Cantenna, hawking corner antenna, ... ?

[coolVariable]

What directional antenna (and other hardware) would be best to connect to a network that I absolutely cannot see with my normal equipment?

The distance is approximately 700 - 850feet.
There is a pretty steep difference in height ... base station is on the ground floor and client is 12 stories up. It is straight line of sight though.
It is impossible to change the base station/router.

I have tried "seeing" the network with internal wireless equipment but no luck ... and I have even tried focusing the signal by using large metal bowls and external USB adapters (I probably looked like an idiot trying that).

So far it seems my best bet is to get an external USB adapter to which I can connect a high-gain antenna.

Wireless USB Adapter:
Hawking HWUG1 USB Wifi Adapter

Engenius Wireless USB Adapter

or

Edimax Hi-Gain USB Adapter

Antenna:
15dbi Hawking Corner Antenna

or

12dbi Cantenna

I believe I could also add the following booster:

Edimax Signal Booster

 

[cparker]

The way I did it was using two wap54g linksys units, one at base, one at remote area. Set them up in wireless bridge configuration. Have each unit located at a window site so it can "see" the other unit through the window. You will need to have "gain" from both antennas. This is easily accomplished by going to "freeantennas.com" and picking up their parabolic reflector templates and printing them out on paper. Then staple the paper onto plain manila folders so there are four sheets of folder stock under the template. Cut them out according to template borders, and follow instructions so you have four reflectors assembled. Tape aluminum foil to the back of each. Then just slide each reflector over each of the two antennas on both units. Plug each unit into a switch or into a router port. Set up the two wap54g units according to instructions. This should work nicely at that distance. I've done it and it's fine. You may need to change channels, of course, depending on your situation. There are other solutions involving routers configured as bridges or even other configurations, but this is easy, it's out of the box and it should work. If you use other units you can use these reflectors to get you 10db of gain on each side of the link. You must have gain on either side of the link or it won't work reliably. But once set up it should be bulletproof.

 

[JackMDS]

As said above.

The Wireless that is running in each premise should not be directly involved with the Bridging.

Buy two additional Access points. Run them in real Bridge mode and you would get privacy as well (Not Client. or Client Bridge).

Put a good commercial directional Antennas on each Access Point and it would work.

Wireless Bridging - http://www.ezlan.net/bridging.html

P.S. Small thumb Wireless USB is a bad choice for any project that needs power.

Because of their small size, and heat dissipation problem, they are underpowered.

Good Antenna is necessary, but it is Not a Magic solution for under power.

 

[coolVariable]

Thanks for the suggestions BUT

It is impossible to change the base station/router.

All changes have to be made in the client.

 

[spidey07]

Then use the highest gain direction antenna you can find and cross your fingers. The problem isn't going to be the client, it is the base station if it's using an omnidirectional antenna.

 

[cparker]

Where exactly is the antenna of the "base" unit located? Is it right at a window so you could actually see it with binoculars, for example? Or is it somewhere "inside" the room which happens to have a window facing the remote unit, but not at the window itself. If the latter, then the probabilities that you will be able to sniff out the signal with a good antenna get lower. Also, can you move a laptop closer to the base, say out on the street, and do you have a good reading of the signal there? If close by outdoors you still have a problem connecting, then lower your probabilities even more. Do you have any access or control over the base unit so you could at least move the location closer to the window? It seems like you have no access/control over it, another bad situation. In the end, getting a high gain antenna, over 20 db I should think, would at least give you a shot. But no guarantees. Your chances go up significantly if you can get that base router's antennas right up to the window.

 

[JackMDS]

It is impossible to change the base station/router.

I do not know what "impossible" means (unless their is something illegal involved), adding an Access Point in Bridge only mode to the source system does not "Change" the base.

Otherwise, eating the cake, and keeping it intact, does not have a solution either.

No matter what you do at the client, if the signal does not get there you would not have a connection.

33mW with omni directional Antenna would Not travel 800feet.

 

[cparker]

I agree with Jack. A description of the "situation", your "status" regarding the network, your relationship with the network's operator or owner would help. If the network's owner (maybe "administrator" might be more appropriate here) has an interest in your connecting to the network from the remote location then it shouldn't be too much to ask to be able to plug in a unit that you provide that has gain antennas into the router or a switch connected to the router and then locate the unit at the window. Using a different channel to the base wireless router should work just fine. If the network's owner has no such interest in your remote operation, well I think you have your answers as to what's possible d(probably not very much, more likely not anything) in what's been written on the thread so far. It would be good for us to get "the big picture" from you.

 

[coolVariable]

It's for a friend of mine.
In her apartment complex they offer free wifi in a business center for residents.
The business center is directly across from her highrise. There is a small park between the two.
She is only there a couple of days out of the month, so getting full DSL/cable doesn't make sense.
She doesn't mind going downstairs with her laptop to check emails ... but I thought I could be her white knight in shining armor and use a simple and easy way to bring the net to her

It is absolutely 100% legit. But she obviously will have a hard time convincing the management company of her apartment complex to install a different router.

Next time I see her, I will test how far the connection reaches from the business center towards her building. If I can maintain at least some rudimentary signal 2/3 or more towards her building, I might give the options I listed in my first post a shot.

Some here mentioned 20db gain antennas ... I wasn't able to find any at newegg, frys, etc.

 

[azev]

Hyperlinktech is your friend if you need to get variety of wireless gear.
You can also get amplifier to boost the signals.

good luck!!

 

[Twr1]

I?ll recommend the Edimax and the Hawking Corner antenna. I have both and have gotten a connection from well over 1000? and that was with a low power consumer grade AP.

I?ll assume the Business Park is using a commercial grade outdoor AP with at least 100mW and a 7 to 9dB omni. If that?s the case, you should be able to get a solid 36Mb connection or better.

Even though they all use the Raylink chipset, I would choose the Edimax because it comes with a USB extension cable. The adapters are a bit wide so if you have vertically mounted USB ports it can be wider than your laptop is high. Also, with the USB extension and the coax you?ll have more placement options.

There are higher gain antenna but you?re into outdoor patch panels and grids after you pass the Hawking.
Things that might not impress women include 24dBi grids on a tripod in their living room, trust me.

 

[coolVariable]

Mmmmh. Just went over and I can't get a signal from the business center even 300 feet from it into the park (pretty clear line of sight except for some umbrellas in front).
I assume the router is in a really shitty place inside.

Now I am hesitant whether I should buy all that stuff online without knowing whether it works ... (and I definitely can't ask her to buy it if it is useless)

Will see if I can get the stuff from Frys/BestBuy or other local places where I can return it more easily.

 

[coolVariable]

She is in town tomorrow, so I might head over, hit a bestbuy before and see what signal I can get.
Let's hope I can hit something else too.

 

[coolVariable]

Tried it with the hawking usb adapter and the hawking corner antenna (15dbi).
No luck.

Do you think the cantenna (despite having less dbi) could work better?

 

[JackMDS]

It is like trying to use a small car to driving up the Everest.

Then when it does Not work replacing it with another small car that has few HP more.

 

[Twr1]

The Cantenna would be worse.

 

[JackMDS]

Transmitted Signal at every frequency range propagates differently.

Many years ago, I use to do DXs all over the world using 100-Watt transmitter runing signal of 20 meters (14MHz).
Why it is possible? Coz the 20-meter band can be reflected from spot to spot by the Heaviside layer in the atmosphere, and thus run around the Globe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kennelly-Heaviside_layer ).

The higher the frequency the more it loses it capacity for reflection, need line of sight, and loses the energy faster.
WIFI signal is 2.4 GHz, which is the same frequency range as Microwaves ovens. Tthis frequency was chosen for Microwaves because it can be absorb by water molecules and ?giggle? them. Because of the movement, the water molecule emits Heat, which is the whole principle of the Microwave cooking ability.

Similarly, WIFI signal decays very fast because it is absorb by water molecule in the air.

As an example, if you compare WIFi in two spots and everything is the same, but one spot is higher in humidity than the other, the signal would decay faster in the humid environment.

 

[coolVariable]

But just as a theoretical question: shouldn't the corner antenna with a 90 degree angle and 15dbi be worse than a more directional cantenna with 12dbi?

 

[JackMDS]

It usually means that the corner Antenna is designed and constructed better, and thus can maintain Higher dbi even with a broader angle.

 

[Twr1]

Neither Hawking or Wireless Garden post actual antenna patterns for their products. Hawking claims 90 degrees of coverage but doesn?t show the horizontal or vertical plots for peak gain beamwidth.

Compared to each other though, the Hawking being a panel antenna and the Cantenna a waveguide, it?s most likely the Hawkings vertical beamwidth is more compressed than in the Cantenna. It?s a quality of panel antennas and it?s why you?ll see them on most cell towers.

Put simply, the amount of energy that can be radiated (or received) by each antenna, horizontally or vertically, is more focused in the Hawking. There are other inefficiencies such as side lobe, front-to-back ratios and manufacturing tolerances that can affect peak gain also.

 

[coolVariable]

Ok. Then I will simply return the adapter and the antenna. Too bad.

If anybody has any smart ideas how to get this to work ... I am still hoping to hook her up and improve my hook up with her