the antenna on the outside of the case and call it a wireless hard drive as the pineapples don't transmit that strong and that plastic might knock a few yards off your coverage area. I also saw slightly better results when I changed my stock antenna to a slightly larger one.

[itsm0ld]

Nice, I remember someone making something similar here. You should probably keep the antenna on the outside of the case and call it a wireless hard drive as the pineapples don't transmit that strong and that plastic might knock a few yards off your coverage area. I also saw slightly better results when I changed my stock antenna to a slightly larger one.

I hope to test the range later this week. The antenna is actually a 5dbi rather than the 1.5dbi it came with so it "should" have decent range.

Did you try this to increase the range of your pineapple? http://forums.hak5.org/index.php?showtopic=20637

I made the change but didn't do any testing before and after so I'm not sure if it made a difference.

[bobbyb1980]

To my understanding (and I very well could be wrong :P) I believe that changing the antenna really doesn't do anything because the transmitter on the router is still transmitting at the same rate.

I bought a 17dbi sector antenna a while back and that antenna was only as strong as the transmitter, with a 1 watt transmmitter it'd be strong, with 250mw not very. I assume it's the same principal with antennas like this.

No, I didn't try that link but I will soon - thanks for posting it.

[leg3nd]

The antenna helps, I have done benchmarks on both directional Yaggi and a 18dBi Omni-Directional and both proved to have much longer range, signal strength, and wall penetration.

[itsm0ld]

To my understanding (and I very well could be wrong :P) I believe that changing the antenna really doesn't do anything because the transmitter on the router is still transmitting at the same rate.

I bought a 17dbi sector antenna a while back and that antenna was only as strong as the transmitter, with a 1 watt transmmitter it'd be strong, with 250mw not very. I assume it's the same principal with antennas like this.

No, I didn't try that link but I will soon - thanks for posting it.

The antenna helps, I have done benchmarks on both directional Yaggi and a 18dBi Omni-Directional and both proved to have much longer range, signal strength, and wall penetration.

Antennas absolutely make a difference even with low power.

Here is a link to a pretty good article that will explain everything but in a nutshell this is what you need to know:

" dB is a logarithmic unit and every 3 dB increase is a doubling of the power (intensity). This means that if you switch out your theoretic 0 dBi antenna for a 3 dBi antenna you will gain the same amount of extra range as doubling your transmitter output power. A 3 dB increment means an extended range by 1.414, a 6 dB increment means an extended range by 2 (1.414*1.414) "

So basically every 3db of antenna doubles whatever power your outputting.

Link to original article with great explanations and diagrams:Understanding Antenna Gain

[bobbyb1980]

That was a very informative article, thanks for posting it, but check this quote out from the end.

So basically every 3db of antenna doubles whatever power your outputting.

Your transmitter puts ut out a fixed amount of power, the antenna does not change that, it’s only distributing that power. - 2nd to last paragraph

Isn't there only so much power the transmitter can output? So in theory a switch from a 6dbi or 9dbi antenna to a 17dbi wouldn't see that much of a difference as the transmitter hit its peak output at 6 or 9 dbi?

I bought a high dollar outdoor 1 watt 2.4 ghz transmitter that didn't make that much of a difference because the overall network speed is pretty much equal to what the client can transmit at which isn't much : )

I still think we have a lot to learn about radio waves and stuff : )

[barry99705]

That was a very informative article, thanks for posting it, but check this quote out from the end.

Isn't there only so much power the transmitter can output? So in theory a switch from a 6dbi or 9dbi antenna to a 17dbi wouldn't see that much of a difference as the transmitter hit its peak output at 6 or 9 dbi?

I bought a high dollar outdoor 1 watt 2.4 ghz transmitter that didn't make that much of a difference because the overall network speed is pretty much equal to what the client can transmit at which isn't much : )

I still think we have a lot to learn about radio waves and stuff : )

Power doesn't have anything to do with speed, power helps range. Omni antenna radiation patterns look like a big ass doughnut. The higher db the antenna is rated, the flatter the pattern is, which translates in farther range, but with the loss of some signal above or below the horizon of the antenna.

Also transmitter output is measured in watts, not dbi.

Here's an example...

The HakShop USB RT8187L WiFi Adapter, outputs at 1000mW, with a 5dBi antenna for a combined 35db of power.

If you were to replace the antenna with a 3dBi (awesome for wardriving in cities with multistory buildings) you'd have 33db of power, so less range, but the radiation pattern would be more spherical.

Now if you were to go crazy and stick a 15dBi antenna you'd up the power to 45db, with a really flat radiation pattern.

[itsm0ld]

Power doesn't have anything to do with speed, power helps range. Omni antenna radiation patterns look like a big ass doughnut. The higher db the antenna is rated, the flatter the pattern is, which translates in farther range, but with the loss of some signal above or below the horizon of the antenna.

Also transmitter output is measured in watts, not dbi.

Here's an example...

The HakShop USB RT8187L WiFi Adapter, outputs at 1000mW, with a 5dBi antenna for a combined 35db of power.

If you were to replace the antenna with a 3dBi (awesome for wardriving in cities with multistory buildings) you'd have 33db of power, so less range, but the radiation pattern would be more spherical.

Now if you were to go crazy and stick a 15dBi antenna you'd up the power to 45db, with a really flat radiation pattern.

The speed can be slowed down if you have a bad signal but its not related to signal strength....that probably doesn't sound right....If you are at the range limit (low signal) of a AP that can do 150MBs IF you stay connected it may slow the rate down to 54MBs or less.

On the flip side if you AP only supports 54MBs than no bigger antenna will make it faster.

Late night coffee deprived post, hope it was kinds useful...

[bobbyb1980]

Good explanation about the radiation patterns, that helped me understand more how antennas work. So would I be correct in assuming that say if I wanted to share a router's internet with someone in the apartment above me, it'd be better to use a lower dbi antenna as the radiation pattern would be more spherical and not horizontal?

Do transmitting strengths affect the radiation patterns of antennas? IE, if I had a 17 dbi 90 degree sector antenna, and changed the transmitter from a 1watt to a 500mw, would that see any difference in radiation patterns?

[Mr. Stuky]

What kind of battery are you using? Im assuming its,rechargable?

[itsm0ld]

Its a pack that I made up using five 1.2v rechargeable AA sized cells...don't remember what the brand was but I got them from the local batteries plus. I just wired them together in series to get 6 volts then just shrunk tubed the whole thing.

It is rechargeable however if I was going to do it again I would use Li-Ion rather than NiMH just so it will hold its charge longer when not in use. (I leave this in the work car and dig it out when I want to play with it).

I typically get 3-4 hours of use out of this configuration with karma on and the Ethernet port connected.

Since this post I have actually added a switch that can be activated from the outside with a bent paperclip to turn it on or off and in the off position I can plug it in and it will charge the battery saving me from having to open and close the case every time.

[Mr. Stuky]

Thats awesome! how do you have batteries and the dc plug set up? I want to get rechargable batteries connected to the router, and have a dc connection to the batteries themselfs to charge them. But wouldnt it overcharge the batteries if just connected directly?

[itsm0ld]

Thats awesome! how do you have batteries and the dc plug set up? I want to get rechargeable batteries connected to the router, and have a dc connection to the batteries themselves to charge them. But wouldnt it overcharge the batteries if just connected directly?

I actually wired the plug that came with the external HDD directly to the battery, the switch simply removed both the positive and negative wires to the fon just to make sure it doesn't get to much voltage from the charger. The charger I picked up from the local electronics store and just cut the end off the HDD power cable and attached it to the charger.

[Mr. Stuky]

I'm trying to find instructions on how to do a diy smart charger, to charge the batteries without taking them about of the custom case. And to power the router with a dc cable when available. Charging the batteries directly to a plug can be dangerous

[itsm0ld]

I'm trying to find instructions on how to do a diy smart charger, to charge the batteries without taking them about of the custom case. And to power the router with a dc cable when available. Charging the batteries directly to a plug can be dangerous

Let me clarify. Its actually to a floating charger not just a outlet plug lol

[Mr. Stuky]

Let me clarify. Its actually to a floating charger not just a outlet plug lol

wow! haha, I'm looking for a system to integrate inside an enclosed hdd case for my AP51. But I'm still debating either to risk a custom internal battery/smart bat charger which can potentially explode lol or just run it off the external battery pack. What did you use for the Ethernet port? And do you know if its possible to create two power inputs? I'm thinking of hooking up a USB Port +/- to a DC +/- going into a barrel for the router. Would that cause any issues?

Edited December 9, 2011 by Mr. Stuky