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More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
IainB:
...Any chance of getting a replacement unit?...
-40hz (February 21, 2013, 08:26 AM)
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No, it's a secondhand unit, and it's not as though it's not working, anyway.
Well , I had looked at several different areial designs, but I had flagged them and also flagged the idea of directional beam antennae, as they all seemed too complicated and fussy (hurt my brain). However, reading the cantenna projects (which I had not seen before, so thankyou), I have to say they looked interesting, though I am skeptical as to the received signal strength by such antennae.
I shall maybe try a cantenna out as a last resort, if the foil or beercan reflectors don't work too well.
Experimentation seems the best way to go.
4wd:
Yes, I already have a design in mind using some cardboard and ally foil.-IainB (February 21, 2013, 03:48 AM)
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I've used a cardboard/foil parabolic reflector on a USB 802.11n adapter to get a signal over 150m through 10-12 brick/concrete houses. It boosted an on/off marginal signal enough to have a permanent connection.
I've also used the Stan Swan's WiFry antenna :D
A bit beat up now, (it's gone round the world twice):
More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
IainB:
The beercan reflector worked quite well. There is still variability, mostly between about 30 to 58.5mbps, but with seemingly longer periods at the higher values. I am going use a second can to make it taller - the aerial is longer than the beer can is high.
The blue tape on the can in the photo is to protect me from the dangerously sharp edges of the cut beer can. I only got a slight cut on one finger!
IainB:
I have been putting a couple of useful comments/suggestions to the test:
* I have struggled with this in the past and came to the conclusion that only devices designed to work together (whether full or draft n spec) by the same manufacturer get anything like the advertised bandwidth...
-Carol Haynes (February 19, 2013, 03:08 AM)
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* After searching a bit, it seems to me that "802.11n Lite n" just means it's 150Mb/s as opposed to 300Mb/s - 600Mb/s, (ie. it's still full 802.11n compliant, just that because it's single antenna it's speed is limited).
-4wd (February 19, 2013, 03:12 AM)
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After some searching about, I found that there is a TP-Link 150Mbps Lite N USB network adapter (which would presumably match theTP-Link "Lite N" wifi router), and there is a newer version of this produced as a mini USB network adapter. I located them online at a local supplier who was selling both devices at the same, heavily-discounted unit price (NZ$20, or US$16.50). Mindful of the limited strength of soldered surface-mounted USB ports, I bought the mini one (a shorter lever, if knocked):
Here they are (not to scale):
More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
Here are a couple of shots of the mini adapter - one showing it alongside an old tarnished US 5-cent coin my son found the other day, and the other showing a close-up and the part number:
More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
Here is the performance that resulted: (Success!)
More speed/bandwidth from an 802.11n laptop<-->WiFi Router/Modem connection?
I am still to add the second beer can to the wifi router reflector.
Carol Haynes:
Now you will want to trade them all in for a the full spec 802.11n kit.
By the way unless you have corporate high speed broadband you won't see any speed differences at all for broadband - just large file transfer across the network.
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