StormShadow Posted October 24, 2013 Share Posted October 24, 2013 Pretty straightforward...I'm getting really good results w an Alfa AWUS036NHA and 9dBi antenna, and wanted to try to extend my range. As far as I know, you can get 18dBi from a yagi-uda (correct me if I'm wrong) ? I know I saw Darren use one on an episode of the show, but don't know enough about electronics to know which is suitable. I don't want to fry anything. Any suggestions re: power and strength ? Thanks in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hibby Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Riiight so... Generally, your antenna directivity isn't directly drawn from the type, but the type and method of construction - while you can get 18dBi yagis, you can also get 22dBi (big) and 12 (small) and suchlike. Antennas are passive equipment - they add no power and/or strength to your signal, only focus it, if that's how they've been built. It's exactly the same as a lightbulb - hanging from the ceiling, it lights all corners of the room. Put the same bulb in a torch with a reflector and it forces all the light forward to give you a clear path ahead at night. If you have a wander through my post history, you'll spy that I write quite a lot about antennas, so I'll boil it down to a couple of points: One from ebay for wifi // 2.4GHz shouldn't do your equipment any damage - they seem to be cheap enough about 18dBi as you suggest.My preferred option is building them. It's not hard or an exact science - antenna performance relies on lots of variables we can't control so a slight quirk in build isn't going to kill it. I highly recommend either building a cantenna or an axial mode helical antenna. The first one is a tin of pringles, the latter one is some wire wrapped around a piece of plumbing pipe. If your google fu for them is weak, give me a shout on irc - I never disconnect, so you can leave a message and I'll get back to you.I should warn you - I can talk about these things all day and all night! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StormShadow Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Great explanation, thanks ! I'll keep my eyes peeled for a yagi on ebay or amazon, while googling for various antennae configurations. I've got various things on the go right now in terms of tech projects, but this sounds reasonably straightforward...thanks again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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