Need help, I saw somewhere that someone uses an antenna to get better reception for their WiFi, #1 where do you get them and whats involved hooking it up. I dont use a dish just the antenna that came with our coach. Im still anolog, over 50 and what makes things more fustrating is the fact I was a tv service tech back in the times when tvs had tubes (inside the TV) totaly lost on digital, no 3 year kids around to help me LOL
Hi Krazy Koach, Try this one: WaveRV There are others out there too. QUOTE(Krazy Koach @ Oct 30 2009, 08:27 PM) [snapback]19832[/snapback] Need help, I saw somewhere that someone uses an antenna to get better reception for their WiFi, #1 where do you get them and whats involved hooking it up. I dont use a dish just the antenna that came with our coach. Im still anolog, over 50 and what makes things more fustrating is the fact I was a tv service tech back in the times when tvs had tubes (inside the TV) totaly lost on digital, no 3 year kids around to help me LOL
QUOTE(pianotuna @ Oct 30 2009, 08:56 PM) [snapback]19833[/snapback] Hi Krazy Koach, Try this one: WaveRV There are others out there too. Thanx for your help, from what I read I thought I was going to have to take apart my laptop and solder a bunch of wires to it, Do the big box electronic stores sell these?
Typically, you just need to unscrew your wi-fi card's antenna and screw in the newer, high gain one. If you have an internal wi-fi antenna, then you probably need to buy a router too (or a usb or pcmcia wi-fi reciever WITH external antenna.) The connection is kinda like a cable-tv connection, only with specialized "N-type" connectors. There are some interesting DIY web sites out there to build your own. With your experience with analog TV's, you could probably whip one out easily.
Krazy Koach, Go to web site below to see and order system. You will not find it in a big box stores. Price is $129.95 and it is called WaveRV II. You have a four foot cable that plugs into the USB on laptop and other end will have a small 8" antenna. The range is great and I have had one for years and never had any problems with it. They will do the job. You also have a small amount of software to load in laptop. Only works on Windows, not on Apple OSX. http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/waverv2.php
QUOTE(Trentheim @ Oct 30 2009, 10:58 PM) [snapback]19835[/snapback] Typically, you just need to unscrew your wi-fi card's antenna and screw in the newer, high gain one. If you have an internal wi-fi antenna, then you probably need to buy a router too (or a usb or pcmcia wi-fi reciever WITH external antenna.) The connection is kinda like a cable-tv connection, only with specialized "N-type" connectors. There are some interesting DIY web sites out there to build your own. With your experience with analog TV's, you could probably whip one out easily. Yeah I saw some of sites were they are using tin foil and pots LOL is that for real QUOTE(John Blue @ Oct 31 2009, 07:51 AM) [snapback]19836[/snapback] Krazy Koach, Go to web site below to see and order system. You will not find it in a big box stores. Price is $129.95 and it is called WaveRV II. You have a four foot cable that plugs into the USB on laptop and other end will have a small 8" antenna. The range is great and I have had one for years and never had any problems with it. They will do the job. You also have a small amount of software to load in laptop. Only works on Windows, not on Apple OSX. http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/waverv2.php Your help is greatly appreciated, Thanx This on and off again is drivin me nuts
I have the Radio Labs antenna and love it. I can sometimes go up to ¾ mile away from the source. Click on the link below to see some photos of mine in usage. At this park, everybody else had to go to the office to use their WiFi. You do not have to use the pole. I frequently just hang mine over the defrost fan on the windshield. It comes with a 10 fit cord and I bought a USB 20 foot extension cord. I can use the computer anywhere in the coach now. I have also attached the antenna to my truck’s radio antenna in a mall and used my inverter to run the computer. They greatly expand WiFi. There are many cheaper units also. Installing the software is easy and can be done via the CD or via the internet. Be sure to get an omni directional antenna, so you don’t have to worry about pointing it in the right direction. Using Velcro, it takes just a few minutes to set up (While the computer is booting up.). Another real handy accessory is a good WiFi detector to see if any is available in the area when choosing a spot to boondock.
Actually, the tin foil and the pots do work-- but you get a directional antenna. The key behind both of the methods is to focus the signal much like a satellite dish does for TV signals onto the receiver. The problem is that you need to point the dish at the transmitter. One of the best directional DIYs involves a, get this, a Pringles can! Apparently, it can "catch" the signal and bounce it around inside the can enough to focus it on the receiver. Just remember that trees, water, leaves, metal, RV walls, etc... will all absorb the signal from a Wi-Fi source. So the fewer of these between you and the signal source, the better your chances of receiving a signal. (Mount the antenna outside the coach if possible-- I've seen some mounted on the batwing extension, others on a PVC pipe out the window). Also the signal traffic is 2-way. You can have the mondo powerful receiver, but the Wi-Fi source may be weak in its capabilities to recieve what information you are sending (and yes, you are constantly sending information) and as a result, your surfing could be just as frustrating as always (you just have a better chance if one of the systems is built for hi-gain).
QUOTE(Krazy Koach @ Oct 30 2009, 09:27 PM) [snapback]19832[/snapback] Need help, I saw somewhere that someone uses an antenna to get better reception for their WiFi, #1 where do you get them and whats involved hooking it up. I dont use a dish just the antenna that came with our coach. Im still anolog, over 50 and what makes things more fustrating is the fact I was a tv service tech back in the times when tvs had tubes (inside the TV) totaly lost on digital, no 3 year kids around to help me LOL Thanx to all for help!!!!
We bought a directional panel antenna with card and cord to hook up into the USB on the computer. We hook up the panel antenna on the post of the TV antenna so we can move that around to get the best signal. The cord we run through a slide out. Have been at campgrounds where we can't even get the hot spot on the computer to only 11.0. To once we hook up the directional panel antenna can get 54 right in our trailer. Only place it didn't work was in Las Vegas, NV. Still poor even with the panel antenna. Figured they had a problem. Told them and they didn't care. Just like lots of other campground owners/managers Worth the money to us with the worthless Wi-Fi systems 90% of the campgrounds have.
Nolan, do you leave it hooked up when you drive and does it make a lot of noise due to the wind. If you hook it up each time, how long does it take. I assume you have to send your wife up onto the roof.
QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Nov 2 2009, 04:32 PM) [snapback]19871[/snapback] Nolan, do you leave it hooked up when you drive and does it make a lot of noise due to the wind. If you hook it up each time, how long does it take. I assume you have to send your wife up onto the roof. Hope she doesnt have to stay up there LOL Peter
QUOTE(Lindsay Richards @ Nov 2 2009, 02:32 PM) [snapback]19871[/snapback] Nolan, do you leave it hooked up when you drive and does it make a lot of noise due to the wind. If you hook it up each time, how long does it take. I assume you have to send your wife up onto the roof. No we unhook it and store it in the trailer before we pull out. And I go up on the roof and connect and unconnect it to/from the TV antenna. Time to hook up and take down, less then 5 minutes.
QUOTE(Nolan @ Nov 5 2009, 11:10 AM) [snapback]19905[/snapback] No we unhook it and store it in the trailer before we pull out. And I go up on the roof and connect and unconnect it to/from the TV antenna. Time to hook up and take down, less then 5 minutes. Look at my setup using a telescoping paint stick. My Webpage
Hey, I made her stand outside and hold the pole until I came up with the velcro to the awning pole idea.
QUOTE(John Blue @ Oct 31 2009, 08:51 AM) [snapback]19836[/snapback] Krazy Koach, Go to web site below to see and order system. You will not find it in a big box stores. Price is $129.95 and it is called WaveRV II. You have a four foot cable that plugs into the USB on laptop and other end will have a small 8" antenna. The range is great and I have had one for years and never had any problems with it. They will do the job. You also have a small amount of software to load in laptop. Only works on Windows, not on Apple OSX. http://www.radiolabs.com/products/wireless/waverv2.php I just ordered one, Ill let you know what I think of it Thanx
there are a couple places that sell antennas, but being a ham, building antennas since 1973, it was natural for me to build mine. I built a "coaxial-colinear" - you can find plans for these on the internet of course. The antenna is simple - and SMALL when compared to the last coaxial colinear that I built for my 220MHz repeater. The elements are brass tube, the center is a piece of #10 copper from the inside of Belden 9913 feedline. If you do not have any 9913 laying around, use RG8 - the solid dielectic, not foam. I put the completed antenna inside a piece of 1/2in PVC pipe and that inside a piece of 1in PVC for stability. I capped the top of the 1 inch. At the bottom end, I made the outer PVC longer than the inside piece. Here is where I got "creative". I put a coupling connector on the bottom and used a piece of double sided PC board that I rounded into a disc that fit the bottom of the PVC pipe. On the copper plated board, I mounted a bulkhead BNC. The top of the BNC goes to my WiFi antenna, the bottom of the bulkhead goes to the computer. At the computer, I made a SMA/R to BNC pigtail. I found the SMA/R connector with a short piece of coax attached at the Dayton Hamvention. When I set up, I just run a short run of coax from the WiFi card to the antenna. The antenna can be mounted on a paint pole - or in my case, I have either mil-surplus fiberglass poles from a manpack dipole kit (PRC-1099 I think), paint pole, or a fiberglass hot stick. Home Depot sells a paint pole that a lot of us use, it is retractable, you pull it out, give twist, pull out the next section, give a twist... good to about 27 feet. ANOTHER option... a mobile antenna mounted ON the RV. Since the WiFi uses the ham bands (shared), Comet Antenna makes mobile antennas. There is a company in West Chester Ohio called RF Linx that has feed line, connectors, antennas (for those that do not build).
just for grins... I found this URL. http://www.cometantenna.com/products.php?C...&childID=24 Since the 801.11g spec uses 2.4GHz, and channels 1 - 9 share the ham radio band, I looked around for an antenna that is similar to the one I built. The base connector is a standardized "N" type so finding mounting hardware is very easy. I am not a big fan of Comet Antennas, their HF and VHF antennas are not as good as Diamond Antennas, but Diamond does not make a 2.4GHz mobile antenna.
