Many users complain about weak Internet when using a router or modem. It turns out that the Wi-Fi signal level can be strengthened, but for this you need to purchase a special extender. Such a “miracle” will cost an average of 15–20 dollars, but you will get an instant effect. Of course, craftsmen have long realized that it is not at all necessary to pay so much money for a simple device, because you can build it yourself. How to get a high-quality signal extender for a wireless antenna? Let's look into it in more detail!

A Wi-Fi signal amplifier can be made from scrap materials

The factors that cause wireless communication to fail vary depending on the type of network. If we talk about home network, then we highlight the following:

• unfavorable location of the Wi-Fi antenna indoors;
• there is a microwave oven in the immediate vicinity of the device;
• There are many walls made of brick and concrete along the signal path.

Obviously, the quality of Wi-Fi depends on the presence of interference in the house. Sometimes the cause of communication breakdowns is an illiterate connection of the modem to the system unit.

In the case of public networks, there may be other nuances. In this case, the network must be registered in accordance with the law, that is, a license must be used. In addition, it is important to monitor the level of electromagnetic background in residential buildings.

An antenna extension, which is easy to build on your own, will help solve the problem.

Making a passive antenna

The product is relatively simple to manufacture, but is considered quite effective. Gain can be achieved thanks to the radiation pattern. A wire folded into a square is used as a resonator. The diameter of the material is from 1.5 to 2.5 millimeters. As for the inner side of the square, it is selected within the range of 2.5–2.9 mm. As a result, you should build a figure eight with 90 degree angles. The end of the structure should be carefully soldered to its beginning.

Now it's time to take care of the reflector for the extension cord. This component can be an iron board with a layer of foil on one side. It is important to drill a hole in the center into which the RG-6U wire for the antenna will enter.

The assembly order is as follows:

• It is necessary to thread the wire through the non-foil side. It will come out from the side with foil.
• Place a 20mm long plastic cylinder onto the wire. Do not forget to make special depressions in this element for a two-millimeter wire.
• Solder the core and screen to the figure-of-eight isthmus of the signal extender.
• Press the plastic cylinder against the resonator and fill the voids with a sealed solution.

To achieve maximum antenna efficiency, you need to place the reflector parallel to the resonator.

Application of passive antenna

A homemade antenna extender can be used in conjunction with a laptop, access point or Wi-Fi modem. It is important to understand that after such manipulations the result may not always be positive, and in the event of a breakdown, it will be impossible to repair the equipment under warranty.

If you decide to connect the antenna to the modem, then you need to study the features of the process. The fact is that inside the modem there is a small antenna, to which a homemade antenna is attached. To complete this process, you will have to disassemble the modem flash drive. You can remove the cover using a scalpel, screwdriver or utility knife (pull towards the top from the USB connector, do not press too hard, otherwise the case will break).

Opening the modem, you will see two connectors covered with paper. Follow these instructions:

• remove the protective layer from the modem elements;
• connect the antenna you assembled yourself to the left connector (the hole you need will be on the left side if the device itself is positioned with the USB connector facing you);
• use a coaxial cable that is not too long, otherwise the result will not be much different from using a modem without an extension cord.

Using an adapter and extension cord

To obtain effective wireless signal amplification, you can use the following components:

• hot glue, tape or wire;
• USB extension cable (A - A);
• garden hose or short rod for fastening;
• a colander or any other utensil that is shaped like a hemisphere;
• an adapter that connects to a PC via a USB interface.

At the first stage, a passive USB extension cable (can be found in any computer store) is connected to the adapter at one end, and the other (“male”) is inserted into the connector of a laptop or PC.

Next, the extension cord and adapter should be connected to the plate using tape or hot glue. It is important to place the adapter at the focal point of the dish (to determine this point, just cover the surface of the dish with foil and evaluate where the sun's rays are best reflected).

Using a hose, you can secure the Wi-Fi adapter in the correct position. You can also use a rope, barbell or chopsticks.

If everything is done correctly, the system will strengthen the signal and give its owner better communication. You can correct the connection using special utilities. For Windows OS it is recommended to use NetStumbler, and for OS X - KisMAC.

Final tips:

• If the adapter is taken outside the room, it must be protected from rain and snow. You can protect the product by using a regular plastic bottle.
• The active type of extension cord is also well suited for the design. The product costs about $10 and can be used with longer lengths of wire.
• Organize a foil wall behind the router, this will also help strengthen the signal.

The cable for WIFI antennas must have a characteristic impedance of 50 Ohms and provide minimal losses, measured by loss per meter (dB/m). A resistance of 50 Ohms is necessary to match the receiving and transmitting characteristics of the point-antenna, minimal losses in the cable to transmit the entire signal power from the access point to the antenna and back when receiving the signal.

WIFI cable design

Inside the WIFI antenna cable there is an internal core in which an electromagnetic radio wave propagates. To prevent the WIFI cable from working as an antenna, the central conductor must not emit energy. For this purpose, the WIFI cable has an external grounding foil screen and braid. This design ensures minimal cable attenuation and unnecessary power dissipation by the cable. This cable design is called coaxial. WIFI coaxial cable has a center conductor made of solid or stranded conductor and a protective shield made of foil and braid.

Cable selection

WIFI cables differ in purpose, design, design, attenuation, and accordingly differ in diameter, type of dielectric inside, braid and conductor material. A thin coaxial RF cable is used to connect antennas indoors and operates over short distances. This WIFI cable mainly has RP-SMA connectors. The 7 mm thick cable is the main one for indoor use and is traditionally crimped with RP-TNC connectors. It has a low loss coefficient, suitable for removing the antenna from the access point at a distance of up to 25 m. For maximum distance, as well as for access points with N-type connectors, a 10.3 mm cable is required, which has a minimum loss coefficient and has a sheath for outdoor use.
High-quality WIFI antenna cable is distinguished by the use of expensive high-quality dielectrics of the central conductor, 100% oxygen-free copper as the conductor material and braid. You should also pay attention that there are different types of WIFI connectors for each cable diameter.

When creating an antenna system, choosing a coaxial cable for the reduction feeder is half the battle. On the Wi-Fi and 3G bands, especially if this feeder is several meters long, without the correct selection of cable there will be no victory at all. All your work on making a directional antenna may go to waste.

What criteria should you use to choose a cable? First of all, in terms of technical characteristics. There are several of them:

Characteristic impedance of the cable. Need to know for proper matching with antenna and signal receiver. It is usually assumed that the input impedance of most modems and Wi-Fi equipment is about 50 ohms and it is necessary to use a cable with the same characteristic impedance. However, measurements show that the actual input impedance of 3G and Wi-Fi equipment is about 60-65 ohms. Therefore, replacing a 50-ohm cable with a 75-ohm cable practically does not worsen the overall SWR and is quite acceptable.

Shortening factor(slowdown). Necessary for calculating the wavelength in the cable (for example, to create quarter-wave transformers). Probably, because our main thing was to “take everything and divide it,” as Sharikov said, then our wavelength needs to be divided by the shortening coefficient (Ku), which is always greater than one. Adopted into service abroad deceleration factor(Kz), it is less than unity and the wavelength in free space must be multiplied by it. Obviously, Кз = 1/Ку

Electrical insulation resistance and maximum breakdown voltage. Characterizes the maximum power that the cable can transmit. In our case, it does not matter.

Shielding factor. Shows the degree of protection of the transmitted signal from the influence of external electromagnetic interference. Quite an important parameter in the conditions of high electromagnetic noise in a modern city. Depends on the density of the outer braid of the cable.

All other things being equal, the linear attenuation is less for a thicker cable. Internal insulation made of porous material also helps reduce losses in it.

All other things being equal, the wave impedance is lower for a cable with a thicker central core. The shortening factor depends solely on the material of the internal insulation.

But knowing the technical characteristics is not enough to select a coaxial cable. Nowadays, under one brand, for example the widespread RG6, a whole line of cables with different specifications is produced. Then new brands of cable products constantly appear on the market in order to confuse the buyer (the laws of commerce!). We must not forget that we are dealing with microwave frequencies, at which losses in the cable are much higher than at television broadcast frequencies, and saving on cable can negate the whole idea of ​​amplifying the signal using an antenna. To avoid confusion, you need to know a few simple rules when choosing a cable:

The central core of the cable must be pure copper and consist of one wire, not a bundle. Often, to reduce cost, it is made from an alloy of steel and aluminum and sometimes coated with copper plating to disguise the hackwork. This is motivated by the fact that, thanks to the skin effect, current flows only along the surface of the conductor and there is no need to make it entirely from copper, it is enough to just make the surface copper. However, more often than not, such coating is usually uneven, cracks when bent and is subject to corrosion, especially in contact areas with connectors. This may result in a complete loss of connection.

To connect cables of different diameters, special monolithic adapters are used. To connect to equipment, it is necessary to use special connectors and pigtails. The use of all kinds of “twists under electrical tape” is absolutely unacceptable and can lead to equipment failure. If a connection “specialist” comes to you and uses such “technology” - drive him away!

Having received a wireless router with wires coming out of it on the shelf, the user is faced with the problem of how to connect the computer to the WiFi router. If there are no particular difficulties with a laptop and tablet - the network of a working router is detected automatically, then a stationary PC is not always so accommodating.

Cable or wireless signal, which to choose?

A question that users are increasingly faced with is whether it is possible to connect to a WiFi network on a computer (PC) without a cable? Such a connection is possible, but it is worth remembering its disadvantages and limitations:

• The wireless signal depends on factors such as the power of the router, the distance from the router, and the layout of the premises. This is especially true when you need to conduct. But this is a topic for a separate article, so we won’t go into detail here.
• WiFi Internet speed is affected by household appliances and interference, including from other wireless networks.

Another option: connect the Internet using a cable (twisted pair) stretched from a WiFi router - this way the user will receive a stable Internet signal with less loss of speed. However, users often prefer to connect their desktop computer to a WiFi router wirelessly to avoid unnecessary and inconvenient cables.

Please note that if you connect yourself, you may need to! You can find out how to do this in our separate article!

How to catch a wireless signal?

If there is a signal, then one device must send it (the router), and the other must receive it. Today, laptops and many tablet PCs have WiFi receivers by default, while stationary computer units are not usually equipped with this spare part. But miracles happen - the receiver is occasionally added during assembly as an additional function. It's easy to check:

• The user will need to log into "Device Manager": You can find this setting in the control panel or through the built-in search - the name has not changed for many years from system to system.

• Open the list of network adapters, among which look for the words “Wireless” (wireless) or WiFi (the spelling can be not only combined, but also separate or hyphenated).

If the list contains names without these words, then there is an option to connect to your computer yourself wireless signal receiver, which are of two types:

• Interior– connects to the motherboard via a PCI or PCI Express connector (you will have to disassemble the case);
• External– USB adapter – loose ports will not benefit the signal.

The problem of how to connect a computer to the Internet via a Wi-Fi usb adapter is solved in three stages: connecting to the port, installing drivers and setting up. You can connect an internal (PCI) adapter in a similar way, only the port is located on the motherboard.

If the drivers are not installed automatically after connecting the adapter, you will have to use a disk with drivers or download them on the Internet (in this case, you can temporarily use a cable from the router to the computer to access the Internet).

As a rule, after installing the drivers, a WiFi network icon appears on the taskbar (in the tray); by clicking on it, the user will see a list of wireless networks. Just select the name of your home network from the list and enter the password - the factory name and password can be found on the router case or in the instructions.

If there is no icon on the taskbar, then you should look for a list of available networks in the control panel or in the system settings; the easiest way is to use the built-in system search:

• Enter “Internet” in the search bar or "Network and Internet".

• Select item "Network Status" or "Network Control Center".

• Select your home network and enter the password.

How to connect a WiFi router using a wire?

Do not forget that it is possible to connect a Wi-Fi router to a computer (PC) via a cable - a wired connection is less susceptible to speed surges. To do this, you will need a crimped cable - its length should be enough to connect the router and PC. To connect you will need:

• Plug the router into a power outlet and connect the provider cable to a special port on the router - it differs from others in color or in a separate location.
• Connect the router and computer using a network cable.
• Then you will need to configure the Internet. Most often, this is done by a specialist from the provider when connecting to the Internet for the first time; if the user is forced to do this independently, then you can contact technical support for the settings.

How to connect WiFi if you already have Internet?

Another common question among users is how to connect a WiFi router if there is wired Internet to the computer? This problem arises if the apartment already has wired Internet, which you would like to distribute to other devices; there may be several solutions:

• If the network cable that is brought into the apartment is directly connected to the computer (without routers), then this cable must be disconnected from the PC and connected to the router.
• If the network cable is first connected to the router, and a LAN wire extends from it to the computer, then the router can be replaced with a router (if there are enough ports) or the router can be connected to the router using an additional cable.

As a rule, after such manipulations, re-configuration of the network and equipment is required. For settings, you should contact your provider - most large companies have a support service, whose consultants (by phone or chat) help clients consistently set up the Internet.

To effectively expand the coverage of wireless networks, we offer to buy antennas and cables in Sergiev Posad. We have the best prices in Moscow, as well as the widest selection of wireless equipment of various classes

Wi-Fi antennas and cables: expanding the capabilities of Wi-Fi equipment

Standard Wi-Fi antennas supplied with the equipment often do not provide sufficient signal strength to the receiving device. This is due to the fact that most solutions are designed for typical “room” conditions, when the distance to the router is short and there are no significant obstacles to the signal path. If you need to build a Wi-Fi network in conditions where you need to transmit a signal over a long distance or at a complex site, we suggest buying antennas and cables in Sergiyev Posad that will ensure reliable reception in any conditions.

Wi-Fi antennas: features and types

Antenna gain levels are measured in isotopic decibels, or dBi. This is a conventional unit of measurement, which assumes that an ideal antenna is used, the radiation pattern of which has the shape of a sphere. We present antennas with a gain level of 5 - 34 dBi, operating with a frequency range from 2.4 to 5 GHz (that is, at standard Wi-Fi frequencies). However, only some premium solutions support the 5 GHz frequency.

Here you will find the following types of antennas:

• Omnidirectional – to expand the signal radius or move the signal source. The problem with the design of standard antennas for routers is their attachment to the device itself, as well as a rather weak coverage radius. In turn, replacing an omnidirectional antenna with devices with a higher gain level allows you to expand coverage and improve its quality, and purchasing an antenna with a cable makes it possible to move the signal emitter to where it will provide optimal coverage distribution.
• Directional antennas - for building Wi-Fi connections over long distances. Due to the radiation pattern oriented in a certain direction, it is possible to build long-distance Point-to-Point communications (at a distance of up to 100 meters or more).
• External antennas, which are installed outside the building, provide reliable reception and a significantly higher signal level compared to indoor antennas. If you need to confidently receive a signal coming from afar, it is better to use an external antenna.

  A false opinion has been formed about Wi-Fi technology that this solution is intended only for local communications within tens of meters. However, with the help of powerful antennas, the scope of application of this technology can be significantly expanded.

Antenna extension cable

To connect the antenna, a special cable is used, the design of which ensures signal transmission from the antenna to the transceiver without interference. Using an extension cable you can:

• Connect the device to an external antenna
• Move the antenna to a better position without moving the transceiver itself
• Implement an effective solution for servers by using a network card with a Wi-Fi wireless module and connecting an antenna to it.

Lightning protection devices

The weather in Sergiev Posad and Moscow is not always clear, and thunderstorms are quite common. Lightning striking an external antenna, as a rule, burns all equipment located “downstream” along the cable. This often causes serious losses. To avoid such troubles, it is necessary to install lightning protection devices that will prevent the passage of increased voltage to the device board, and will also provide a stable signal in bad weather.

For all the solutions presented, our prices are the most attractive, and the terms of purchase are simple and profitable.