Boosting wifi signal

[zahc]

My sister lives in an apartment where the only internet available is the open wifi network of her landlords, who live next door. The trouble is the signal is very weak. This must be a pretty common story. Is there some way for her to put in a repeater or do something else to boost the wifi signal?

[roo_ster]

My sister lives in an apartment where the only internet available is the open wifi network of her landlords, who live next door. The trouble is the signal is very weak. This must be a pretty common story. Is there some way for her to put in a repeater or do something else to boost the wifi signal?

USB wifi coupled with a directional antenna.  Works OK if she uses the lappy at a table or desk.

OR

Buy her landlord a directional antenna.  This might be easier in the long run.  One of the 90deg beasties ought to dothe trick.

[GigaBuist]

Yep, she could just put in a repeater of some kind.  A while back I had a Netgear something or another as my main router and used an ASUS-520GC flashed w/ DD-WRT to extend the signal.  I later moved the ASUS-520GC to the main router and bought an ASUS-520GU to extend that network.  Works pretty well.

[zahc]

used an ASUS-520GC flashed w/ DD-WRT to extend the signal

Dammit, I just threw out a WRT54g. How do you set a router up as a repeater? Do they make plug-and-play repeaters? The sister in question lives across the country so I can't really go there to hack on her setup.

[lee n. field]

An Ubiquity Picostation. 

[roo_ster]

Dammit, I just threw out a WRT54g. How do you set a router up as a repeater? Do they make plug-and-play repeaters? The sister in question lives across the country so I can't really go there to hack on her setup.

Dear Lord in Heaven, I did not read that.  Toss out a working WRT54g? 

Bad zahc, no signal for you!

My neighbor used one as a repeater with ddwrt a ways back.

[zahc]

Actually, the one I tossed was unreliable. It had been known to work, but I had been having trouble with it constantly. So, I tell myself that I'm still better off having tossed it.

[RocketMan]

Could have been bad caps, zahc.  A cheap, easy fix if you had known.

[GigaBuist]

Dammit, I just threw out a WRT54g. How do you set a router up as a repeater? Do they make plug-and-play repeaters? The sister in question lives across the country so I can't really go there to hack on her setup.

It wasn't too hard, and there was a handy guide for it somewhere on the DD-WRT site.   Flashing the firmware wasn't hard either, but I tend to be a bit more tech savvy than most.   If you know the SSID of the network she wants to repeat and any security that's on it you could probably stage it at your house and then ship it over pre-configured.

Right now you can snag a 520GC on Amazon for $29.99.  They're not a bad deal.  I'm pretty happy with mine. I've still got some issues with my NAS setup on the 520GU though. :(

[vaskidmark]

Have you looked into this:  http://www.google.com/tisp/

It gets good reviews.

stay safe.

























Yes, being computer-illiterate that is the best I could come up with. 

[roo_ster]

Could have been bad caps, zahc.  A cheap, easy fix if you had known.

My neighbor, being a PhD EE with puh-lenty of hands-on electronics experience, souped up one of those WRT54g puppies. Replaced the caps, overclocked the cpu, installed a fan, etc.

[Silver Bullet]

Could have been bad caps, zahc.  A cheap, easy fix if you had known.

I read somewhere that most router failures are actually power supply brick failures.  When mine failed, I couldn't find a matching brick, so I had to buy a new router anyway, though.

I don't remember why I couldn't find an equivalent supply.  Some obscure voltage/current requirement, possibly, or maybe the brick didn't post its capability (unlikely) or possibly it was some proprietary connector (also unlikely).

Or maybe I just needed the router right away and didn't have time to track down an equivalent supply.

[Silver Bullet]

My neighbor, being a PhD EE with puh-lenty of hands-on electronics experience, souped up one of those WRT54g puppies. Replaced the caps, overclocked the cpu, installed a fan, etc.

Replacing the caps is not trivial, especially if they are surface mount.  I do a fair bit of soldering but I won't attempt to solder devices at surface mount dimensions.  If you're talking about big electrolytic caps, then maybe. 

[lee n. field]

Have you looked into this:  http://www.google.com/tisp/

Is this for real, and not some elaborate hoax?

Uhhhh

We believe

that all users deserve free, fast and sanitary online access. To offset the cost of providing the TiSP service, we use information gathered by discreet DNA sequencing of your personal bodily output to display online ads that are contextually relevant to your culinary preferences[/quote]

[Harold Tuttle]

I have about 87 wall warts and can cobble together something that will run 3.5 - 12 vdc in an hour

heck, I have a huge cast iron benchmount variable powersupply in a lovely brown crackle finish

IMHO, what every wiring closet needs is a digital dc power supply

snip the power lead and plug in

what I am finding interesting are the charging AMPs required for 5 volt USB devices

The standard iPad charger and Griffin's PowerBlock are both spec'd to pump out 5 volts at 2.1 amps (so ~10 watts). The iPhone's standard compact power adapter runs at 5V at 1.1 amps (~5 watts). The MacBook Pro USB port is a little more complicated—if you have a newer Intel model, like we used, the port adapts to what you plug into it. Normally, it pumps out 5V at 500 milliamps, but if you plug in something like an iPad and it has the juice to spare, the port becomes a high-powered port, juicing your iPad at 1.1 amps, so roughly the same as the iPhone charger. (Note: All of these adapters are smart and dynamically adjust output, which is why you can plug your iPhone into an iPad charger and it won't go kablooey.)

http://gizmodo.com/5535631/the-fastest-and-slowest-way-to-charge-an-ipad

[GigaBuist]

Is this for real, and not some elaborate hoax?

Seems legit to me.  Just look at the install instructions:

#1   Remove the spindle of fiber-optic cable from your TiSP installation kit.

#2   Attach the sinker to the loose end of the cable, take one safe step backward and drop this weighted end into your toilet.

Internet through your toilet!  No crap!

[sanglant]

there is another way, an access card with removable ant.(better ap so it's away from the computer) and........

http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
there are commercial ones, but i can't find any right now.

[RaspberrySurprise]

Cantenna!

http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html

[RocketMan]

Replacing the caps is not trivial, especially if they are surface mount.  I do a fair bit of soldering but I won't attempt to solder devices at surface mount dimensions.  If you're talking about big electrolytic caps, then maybe. 

Desoldered two 860mf at 4V from a legacy industrial PC mobo yesterday for testing.  Had to put them back on today.  I've got to put a small .01mf or thereabouts cap and a 470k resistor on tomorrow.  Yeesh, damn dinky surface mount stuff.

[sanglant]

few ideas. surface mount. there are more on the audio diy boards.

[Silver Bullet]

Interesting.  They even have my brand of soldering iron in their picture.

Inconvenient trying to locate correct soldering iron tip replacements, though.

[sanglant]

if you have a weller, etc. . it is just a matter or order mins.

http://www.newark.com/jsp/search/browse.jsp?N=1002249+500003
http://www.mouser.com/Tools-Supplies/Tools/Soldering-Tools/_/N-5ggf?P=1z0xi9u
and i think i saw amazon or newegg(or similar) selling the entire weller line lately.