# Setting up a wireless antenna to existing WiFi network **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 10, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474 "2004-07-10T20:14:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 10, 2004, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/1 "2004-07-10T20:14:06Z")
I’ve had WiFi for about a year now and it works pretty well. I was cheap when I bought it and everything is “b” but it does the job for me (I don’t do much over-network file transfer). I recently moved the wireless router out of the dining room and back into the office, because it looked pretty stupid sitting out there. All I did was move it behind one wall. I also moved the computer with a wireless PCI card to the “far end” of the room it was in, which is at the opposite end of the house from the router. It’s about 70 feet away now, with several walls inbetween (one more than before) It seems that my signal strength isn’t as good anymore. So I was checking our wireless antennas on the [CompUSA](http://www.compusa.com/products/products.asp?N=200758&Ne=200000&CusaNe=200139) site and they are reasonably priced so I figured I’d go get one (one of those $30 ones). The ones I was looking at says I can attach the antenna either to my PCI card or router. Both have removeable antennas, so it’s possible. Which would be more beneficial to hook the antenna to? I do have a laptop as well with a wireless card, but 99% of the time I’m using it in the family room, 15 feet from the router. My main concern is having the best connection possible for the desktop with the PCI card, across the house from the router. Any suggestions beyond the antenna idea (other than “build your own”…no!) are appreciated, too. Like “boosters” or “repeaters”. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/2 "2004-07-11T01:19:27Z")
Try it on the stationary PC first. If it works, wonderful, if not, try it on the router. The connections are all pretty simple screw-on types, and a good antenna will come with an adapter - there are two primary kinds of connectors used - rather than making you go off and buy one. FWIW, I’ve got one of the Hawking directional panel types here, and it does no more and no less than I expected it to - higher signal strength where I needed it. Alternately, you can get another router - almost all of them can be configured as “dummy” repeaters. Just find a place to plug it in more or less midway between the main router and the far-off users. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/3 "2004-07-11T01:51:38Z")
I know you said you don’t want to build one, but perhaps someone else reading this might - with just some cardboard, tinfoil and glue, you can create [this directional](http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html) antenna. (A nifty idea from [http://www.freeantennas.com/](http://www.freeantennas.com/) ) Note that none of these antennas really “boost” your signal - they just direct it to where you want it from where you don’t. ---
**Author:** ![Papermache\_Prince](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f05b48/32.png) [@Papermache\_Prince](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Papermache_Prince)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/4 "2004-07-11T01:57:56Z")
Two threads in the last few months, [Physically Masking Your Wifi Network?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=256901&highlight=cantenna) and [Cheap, homemade wireless network antenna.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=247105&highlight=cantenna), also discussed these issues. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/5 "2004-07-11T14:50:39Z")
FWIW make sure you can return it easily. The set of Linksys omnidirectional booster antennas I bought were virtually useless. I think you may need a fairly directional unit for any significant kick up in signal. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/6 "2004-07-11T18:38:46Z")
> [@astro](#): > > I think you may need a fairly directional unit for any significant kick up in signal. Very true. The only legal way (in the USA) to “kick up” your signal is by a gain or directional antenna. WiFi is considered a **Part 15** device. In the FCC regulations a Part 15 device is a device that puts out 1/10 of a watt (100 milliwatts) or less, and does not interfere with other licensed devices. It also must accept interference from licensed devices. Part 15 devices do not require an FCC license to operate. How do Gain antennas work? [There are excellent diagrams here on how gain antennas work.](http://www.benelec.com.au/technical/cellular_antennas.htm) I know it’s written about cell phones, but the theory is the same. You’re limited to 6db of gain as a Part 15 user. [How do directional (beam) antennas work?](http://www.ham-shack.com/beam.html) Notice the pattern graph. Your signal is going almost all in two directions, front and back of the antenna. If you’re off to the side, you’re out of luck. You’re still limited to 6db of gain. Or, if you really want to experiment, get your ham radio license. As a beginner class licensee (Technician) you have access to part of the 2.4 GHz band, which includes 6 of the WiFi channels. As a ham, you could legally run up to 100 watts of power on your WiFi network, and unlimited gain on your antenna! [See this article for more info.](http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/01/10/3/?nc=1) I haven’t done it - yet. One of these days I’d love to try it. Can you imagine, a 100W WiFi base station at your house with a 12db base antenna outside? You could take your laptop mobile all over town! Have I helped any? ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/7 "2004-07-11T18:59:12Z")
> [@Rico](#): > > Or, if you really want to experiment, get your ham radio license. As a beginner class licensee (Technician) you have access to part of the 2.4 GHz band, which includes 6 of the WiFi channels. As a ham, you could legally run up to 100 watts of power on your WiFi network, and unlimited gain on your antenna! [See this article for more info.](http://www.arrl.org/news/stories/2003/01/10/3/?nc=1) > > I haven’t done it - yet. One of these days I’d love to try it. Can you imagine, a 100W WiFi base station at your house with a 12db base antenna outside? You could take your laptop mobile all over town! > > Have I helped any? Now wait a minute- \- I read the article you linked and it seemed to imply that the rights of ham license holders to play around with amped up wifi trumps the (apparently non-existent ) right of wifi users to be free of interfrence. That can’t be right! Some ham can swamp my home or office wifi network and the FCC can’t do anything about it?! > [@](#): > > Champa says the Working Group eschews the term “WiFi”–a media buzz word that stands for “wireless fidelity”–in connection with HSMM Amateur Radio as a mode because it implies the operation of FCC-certificated, unlicensed Part 15 devices. “We, on the other hand, are licensed users of the technology under Part 97,” he explains. > > That doesn’t preclude the potential for conflicts between unlicensed and licensed users of the 2400-2450 MHz band, where amateurs have primary and secondary allocations. Acting on an ARRL petition, the FCC has proposed elevating amateurs to primary at 2400 to 2402 MHz. Part 15 users have no legal standing when it comes to interference, but that’s not widely understood or appreciated among the WiFi community > > Dewayne Hendricks, WA8DZP, the CEO of the Dandin Group, a Silicon Valley wireless technology firm, says unlicensed WiFi users are in denial. “They have no rights, but they’re starting to act as though they do,” he said. Hendricks, who started experimenting with 802.11b amateur wireless networking in 1996, says WiFi users have come to believe that their vastly larger numbers give them more rights than those of the current handful of licensed users, such as amateurs. The WiFi industry doesn’t always make clear the implications of the regulatory environment either, Hendricks maintains. If there’s interference, “ham radio becomes the bad guy,” he predicted. Beyond that, there’s the problem of illegal Part 15 users who have deployed enhanced high-power systems and high-gain antennas to broaden the reach of their wireless Internet nodes. > > Mraz suggests the answer is friendly coexistence–perhaps to the point of attempting to lure Part 15 WiFi users into Amateur Radio. “Reach out when you can,” he suggests. Amateurs also must avoid interfering with each other in an environment where band plans are behind the curve in terms of accommodating such applications as 802.11b multimedia. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/8 "2004-07-11T19:11:45Z")
> [@astro](#): > > …the rights of ham license holders to play around with amped up wifi trumps the (apparently non-existent ) right of wifi users to be free of interfrence. Exactly. I have good news and bad news for you regarding this. First the bad news: Look at the Part 15 label on your WiFi card or router. It states: > [@](#): > > Operation is subject to the following two conditions: > > 1. This device may not cause harmful interference. > > 2. This device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation. A Part 15 user has NO protection whatsoever from any interference. And cannot cause any interference. Now, the good news. WiFi uses 11 channels, of which 6 fall in the ham bands. Which means you have 5 channels you can use that are outside of the ham bands. And not every channel in the ham bands will be used by hams at any one time. If you have interference, just change the channel. And if you do get blasted off by the ham next door, simply go and talk to him/her. We are (for the most part) decent individuals who like to get along with our neighbors, and we can help you eliminate or minimize the interference - even if we are not the cause of it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/9 "2004-07-11T19:29:04Z")
> [@](#): > > And if you do get blasted off by the ham next door, simply go and talk to him/her. We are (for the most part) decent individuals who like to get along with our neighbors, and we can help you eliminate or minimize the interference - even if we are not the cause of it. How unsavory! A mad rush down the hillside using a our vastly superior numbers to rout the amiable, but thinly populated, ham ranks is the only answer! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2004, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/setting-up-a-wireless-antenna-to-existing-wifi-network/254474/10 "2004-07-11T21:04:00Z")
Well… :smack: After reading your wonderful replies, and your rants, I actually took a look at the antennas on my WiFi setup and neither are removeable ☹ ☹ I had been thinking about my original setup - a LinkSys that didn’t work. Forgot I replaced the PCI card with a USB thingy and I have no removeable antenna. I will consider buying a second router, though, and placing it in the middle of the house. I suspect I can get a nice “b” one cheaply.