RYO/DIY: How many of you make your own gear?

[mitunnelrat]

I believe its safe to add "parabolic antenna" to my list of DIY achievements. I'm allowed to browse the web at work, but my work area is separated from the main building and is just a bit too far away to utilize its wifi signal. So, I did a little reading, saw some homemade antennas of woks/ etc., and took a chance. I bought an 8.5" clamp light today (required no additional assembly to mount it somewhere), some double sided tape, and the cheapest wireless usb adapter I could find. Where before I could only "see" three neighboring wifi networks, I can now "see" 18. On top of that, I'm actually able to get online. I've had it running for just less than 6 hours now, and have only experienced two, brief disconnections. This is through a steel building, with many other metal structures in close proximity.

It doesn't look like much, and only took about 30 seconds of assembly. All I did was tape the adapter to the inside of the light. These parts were chosen so they could be returned to their base components quite easily, if they didn't work, but they do!

[The Stig]

[bacpacker]

Excellent Idea Rat!
One of the campgrounds we go to has wireless, but it's across the campground from where we like to stay. We can get coverage but have tons of drop outs. I gotta build one of those.

[mitunnelrat]

My mom is interested in it too. She built a house on her property for my grandma, and is always looking for areas to reduce expenses there since my grandma is on a fixed budget - who is just a bit too far off from mom's house for wireless. Looks like I'll be building another.

[izzyscout21]

Let me double tap that, I need a kydex holster for a HK Mk23 with a LAM built for me, designed to be bolted onto a leg platform style carrier!

me too!! me too!! and also, if I buy the holster, will you throw in the MK23?

[dragon5126]

Don't remember my paraboloid antenna theory off the top of my head head to help you refine that even further, but to give you a bit of background for additional experimenting: The single biggest issue for WIFI is interference. It operates on 2.8 Ghz which is also used for many wireless phones (land line based) as well as microwaves, and door openers at supermarkets, which are the most common among dozens of other items. Unless you get the spacing precisely centered side to side and away from the back of the properly sized parabola what you will have accomplished is blocking the higher noise levels from interfereing with the signals they were covering up. These signals, when the noise isnt covering them are useable. with the noise in the way, they cant be heard. it's like trying to whisper across a small room with the stereo blasting. you found a way to turn off the stereo. There are many ways to build tuned antennas for wifi that will accomplish the same thing PLUS will concentrate the radiated signal (and the ability to receive a signal) in a specific direction, the easiest is called a Cantenna, if you want to google it. They are in no way this simple or as dollar effective ( hey a clamp light that does double duty cant be beat, can it?) but are worth checking out for the educational benefits alone. After the S hits the F, this would be an excellent system to have to communicate a couple miles as that range CAN be achieved easily with minimal effort with a pair of high gain antennas pointed at each other at sufficent elevation. I hope this gives you some info and encouragement to keep experimenting, and keep posting your results...

Great Job!

[mitunnelrat]

Thanks, and that was interesting! I already know I'll want to upgrade it at some point in the future, so I'll keep that in the back of my mind. At the moment, since I've managed to reestablish comms with it (as it were) I'll be moving on to other projects.

[rentprop1]

I haven't found a lot of gear for big boys, so I always find myself manipulating or altering something to fit me, I will soon tear apart a perfectly good, but too small Tach Vest for the mag pockets and other components, thank god my wife can sew

[mitunnelrat]

May be accelerating my antenna upgrade. I've found my connection is very susceptible to weather, so I thought I'd better mention there are limitations to this set up.

[mitunnelrat]

Got any pics, rentprop?

dragon, thanks for the info on the cantenna. After some reading that does seem to be a much better option