Help - usb-wiress adapter

[Gerald Sargent]

Can anyone recommend an adapter with both good sensitivity and
strong transmission, a path of about 130 meters laptop to laptop is
envisaged, Gerald.

[scarper (Mart)]

I think you would be pushing it at 130 metres.....I have a wireless router and my laptop wont see it after about 20 metres.

[White Rabbit]

130 meters is pushing as metioned above, but... If you check out the latest N1 routers they might just reach. You can by a N1 usb reciver for you laptop for about $80 i think, you will also have to upgrade you router. I just bought an N1 router, it arrives tomorrow or tuesday. I'll see how far it transmits and let you know.

Not sure it will reach 130m though...

[pmrid (Peter)]

I remember seeing a site in NZ a year or so back where the IT guys at some Tech College had been extending the old Pringles Can concept of boosting a wireless signal. I don't have the link now but you could probably find it by doing a Google on Pringles and USB wireless or some such. The idea theyt demonstrated - and the one I tried successfully - involved one of those wire scoops that are used in Chinese cooking - they actually have a pretty fair parabolic shape so by placing a USB wireless adapter so that the little internal antenna was at about the lip of the scoop (the focal point of the parabola), you actually got a significant signal boost. It's a cheap and nasty solution that works best (perhaps only) when you have a clear line-of-signt. It's probablky the same with the Pringles can.
Peter

[tlgerdes (Trevor)]

You certainly can do things like that you mentioned, but first you will need to find a USB wireless adapter that can accept an external antenna. I have seen that trick done about 5 years ago when "war driving" for wireless networks was popular.

Most wireless cards will have about a 2dbi gain antenna, to run those sort of distances you want, you are going to need at least a 6dbi antenna, which generally will only come in an external type.

Havent looked much a 802.11N, it tends to have higher speed and better local coverage, but isnt really designed for those sort of distances either. The airspace has limited bandwidth and is quite congested, so they design them to have a short range so you arent annoying the neighbours by default.

T

[Barrykgerdes]

Hi
If you really must cover that distance a high gain directional aerial will need to be constructed.

The most gain will be had from a parabolic dish at least 2 ft (60cms old satellite aerial dish) with the USB module aerial (the plasic covered end) at the focal point supported by a rod of some sort.

Without a special cable about 5 metres will be the limit of the distance the aerial from the computer and the aerial will need to be rigidly mounted and pointed accurately at the intended (victim). A gain of about 16 db should be readily realised which over a line of site path and probably useful to about a Km.

Barry

[Tandum (Robin)]

Gerald, I can get these bi-directional boosters for about $120. They are meant to go on a wireless router/ Access Point via an sma connector. They will not plug into a laptop at all but you could plug one laptop into an access point and use this to reach the other one. No Guarantee it will work either

REPOTEC RP-WR1102G/5 Fix-gain Booster 500mW 2.4GHz for 802.11g with RG316 30cm cable and RP-SMA plug
REPOTEC RP-WR1102G/5 Fix-Gain Booster 500mW indoor bi-directional Amplifier designed for 2.4 GHz wireless LAN for 802.11g, works together with an indoor Wireless Access Point to improve its operation, Plug and play, Bi-directional, half duplex, auto-switching via carrier sensing, includes RG316 30cm cable with RP-SMA Connector.

[edit]
I went looking for range figures as I seem to remember wirelssG having a free space coverage of 100meters, but I can't seem to confirm that on line at the moment. What I did find was tests show wirelessN has 3 times the range. This quote is for real world, ie: indoors and through walls. So maybe a pair of wirelessN dongles will do it. I'm guessing that this is between the house and the obs so in a pinch you could extend the USB cable on each end so the dongles are both outside and can see each other (free space).

"Real" world testing for NetGear has shown when maintaining a 20Mbps throughput, wireless N has a "range" of 3.18 times, i.e. from 37 ft (11.2m) for 11g to 118 ft (36m) for 11n.

The other option is power line network. These devices setup a network connection through the homes 240v wiring. I believe they run at 14Mbs. I have a pair on the shelf, don't use them any more, 14Mbs is too slow for video

[GTB_an_Owl (Geoff)]

TPLink have a USB stick with external antenna socket - so you can attach a 5db or whatever to it

also a chinese model on Ebay does the same external antenna thing

geoff

[pmrid (Peter)]

Originally Posted by Tandum

Gerald, I can get these bi-directional boosters for about $120. They are meant to go on a wireless router/ Access Point via an sma connector. They will not plug into a laptop at all but you could plug one laptop into an access point and use this to reach the other one.

Hi Robin, could you use one of those Repotec devices to extend a wireless router's range? I'd love to be able to tap into my internet connection from my ROR Obs which is about the same distance - 100-130 meters.
Peter

[acropolite (Phil)]

Gerald, I can recommend one sold by Freenet Antennas (I have and still use one), it has an external antenna socket and you can utilise a range of antennas to get the range you need. FWIW these USB waps will work over distances of several kilometers with dish style antennas, I expect that with a patch antenna they would easily reach the distance you want. The USB adapter also has a survey mode, useful for checking signal strength and antenna alignment. I can't find it on their website, from memory it was around $70.

It would be worthwhile giving Terry at Freenet a call, (ask if he still has the USB adapters with external antenna) he's a really helpful guy.

[Tandum (Robin)]

Originally Posted by pmrid

Hi Robin, could you use one of those Repotec devices to extend a wireless router's range? I'd love to be able to tap into my internet connection from my ROR Obs which is about the same distance - 100-130 meters.
Peter

Peter, That's what they are designed for but the router would need an external antenna which has an sma connecter and can unscrew from the router to be replaced by one of these. I've never bought one before so can't comment on the extra range you'd get but here's the webpage for them :
http://www.repotec.com/default.asp?p..._WR1102G_5.htm