update - looking to reloacte my antenna

My original post was about wanting to detach my antenna(s) from my WAP11,
place it in the antenna in the window, and put my WAP11 on the floor.

I called around to a few places, checked a few web sites - all with
different answers. I did not get a clear answer if I needed a new antenna
or not, if the cables degrade the signal too much or not to use the Linksys
antennas, etc. etc.

At lunch I stopped in my local computer store. I found a Hawking HAI6SIP
High Gain Omni Directional Antenna for $28 (I had a 10 gift cert. so the
price was only $18).

It is a 802.11b/g 50 Ohms Nominal Impedance, 6 dBi Gain Vertical
Polarization Antenna with a SMA Plug and a Reverse TNC adapter. The cable
is RG316. Using Netstumbler I saw what looked like a 10 db jump using the
new antenna with my Orinoco card.

I put it on one of the bridges and it seems to be working fine. It sits on
the windows sill, the white color blends in. The only negative so far is
the cable is only 2.5 feet. The WAP11 is now on a coffee table rather than
the window sill. The goal was to get it on the floor.

Looks like I may need a 3 foot SMC male to female cable or a 3 foot TNC male
to female cable. The problem is that these cables seem to be $20. That is
why I went this route. I get an antenna and about 3 feet of cable (counting
the SMC to BNC adapter).

So I will test for a few days and I will report back.

--

> At lunch I stopped in my local computer store. I found a Hawking HAI6SIP
> High Gain Omni Directional Antenna for $28 (I had a 10 gift cert. so the
> price was only $18).

Well 6dBi isn't high gain and frankly, you didn't need it!

You could have just done what either myself or Don suggested and it
would have been just fine.

> Looks like I may need a 3 foot SMC male to female cable or a 3 foot TNC male
> to female cable. The problem is that these cables seem to be $20. That is
> why I went this route. I get an antenna and about 3 feet of cable (counting
> the SMC to BNC adapter).

There you go, now you need more cable and more connectors. All you
needed was a longer piece of LMR195 and make a dipole like Don
suggested. You'll probably incur more loss in your RG316 and multiple
connections than you'll gain in the 6dBi antenna.

David.

"Jim Orfanakos" <jim@-nospam-orfanakos.com> writes:

> My original post was about wanting to detach my antenna(s) from my WAP11,
> place it in the antenna in the window, and put my WAP11 on the floor.
>
> I called around to a few places, checked a few web sites - all with
> different answers. I did not get a clear answer if I needed a new antenna
> or not, if the cables degrade the signal too much or not to use the Linksys
> antennas, etc. etc.

the problem is that there really is no clear answer. A cable will
lower the strength of the signal. Maybe that doesn't matter in your
situation since a short cable shouldn't reduce it very much.

>
> At lunch I stopped in my local computer store. I found a Hawking
> HAI6SIP High Gain Omni Directional Antenna for $28 (I had a 10 gift
> cert. so the price was only $18).
>
> It is a 802.11b/g 50 Ohms Nominal Impedance, 6 dBi Gain Vertical
> Polarization Antenna with a SMA Plug and a Reverse TNC adapter. The cable
> is RG316. Using Netstumbler I saw what looked like a 10 db jump using the
> new antenna with my Orinoco card.
>
> I put it on one of the bridges and it seems to be working fine. It sits on
> the windows sill, the white color blends in. The only negative so far is
> the cable is only 2.5 feet. The WAP11 is now on a coffee table rather than
> the window sill. The goal was to get it on the floor.

I'm still curious about what happens if you put the WAP11 on the
floor, with factory antennas and no cables. And if that doesn't work,
what if you put your new antenna on the wall, below the window, and
your WAP11 on the floor. In other words, how opaque _is_ your wall to
2.4 Ghz?

> I'm still curious about what happens if you put the WAP11 on the
> floor, with factory antennas and no cables. And if that doesn't work,
> what if you put your new antenna on the wall, below the window, and
> your WAP11 on the floor. In other words, how opaque _is_ your wall to
> 2.4 Ghz?

I have a very old house (60+years). All the internal walls are plaster (no
drywall) and the external walls are cinder block with metal screening over
it and then stucco over the metal screening. The walls maintain high
humidity levels - especially in the summer with the A/C always on and the
tons of rain we have all summer.

My test was simple --- ping -t the access point in the other building --
and see whats happens when I moved the local access point below the window
and on to the floor. As soon as I go to several inches below the glass (and
the window wooden frame), the pings would time out / die.

Jim Orfanakos <jim@-nospam-orfanakos.com> wrote:
> I do not doubt what you guys are saying at all - it just that I saw the
> antenna at the computer store and thought I would play a little.

Same thing I did. I couldn't resist the $19 5dbi mag mount antenna with 6
feet of cable and a connector.
Except that I think there is more than 5 db of cable loss with the thin
cable on the antenna. I see no gain when the antenna is aattached to my
Orinoco. There is no cable number on the cable, which is about 2mm thick.
< http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/re05u.php >

<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bg429s$9l$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Jim Orfanakos <jim@-nospam-orfanakos.com> wrote:
> > I do not doubt what you guys are saying at all - it just that I saw the
> > antenna at the computer store and thought I would play a little.
>
> Same thing I did. I couldn't resist the $19 5dbi mag mount antenna with 6
> feet of cable and a connector.
> Except that I think there is more than 5 db of cable loss with the thin
> cable on the antenna. I see no gain when the antenna is aattached to my
> Orinoco. There is no cable number on the cable, which is about 2mm thick.
> < http://www.hyperlinktech.com/web/re05u.php >

I am ok for signal - the two WAP11s are 50 feet apart - direct line of
site - no obstructions.

My problem is cosmetic...I cannot have the WAP11 sitting in the window sill.
Having the small white antenna is ok with the WAP11 on the coffe table is
better. The best solution is an antenna in the window, WAP11 on the floor.

> My problem is cosmetic...I cannot have the WAP11 sitting in the window sill.

You're forgetting the other solution, change the wife!

(I'm taking an educated guess that she's the main objector?)

David.

> Not an option. Upgrade not available, and I have too much invested in my
> current solution.

You could just dump wife.exe and switch to girlfriend.exe 2.0. Don't
install both at the same time though, they are not compatible.

(I love that old write up of this, amuses me to think about it.)

Women, they just don't understand.

"It's like this woman, the TV has to be in the middle of the wall to
best appreciate the sound field of the 5.1 system on THX certified
speakers, you simply CAN'T tuck the TV away in the corner and have all
the speakers on the other side of the room!"

Hands up everyone else that has been here too...

David.

David Taylor <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> speakers, you simply CAN'T tuck the TV away in the corner and have all
> the speakers on the other side of the room!"

Many years ago, a friend of ours had an "Ampzilla" amplifier, and some high
end audio stuff that he was always talking about. We went over to his
house where he showed off his stuff. My wife commented that it did sound
very nice, and wondered where his speakers were.
Somehow the two black boxes that were 2 feet square, 4 feet high, with
cloth on the front of them didn't seem to catch her eye ;-)

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

"Jim Orfanakos" <jim@-nospam-orfanakos.com> writes:

> > I'm still curious about what happens if you put the WAP11 on the
> > floor, with factory antennas and no cables. And if that doesn't work,
> > what if you put your new antenna on the wall, below the window, and
> > your WAP11 on the floor. In other words, how opaque _is_ your wall to
> > 2.4 Ghz?
>
> I have a very old house (60+years). All the internal walls are plaster (no
> drywall) and the external walls are cinder block with metal screening over
> it and then stucco over the metal screening. The walls maintain high
> humidity levels - especially in the summer with the A/C always on and the
> tons of rain we have all summer.

Well, that sounds like it would be pretty opaque.

> My test was simple --- ping -t the access point in the other building --
> and see whats happens when I moved the local access point below the window
> and on to the floor. As soon as I go to several inches below the glass (and
> the window wooden frame), the pings would time out / die.

And it is!

My house is a similar age, but wood-frame (no cinder block, stucco, or
metal screening) and walls aren't such a big obstacle.