How about reviews on tweaks like aftermarket antenae?

[linyanti]

This website is a wonderful resource.

I would like to see taking your rigorous testing methods and assessing some of the aftermarket improvements available.

For example, I came across the following product (Super Power Supply 9 dB antennae) and wonder if it really helps. I am familiar with using antennae on boats and there is a tradeoff between high-gain and direction. There is no "best" antenna for boats. It can change day to day depending on where you will be boating and who you are transmitting to.


http://superpowersupply.com/network...-4ghz-5ghz-dual-band-wifi-rp-sma-antenna.html

Thank you.

 

[stevech]

This website is a wonderful resource.

I would like to see taking your rigorous testing methods and assessing some of the aftermarket improvements available.

For example, I came across the following product (Super Power Supply 9 dB antennae) and wonder if it really helps. I am familiar with using antennae on boats and there is a tradeoff between high-gain and direction. There is no "best" antenna for boats. It can change day to day depending on where you will be boating and who you are transmitting to.


http://superpowersupply.com/network...-4ghz-5ghz-dual-band-wifi-rp-sma-antenna.html

Thank you.

you won't see a significant difference. 6 or 9 dB more is insignificant.

 

[KGB7]

That will be tough to test.

Each brand and model router will have different results. Thus a dozens of routers will have to be tested.
Its a good idea, but time consuming and financially draining.

 

[linyanti]

Thank you for responding

That would be too tough to do any sort of performance rating like there is for routers.

Now I am thinking that just a general test about reception for a given angle that the antenna is positioned may be interesting. If it is a high-gain antenna then it will only be a small angle of high-gain and the rest will be terrible. Versus an "Omni" antenna that will have about the same gain regardless of orientation.

I now have added a Netgear Nighthawk to my collection and it has three antennas. I may try getting some RP-SMA to N adapters and running good RG58 radio cable. And then putting the cable for the right and left antenna about twenty feet to each side and see if that increases the range. There is a water heater that is in the way of the router and one of my rooms.

I may just go cheap and get some RP-SMA (50 ohm) to F Connector (75 ohm) adapters. I have some Belden 1694A cable which is swept pretty high.

I will post in a couple of weeks. My guess is that it will help but only for a very specific area and the rest of the coverage will deteriorate. However, it may help if you only care about one space and not trying to get good coverage all over.

 

[TonyH]

Hi,
I think 9db stick won't make appreciable difference. Save your money and time. When gain increases, radiation pattern and angle are changed. Typically angle going to be higher. There is no such thing as omni gain antenna. The gain figure is taken at the peak lobe of ununiform radiation pattern.

 

[stevech]

agree. going from 3 to 9dBi gain is a quite small fraction of the path loss in typical WiFi. If that 6 dB improvement makes it work, you're likely running with too little margin anyway and it'll be slow and vulnerable to fades due to client device orientation, human body-blocks, more walls, etc.

And the as the gain increases in an omni antenna, the vertical beamwidth reduces. It shifts from a slightly flattened sphere to a doughnut to a bagel, as gain goes up.
That means in a two story house, ares not on the same story suffer. No free lunches!

 

[linyanti]

increase "virtual" width of wireless router

This post is not really in line with my original post about how aftermarket tweaks may improve or decrease wireless performance.

But, here is the summary of what I did and how it resulted in a real "change".

I have lots of different RG6 and RG11 cable sitting around and know nothing about RG58 and other radio cables. So, I used what I had.

I purchased from American Radio Supply two of the following items: RP-SMA-FEMALE 50 OHM to 75 OHM TYPE F-MALE COAXIAL ADAPTER CONNECTOR-ARS-8522 and also the RP-SMA-MALE 50 OHM TO TYPE F-FEMALE 75 OHM COAXIAL ADAPTER CONNECTOR. I already had 75 OHM Barrel Connectors for the Male ends.

I then ran coaxial cable to two different rooms to see if the antennas that came with the R7000 Netgear would work. Here are the results.

I used standard General Cable quad shield cable with an aluminum braid and the result was terrible. I then used both the Belden 1694 double shield Brilliance cable and also the Monster MV Quad and the results were superb.

For the Monster MV Quad the line went from the router to the home base of the coax system of the house and then back to an office using coax that was not in use. The results were fantastic. That is impressive in that the total distance is at least two hundred feet.

I do not have a fluke to measure the actual quality but all of the bars for the iphones are maxed out.

My conclusion is that it is possible to use 75 ohm cable to transmit and receive the wifi information. Also, quad shielding is not as important as having copper braid as the outside conductor on the cable.

Since I just hooked up the antenna that came with the router the only extra cost was the twenty dollars for the adapters for each side and the coax which was just in my garage anyway.

I would be interested if anyone is able to duplicate these results.

 

[KGB7]

This post is not really in line with my original post about how aftermarket tweaks may improve or decrease wireless performance.

But, here is the summary of what I did and how it resulted in a real "change".

I have lots of different RG6 and RG11 cable sitting around and know nothing about RG58 and other radio cables. So, I used what I had.

I purchased from American Radio Supply two of the following items: RP-SMA-FEMALE 50 OHM to 75 OHM TYPE F-MALE COAXIAL ADAPTER CONNECTOR-ARS-8522 and also the RP-SMA-MALE 50 OHM TO TYPE F-FEMALE 75 OHM COAXIAL ADAPTER CONNECTOR. I already had 75 OHM Barrel Connectors for the Male ends.

I then ran coaxial cable to two different rooms to see if the antennas that came with the R7000 Netgear would work. Here are the results.

I used standard General Cable quad shield cable with an aluminum braid and the result was terrible. I then used both the Belden 1694 double shield Brilliance cable and also the Monster MV Quad and the results were superb.

For the Monster MV Quad the line went from the router to the home base of the coax system of the house and then back to an office using coax that was not in use. The results were fantastic. That is impressive in that the total distance is at least two hundred feet.

I do not have a fluke to measure the actual quality but all of the bars for the iphones are maxed out.

My conclusion is that it is possible to use 75 ohm cable to transmit and receive the wifi information. Also, quad shielding is not as important as having copper braid as the outside conductor on the cable.

Since I just hooked up the antenna that came with the router the only extra cost was the twenty dollars for the adapters for each side and the coax which was just in my garage anyway.

I would be interested if anyone is able to duplicate these results.

Results will vary from house to house building materials, neighborhoods, street power lines and phone lines. The list goes on and on.

If you want a better test environment, then drive out to a field that has no interference that are commononly found in house holds or neighborhoods that you wouldnt find for a mile, then test your set up again.

 

[stevech]

Most WiFi antennas are 50 ohm. Don't use 75 ohm coax.

But moreover, don't use coax. At 2.4GHz, only really expensive and large diameter low loss coax can be used. The attenuation in coax is very high.
Just 3 ft. or so of wrong / cheap coax will negate all antenna gain and then some.

 

[linyanti]

I hear what you are saying. I was going the cheap route since I already have all the strippers and connecting tools for RG6 and RG11 cables.

The impedance mismatch is definitely an issue. This 75 ohm cable is a "Brilliance" cable from Belden for high def cameras and microphones to use for broadcast. I have some extra just sitting there. It is working enough even though there is probably signal loss. Also using some of the Monster MV Quad which is similar with a copper outer braid. There is a large water heater right in the way between upstairs and my office. Definitely an improvement with one of the anntenae not in line of sight of it and the office.

The RG11 is also Brilliance model but it is so fat and unruly that I decided to try this first.

Here is something that does happen. The antennae are about twenty feet apart now and above the second floor. If I am on the first floor the reception bars on the ipod will dip and then go back to full strength when I go between the antennae. I guess that it is switching amplifiers but that is a guess. The reception now is good but not too good. It fades at the edge of my property. If it extended much further then I was thinking about getting three of those Asus antennae that are flat and directional and then have them facing downward from the attic.

 

[messerchmidt]

i hsvr used these to great effect with the newer AC stuff

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3-12dBi-RPS...osters_Extenders_Antennas&hash=item1e8a10bd81

 

[linyanti]

Those look nice. My solution is robust but only if you can spread out the antennas in the attic or room where you need it.

The directional can work great. Everything has a tradeoff. The increase in reception is limited by the angle in the reception cone. I used to have a boat and the huge high gain antenna was not great near other boats.

The "Main Lobe" is longer but narrower with the directional.

Consequently, your solution is perfect if you can direct the needed lobe to a part of your house or business that needs it and it looks like you have made a great choice.