super cantenna?

[leapingfrog0]

I have bought a Belkin Wifi Router w/ MIMO recently so I can have wireless in my home and at my office (700ft away as the crow flies). I set it up, and signal barely reaches my building. I have low signal outside of my office building, and inside the building it drops completely.

Would a super cantenna help me out in this situation? What would be the best setup?

Also, I have a brother living nearby that is picking up my signal currently. If I got a cantenna, would it affect his signal?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[JRock]

One of these on the outside of each building 😉

Edit: With proper weather conditions and unobstructed line-of-sight I have seen cantenna?s bridge networks a mile apart.

 

[leapingfrog0]

So a cantenna would help? I was told by someone at Belkin that it would not extend the range because of the MIMO technology.

 

[JRock]

Originally posted by: leapingfrog0
So a cantenna would help? I was told by someone at Belkin that it would not extend the range because of the MIMO technology.

Prob. correct I forgot you had MIMO... sorry...

 

[JackMDS]

You cannot put your own external Antenna on a MIMO.
MIMO is relying on the Antennae arrangement (that is why you have three of them). You cannot replace Antennae at will.

Use regular AP plugged to the Network and install a directional Antenna on it.

:sun:

 

[leapingfrog0]

Thanks for the replies, guys. You have to understand that some of this is sounding a bit greek to me and might need some more explaining. With the current hardware I have, what can I do to help the signal?

Use regular AP plugged to the Network and install a directional Antenna on it.

What do you mean by this?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[JRock]

Originally posted by: leapingfrog0
Thanks for the replies, guys. You have to understand that some of this is sounding a bit greek to me and might need some more explaining. With the current hardware I have, what can I do to help the signal?

Use regular AP plugged to the Network and install a directional Antenna on it.

What do you mean by this?

Thanks,
Andrew

Get a normal AP or Router (Linksys WRT54G or WRT54GS)

Follow these instructions.

Hook this up to which ever antenna you decide to use.

(You can find better prices for the router and the cantenna on eBay they you will on most sites and retail stores.)

Edit: If you want to get fancy get a 2nd cantenna and 2nd router (same model makes it easier) and setup WDS on the 2nd router and use it as bridge. This way your office now has full signal from the 2nd router.

WDS Tutorial 1

WDS Tutorial 2

NOTE: WDS on these routers requires 3rd party firmware NOT supported by Linksys.

 

[JackMDS]

Hmmm... I would say that the issue is more an issue of a long distance Bridging. WDS would not solve the long distance issue and would result on losing half of the Bandwidth at the source.

Your main issue seems to be Bridging the two sites that are 700? apart.

You cannot do so by keeping the Wireless Hardware indoor and hope that the signal would travel through walls 700? and thought walls again. A directional Antenna might solve it, but the Antenna need to be Outdoor facing the destination site.

Since you, original Hardware is covering you home/office, and it is MIMO (leave this way if you are pleased with it), you have to add some Hardware in order to be able to use external Antenna.

Buy and Access Point (AP), similar (or the same) to what JRock linked in his first post. Equip it with a directional Antenna (Cantenna would be an example), and put it on a place facing the remote site. Connect the AP via Cat5e cable to a regular port on the MIMO.

Pending on your envioroment that might solve the problem (cost should be around $150). If the signal on the other side is too weak, you would need to do the same in the other side.

Link to: Wirelessly Bridging Home / Network.

:sun:

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: JRock
Hook this up to which ever antenna you decide to use.

I think those cantennas are overpriced. The original BYO was for a low priced gain (cost me $3 for a bulkhead N-Female, plus cost of pigtail) compared to costs of commercial antennas at the time. Now, for $50 and considering commercial antennas are no longer as expensive... fergettabbboutttit.

Fleeman Anderson & Bird

The above linked place has decent (don't know if lowest) prices on antennas and pigtails. I've purchased from them about 2-3 times with good success. The cantenna is about 12dbi gain for $50. FAB has a 24dbi gain parabolic antenna for $55. We've used these for 7 mile connections and I've heard of others using these for longer hauls. Cheap panel antennas go for about $43 for 14dbi. Yagi goes for about $38 for 16dbi. The cheaper ones tend to look more "industrial" but then again I don't think the cantenna looks that great either.

The yagi and parabolic are designed to mount on a mast of some sort. The panel antennas can often be mounted however you want, whether on a mast or wall. There's also a "rootenna" that is a panel antenna with a compartment for the radio - minimizing signal loss from long cables, just run an access point with PoE.

 

[leapingfrog0]

Thanks for the replies.

It looks like I need an AP since I can't use an anntenna with MIMO. I saw a tutorial on how to install an external antenna on the router I have, but this would remove the MIMO features?

I have a brother that lives across the street from me. Would it work to setup the AP at his house, giving him wireless, and setting the cantenna up at his place? Would this help extend the range, as it would boost the signal part-way? How would this be done?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

[Zap]

Originally posted by: leapingfrog0
Also, I have a brother living nearby that is picking up my signal currently. If I got a cantenna, would it affect his signal?

Perhaps it would affect your brother's signal. The cantenna is a directional antenna and if your brother is not in-between the cantenna and your office, he may not get a signal. Best bet would be to use an AP or wireless router that can use external antennas, and get a decent gain OMNI antenna mounted next to a window so that you have a clear line of sight to your office.

What do you use in your office? If a notebook, not much to be done. If a tower computer, use a PCI card that can use external antennas and get a directional to point back to the omni. Mount it in a window facing the omni, if possible.