Increase range of DLink DI-524

I've got a DLink DI-524 wireless router which works fine except the signal
to one of the bedrooms is "very-low", probably because of the thickness of
the stone walls. So I'm looking at a bigger antenna. Antenna's appear to be
measured in dBI and Dabs sell a cheap-n-cheerful Edimax 5dBI one. How much
more "powerful" is this than the existing antenna I've got on the DI-524?

Thanks, Rob.

Rob Nicholson <rob.nicholson@nospam_informed-direct.com> wrote:
> I've got a DLink DI-524 wireless router which works fine except the signal
> to one of the bedrooms is "very-low", probably because of the thickness of
> the stone walls. So I'm looking at a bigger antenna. Antenna's appear to be
> measured in dBI and Dabs sell a cheap-n-cheerful Edimax 5dBI one. How much
> more "powerful" is this than the existing antenna I've got on the DI-524?

First move should be some free reflectors. If you have some signal now,
these might be all you need.
http://www.freeantennas.com EZ-12, Windsurfer reflector.
printed on photo paper for thick stock, with aluminum foil glued to the
sail, provides a substantial boost in signal.
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg


--
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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

(E-Mail Removed) hath wroth:

>Rob Nicholson <rob.nicholson@nospam_informed-direct.com> wrote:
>> I've got a DLink DI-524 wireless router which works fine except the signal
>> to one of the bedrooms is "very-low", probably because of the thickness of
>> the stone walls. So I'm looking at a bigger antenna. Antenna's appear to be
>> measured in dBI and Dabs sell a cheap-n-cheerful Edimax 5dBI one. How much
>> more "powerful" is this than the existing antenna I've got on the DI-524?

>First move should be some free reflectors. If you have some signal now,
>these might be all you need.
>http://www.freeantennas.com EZ-12, Windsurfer reflector.
>printed on photo paper for thick stock, with aluminum foil glued to the
>sail, provides a substantial boost in signal.
>http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg

Agreed. By the numbers, 6dB gain is good for doubling the range. 12dB
gain is 4 times the range. Your existing antenna on the DI-524 has
about 2dBi gain at best. If you purchase a 5dBi antenna, you'll
improve the gain 3dB or about a 70% increase in range.

Note that you do not increase the gain in one direction without
decreasing it in others. Antennas do not generate RF, they merely
redirect it. With the reflector arrangement, you increase the signal
in the desired direction at the expense of signal in other directions.
If you are useing the laptop in other parts of the house, you may lose
signal in those directions, especially if the DI-524 is in the middle
of the house. A higher gain omni antenna, will increase the signal in
all horizontal directions, at the expense of signal going up and down.
If your house has multiple floors, then this may also be a problem.

I don't know about the stone walls. I've never had much luck sending
RF through concrete.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

> First move should be some free reflectors. If you have some signal now,
> these might be all you need.
> http://www.freeantennas.com EZ-12, Windsurfer reflector.
> printed on photo paper for thick stock, with aluminum foil glued to the
> sail, provides a substantial boost in signal.
> http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg

Thanks for the link - worth a try!

This time of year seems to be wireless time as I took another call from a
friend today with a similar query. He's got a 3COM OfficeConnect router
which hasn't got detachable antenna (low marks for 3COM). This has two
antenna. Could you add two of these reflectors, one pointing one way and the
other pointing another way?

Cheers, Rob.

> about 2dBi gain at best. If you purchase a 5dBi antenna, you'll
> improve the gain 3dB or about a 70% increase in range.

I'll give a 5dBi a go. BTW - what's the "i" stand for in dBi?

Thanks, Rob.

Rob Nicholson <rob.nicholson@nospam_unforgettable.com> wrote:
> > First move should be some free reflectors. If you have some signal now,
> > these might be all you need.
> > http://www.freeantennas.com EZ-12, Windsurfer reflector.
> > printed on photo paper for thick stock, with aluminum foil glued to the
> > sail, provides a substantial boost in signal.
> > http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg

> Thanks for the link - worth a try!

> This time of year seems to be wireless time as I took another call from a
> friend today with a similar query. He's got a 3COM OfficeConnect router
> which hasn't got detachable antenna (low marks for 3COM). This has two
> antenna.

There are some units with little "shields" over the antenna connector, so
that it looks like they aren't removable, but they are. There are others
that are just not removable.

> Could you add two of these reflectors, one pointing one way and the
> other pointing another way?

Two reflectors work fine as long as they are covering roughly the same
area. Trying to point them a little differently, with overlap, relies on
the internal firmware and circuitry for antenna selection.

That could, possibly, work, if you were trying to hit two points that are
not visible to the other antenna at all. If there is any cross coverage,
or you were trying to cover a broad area for a roving laptop, the results
are somewhat unpredictable, and vary from okay to bad between vendors.

--
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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5

On Mon, 16 Jan 2006 22:49:00 GMT, "Rob Nicholson"
<rob.nicholson@nospam_unforgettable.com> wrote:

>> about 2dBi gain at best. If you purchase a 5dBi antenna, you'll
>> improve the gain 3dB or about a 70% increase in range.
>
>I'll give a 5dBi a go. BTW - what's the "i" stand for in dBi?

Isotropic. It's the reference level for the antenna gain.

dB (decibels) are actually a ratio in the form:
dB = 10 log (power1 / power2)
When you express gain, it has to be in reference to one factor of that
ratio. For isotropic, it's the reference level of a theoretical and
non-realizeable antenna, that radiates equally in all directions. All
calculations are done in dBi (because it's easier).

There's also dBd, which is the reference level over a dipole, which
has a gain of approximately 2.15dBi.

More than you ever wanted to know about decibels:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel

--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

> More than you ever wanted to know about decibels:
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel

Wonderful thing the t'internet :-)

Thanks, Rob.

> There are some units with little "shields" over the antenna connector, so
> that it looks like they aren't removable, but they are. There are others
> that are just not removable.

I had a quick look again last night and they don't appear to be easily
removable. There's a little plastic collar but that's part of the antenna
rotation mechanism. It's possible that they pull out but didn't want to
break them. They are certainly not SMA and I don't know what TNC look like.

> Two reflectors work fine as long as they are covering roughly the same
> area. Trying to point them a little differently, with overlap, relies on
> the internal firmware and circuitry for antenna selection.

I've download the template for the reflector and will give it a go in a few
days.

Cheers, Rob.

On Tue, 17 Jan 2006 10:52:21 +0000 (UTC), in alt.internet.wireless ,
"Rob Nicholson" <rob.nicholson@nospam_informed-direct.com> wrote:

>> There are some units with little "shields" over the antenna connector, so
>> that it looks like they aren't removable, but they are. There are others
>> that are just not removable.
>
>I had a quick look again last night and they don't appear to be easily
>removable.

The DI-524 is listed as being compatible with a whole range of addon
antennae, so there must be a way to remove them - do they unscrew?

Mark McIntyre
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