Getting my school's free Wi-Fi instead of paying for broadband.

[Tostada]

I live pretty close to the main campus at my school. I can get a decent signal with my ancient laptop's Orinoco card just about 150 ft. from my apartment. In my apartment, all I get is a spotty connection to some of my neighbors' networks.

If I could boost my reception just a little bit, I could get perfectly legal free connection to my school's wireless and not have to pay for a cable modem. It's about $40/mo for a cable modem, so I'd be willing to spend a little over $100 to then get free access (don't want to spend too much if it doesn't work).

I don't currently have any wireless adapter in my desktop, so I was thinking of getting this:

D-Link DWL-G550 AirPremier High-Powered Wireless 108G Desktop Adapter
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?Item=N82E16833127167

It's got a 5dBi antenna. That might be enough, because may laptop comes pretty close (my laptop has about 70% of the range I need), so I don't need much more range than my Orinoco card already has with its built-in antenna.

But, would I be better off just getting a cheaper adapter and buying an antenna separately? It might be fun to get something like this:

2.4 GHz Range Extender 8.5 dBi Omni with Mag Base
http://sharperconcepts.zoovy.com/product/YSC-RE09U

Can't I just take that and plug it into any PCI Wi-Fi card with an external antenna? I can't really get any big outdoor antennas -- I'm not going to go drilling holes in the outside of my apartment, so I'm assuming anything beyond that 8.5 dBi antenna would be serious overkill. And if I got the 8.5 dBi antenna, would there really be any benefit to getting the "high-powered" D-Link adapter? It does list slightly higher transmit power than I can find for other cards, but most of what I see says the antenna is by far the most important thing.

Or would I be better off getting a directional antenna and just pointing it at my school's closest access point?

I'll probably just get that D-Link card since I've spent so much at NewEgg that they'll let me send if back if the idea is a total bust (or I could add a better antenna later). Just wondering if anybody had any better suggestions.

Thanks.

 

[Tostada]

The "high-power" G550 does have two extra capacitors:

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/33-127-167-02.JPG

So it's definitely not just the same as the G520 with a better antenna:

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggImage/productimage/33-127-118-08.JPG

 

[nweaver]

I would get a card with an external antenna connection, and build a pringles can antenna. Do you have a clear LOS to the campus (i.e. above trees/buildings?) this will be the critical piece.

 

[JackMDS]

Get the Baffalo High Power PCMCIA.

If needed it can also be fitted with External Antenna.

:sun:

 

[elkinm]

Build a Waveguide antenna.

Their results show it to be better then the Pringles can and better then some commercial antennas.

 

[Tostada]

Yeah, I have a clear LOS to most of campus. The thing is, I don't know EXACTLY where all the AP's are that I'm picking up, and all of them that I know of are actuall inside buildings (most of the SSID's are actually the name of the campus building they're in). So I guess some kind of directional antenna would be good and I could just keep trying to aim it different places.

If I did get some kind of directional antenna, I could monkey around with a coffee can or I could just buy one of these:

2.4 GHz 14.5 dBi Radome Enclosed Yagi
http://sharperconcepts.zoovy.com/product/YSC-HG2415Y

The problem with that, though, is mounting and cabling. If I get a directional antenna and have it 10 feet away from my computer, isn't that going to be a major problem? Doesn't the length of the cable seriously degrade signal? I saw somewhere that using regular coax cables is really bad and you're supposed to get expensive things called pigtails.