Antenna: AP or Computer?

Just a question. I plan on helping one of my buddies share is WiFi with
a neighbor.

I'm thinking of using a directional antenna on the AP.

Was wondering if it's better to have the Antenna on the AP, or on the
wireless card of the receiver? Or doesnt it matter? Or should it be both?

The AP is a M$ router, so to put an antenna on, that would have to go.
Replace with a linksys or something. Then I thought of putting the
antenna on it and directing it to the neighbors (maybe 200 feet away).

But, if it's just the same, I could buy a wireless card for the other
guy's PC and put an antenna on that... Just not clear on which would
work best.

We tried putting antennas on PCI WIFI cards and did not have very good luck.
We did get the houses to hook up but speeds were awful. Here is my new setup
and it works great. This has been in the works for about 6 month and it just
has come together cause we finally could afford all the hardware.

This is what we did, as like you we were in the dark and this is the first
WIFI LAN I have set up. So im not to sure if we did it the correct way but
it works great. I share my WIFI with 2 others. First house is about 1 mile
the Second about 2 miles.



Here is my set up:

HOUSE 1 - My house

Sector antenna on a tripod and 10 ft poll on the roof under the antenna
mounted on the poll is a water tight box with a Dlink AP2100 inside, set up
as a PTMP bridge. The AP is on the poll with the antenna to keep the antenna
cable as short as possible. The cable is 24 inches long. Cat 5 wire comes
from the AP on the poll and in my house to a Dlink 624 Router. Its job is to
do the DHCP and MAC Address security.

Other security and network monitors are being added.



HOUSE 2 - 1 mile out:

About same setup as I have. Grid antenna on a poll, on the roof with a water
tight box and a Dlink AP2100 inside set as a PTP Bridge. Cat 5 wire down to
a 10/100 hub.



HOUSE 3 - about 2 miles out.

About same setup. Grid antenna on a poll, on the roof with a water tight box
and a Dlink AP2100 inside set as a PTP Bridge. Cat 5 wire down to a Dlink
524 router AP. The router is configured so just the AP works. This is for
his WIFI laptop.



So far this is working just great, download speeds have been better that we
ever thought.

Were planning on add more houses soon.



Thanks

DD






"Bradley V. Stone" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:lyRSc.27$U%(E-Mail Removed)...
> Just a question. I plan on helping one of my buddies share is WiFi with
> a neighbor.
>
> I'm thinking of using a directional antenna on the AP.
>
> Was wondering if it's better to have the Antenna on the AP, or on the
> wireless card of the receiver? Or doesnt it matter? Or should it be
both?
>
> The AP is a M$ router, so to put an antenna on, that would have to go.
> Replace with a linksys or something. Then I thought of putting the
> antenna on it and directing it to the neighbors (maybe 200 feet away).
>
> But, if it's just the same, I could buy a wireless card for the other
> guy's PC and put an antenna on that... Just not clear on which would
> work best.

This is a little overkill for this. I'm just trying to connect 2 houses
a couple hundred feet apart (from AP to computer...). With a laptop and
netstumbler i can get a signal halfway to the neighbor's lawn... so I
figure a boost on one end or the other would do the trick.

Already tried Ethernet over power, and it seems they're not on the same
trasformer which we had hoped.

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> We tried putting antennas on PCI WIFI cards and did not have very good luck.
> We did get the houses to hook up but speeds were awful. Here is my new setup
> and it works great. This has been in the works for about 6 month and it just
> has come together cause we finally could afford all the hardware.
>
> This is what we did, as like you we were in the dark and this is the first
> WIFI LAN I have set up. So im not to sure if we did it the correct way but
> it works great. I share my WIFI with 2 others. First house is about 1 mile
> the Second about 2 miles.
>
>
>
> Here is my set up:
>
> HOUSE 1 - My house
>
> Sector antenna on a tripod and 10 ft poll on the roof under the antenna
> mounted on the poll is a water tight box with a Dlink AP2100 inside, set up
> as a PTMP bridge. The AP is on the poll with the antenna to keep the antenna
> cable as short as possible. The cable is 24 inches long. Cat 5 wire comes
> from the AP on the poll and in my house to a Dlink 624 Router. Its job is to
> do the DHCP and MAC Address security.
>
> Other security and network monitors are being added.
>
>
>
> HOUSE 2 - 1 mile out:
>
> About same setup as I have. Grid antenna on a poll, on the roof with a water
> tight box and a Dlink AP2100 inside set as a PTP Bridge. Cat 5 wire down to
> a 10/100 hub.
>
>
>
> HOUSE 3 - about 2 miles out.
>
> About same setup. Grid antenna on a poll, on the roof with a water tight box
> and a Dlink AP2100 inside set as a PTP Bridge. Cat 5 wire down to a Dlink
> 524 router AP. The router is configured so just the AP works. This is for
> his WIFI laptop.
>
>
>
> So far this is working just great, download speeds have been better that we
> ever thought.
>
> Were planning on add more houses soon.
>
>
>
> Thanks
>
> DD
>
>
>
>
>
>
> "Bradley V. Stone" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:lyRSc.27$U%(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>Just a question. I plan on helping one of my buddies share is WiFi with
>>a neighbor.
>>
>>I'm thinking of using a directional antenna on the AP.
>>
>>Was wondering if it's better to have the Antenna on the AP, or on the
>>wireless card of the receiver? Or doesnt it matter? Or should it be
>
> both?
>
>>The AP is a M$ router, so to put an antenna on, that would have to go.
>>Replace with a linksys or something. Then I thought of putting the
>>antenna on it and directing it to the neighbors (maybe 200 feet away).
>>
>>But, if it's just the same, I could buy a wireless card for the other
>>guy's PC and put an antenna on that... Just not clear on which would
>>work best.
>
>
>

Bradley V. Stone wrote:
> This is a little overkill for this. I'm just trying to connect 2 houses
> a couple hundred feet apart (from AP to computer...). With a laptop and
> netstumbler i can get a signal halfway to the neighbor's lawn... so I
> figure a boost on one end or the other would do the trick.

www.freeantennas.com


--
Steve
Re-defeat Bush in 2004

No offense, but I'm so sick of seeing those types of pages... they
really clutter google when trying to do a search.

Yes, Ive tried them. They do work, but not as well as somethig you can
buy for $45.

And my question was, which end is best to place the antenna on... The
AP or the client?

Bradley V. Stone wrote:
> Yes, Ive tried them. They do work, but not as well as somethig you can
> buy for $45.

It sounded like you were close enough that a 6 or 7 db gain would make the
difference. Mine is on the right dipole of a WRT54G; it makes the signal
in the office a lot stronger, and side lobes or the other ear still give me
a good signal in other parts of the property that are 90deg. off axis.

And those $45 antennae don't work nearly as well as the $397 ones.

--
Steve
Re-defeat Bush in 2004

"Bradley V. Stone" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:9LaTc.58$U%(E-Mail Removed)...
> No offense, but I'm so sick of seeing those types of pages... they
> really clutter google when trying to do a search.
>
> Yes, Ive tried them. They do work, but not as well as somethig you can
> buy for $45.
>
> And my question was, which end is best to place the antenna on... The
> AP or the client?

Put it at the access point: you'll get a better S/N ratio by concentrating
the gain at the end which does most of the transmitting.

HTH.

William