Ebay Wifi Antennas

[Magnum]

Hey guys!

Has anyone here bought a wifi antenna off Ebay?

There are ones advertised with high DBIs, I thought of buying one

If any of you have tried them please share your experience

I was checking out this one

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wifi-2-4GHZ-20-DBI-Booster-Antenna-RP-SMA-Wireless-WLAN-For-PCI-Card-USB-Modem-/111045563231?pt=US_Directional_Network_Antennas&hash=item19dad4d35f

[YRD]

I've also been wondering the exact same thing.. Never took the plunge though as I heard some networking guys says that while this may boost the range of ur network, there might not be a big difference as whatever ur using wifi on has to have a wifi chip and antenna that is powerful enough to be able to transmit the signal back. I was on the verge of buying one to cure dead spots in my house but resisted after I heard this as I didn't wanna make a useless purchase as my router has 3 antennas and that was kinda expensive for all 3 as wireless-n uses something called MIMO (multiple in multipe out).

Another way of boosting signal is to increase the transmission power of ur router. If ur stock firmware doesn't allow u to increase it u can try an open source firmware like dd-wrt which is linux based and allows u to overclock ur router.

Edited April 6, 2013 by YRD

[Magnum]

I've also been wondering the exact same thing.. Never took the plunge though as I heard some networking guys says that while this may boost the range of ur network, there might not be a big difference as whatever ur using wifi on has to have a wifi chip and antenna that is powerful enough to be able to transmit the signal back. I was on the verge of buying one to cure dead spots in my house but resisted after I heard this as I didn't wanna make a useless purchase as my router has 3 antennas and that was kinda expensive for all 3 as wireless-n uses something called MIMO (multiple in multipe out).

Another way of boosting signal is to increase the transmission power of ur router. If ur stock firmware doesn't allow u to increase it u can try an open source firmware like dd-wrt which is linux based and allows u to overclock ur router.

If your device gets the signal, it should be able to send it back as well isn't it?

[YRD]

No idea.. It didn't work for me on my previous router (single antenna).. I have a US Robotics desktop wifi antenna u can use to test before u commit to ur ebay purchase.. Give me a shout if ur interested...

Edited April 7, 2013 by YRD

[Magnum]

No idea.. It didn't work for me on my previous router (single antenna).. I have a US Robotics desktop wifi antenna u can use to test before u commit to ur ebay purchase.. Give me a shout if ur interested...

So you mean with your previous router you were able to receive signal but couldn't send any back?

haha no that's cool! thanks for asking

[YRD]

No, what I mean is when i hooked up the antenna and checked signal strength using inssider it showed no improvement in signal strength and the areas which couldn't receive the wifi signal earlier still were left without wifi..

[Magnum]

No, what I mean is when i hooked up the antenna and checked signal strength using inssider it showed no improvement in signal strength and the areas which couldn't receive the wifi signal earlier still were left without wifi..

I googled and found out that those Chinese antennas are pretty useless, but I might go for a branded one like from D-Link

Edit: is it better to keep the router somewhere at a higher place or at the bottom?

Edited April 7, 2013 by Magnum

[YRD]

Higher is generally better.. but no so high as to be near the ceiling.. higher than most objects in close proximity and away from concrete..

Let me know what happens to the D-Link if u do buy it.. I was utterly disappointed with the U.S. Robotics one I purchased..

[The Don]

Some of the antennas sold on ebay are illegal in SL. So not sure if it will get past postal customs. Also the cause of a weak wifi signal is many including interference from other devices and the walls around you. Concrete is usually a major show stopper. A range extender or a wifi repeater would be a better solution.

[k9master]

Some of the antennas sold on ebay are illegal in SL. So not sure if it will get past postal customs. Also the cause of a weak wifi signal is many including interference from other devices and the walls around you. Concrete is usually a major show stopper. A range extender or a wifi repeater would be a better solution.

Yes it definitely is. I use D-Link DAP-1360 has the functions to be a Wifi AP, Client and a Repeater. I use the repeater function of this to extend the 2.4Ghz network throughout the house. Did cost about 5k but was a hassle free option.

Do have a 5Ghz network also which returns a very high throughput as there are virtually no interruptions in this space but the range of same is pretty limited compared to 2.4 band. I use this only for video streaming and is perfect for HD content.

[Magnum]

Some of the antennas sold on ebay are illegal in SL. So not sure if it will get past postal customs. Also the cause of a weak wifi signal is many including interference from other devices and the walls around you. Concrete is usually a major show stopper. A range extender or a wifi repeater would be a better solution.

Could a telephone be one of those interference? my phone and router are pretty much next to each other

[k9master]

Could a telephone be one of those interference? my phone and router are pretty much next to each other

Mate is this a cordless? Most of them operate in 2.4Ghz space so it definitely can be an interference. Then again this will not affect AFAIK the range of your Wifi. Just the throughput / effective bandwidth.

I've also found that certain routers drop throughput significantly when Bluetooth devices are around, which again incidentally operate in the same space.

[YRD]

Cordless phones may or may not be interfering (most phones run in either 900mhz/1900mhz/2400mhz/5800mhz band). Easiest thing to do is to google ur cordless phone model no and check the frequency before u move it anywhere. I found my cordless phone to be at 900mhz so I didn;t bother moving it anywhere. Cordless phone only needs to be relocated if it is running in the 2400mhz(2.4ghz range) that too if ur router is running the 2.4ghz band, if it's 5ghz don't worry about it although most routers that are 5ghz are dual band an as such are running 2.4ghz too... Also, while testing I have found that my wifi signal takes a serious hit in the kitchen when i'm using my microwave...

Bluetooth too will have an effect as it operates in the 2400mhz band but shouldn't be that bad if u move it as it's range is rather short (approx 10m)...

Edited April 9, 2013 by YRD

[Magnum]

Well I don't have a corless phone, but I think I need to relocate my router, cuz its sort of in a corner, should move it to somewhere in the middle

is it better to move the whole router or extend the antenna with an extension wire?

[YRD]

Moving the router is a better option.. Also, when ur gettin ur antenna try to get one without a cable or as short a cable as possible as the cables have some signal loss in them..

[The Don]

Well I don't have a corless phone, but I think I need to relocate my router, cuz its sort of in a corner, should move it to somewhere in the middle

is it better to move the whole router or extend the antenna with an extension wire?

Long antenna cables will also result in signal loss due to attenuation. You need to try a couple of things,

1. Move the router around a bit, particularly away from a brick wall

2. Switch channels

[Magnum]

Long antenna cables will also result in signal loss due to attenuation. You need to try a couple of things,

1. Move the router around a bit, particularly away from a brick wall

2. Switch channels

What does that mean?

[The Don]

What does that mean?

The wireless router will operate on a certain channel (sub frequency) and you can usually select this from the admin console. If you have other devices operating on the same channel (say your neighbours router) this can cause issues to your signal strength. Some routers even have a mechanism where it selects automatically the optimum channel to broadcast in. The channels allowed are usually designated by country as well so you should select either Sri Lanka or Asia from the time zone/country drop down in the admin console.

[YRD]

In case ur not familiar.. generally the address in 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 and the username n password are both admin.. under wireless settings u will find the channel information...

before u change anything i recommend that u use a tool like inssider and do a scan to see if there are any wifi networks on the same channel as yours and then update accordingly.

also, if ur set on a antenna this one may be worth considering as it is 8dbi which is a considerable improvement over most standard antennas which are 2-5dbi generally...

Edited April 9, 2013 by YRD

[Magnum]

In case ur not familiar.. generally the address in 192.168.1.1 or 192.168.0.1 and the username n password are both admin.. under wireless settings u will find the channel information...

before u change anything i recommend that u use a tool like inssider and do a scan to see if there are any wifi networks on the same channel as yours and then update accordingly.

also, if ur set on a antenna this one may be worth considering as it is 8dbi which is a considerable improvement over most standard antennas which are 2-5dbi generally...

Theres zero overlapping and mine is already 8dbi

im just gonna extend my phone wire and move my router to the center of the house!

[YRD]

Moving the router seems to be the cheapest option.. what is ur router may I ask? did it come with the 8dbi antenna or did u fit it urself?

[Magnum]

Its a TP-Link W8901G

[YRD]

bro.. stock antenna on that is 5dbi... where did u get the 8dbi antenna from? i called sense micro this morning (tp-link agents in sl) and they said trc doesn't allow them to import antennas.. did u hand carry or manage to shape up the customs chaps on ur ebay import?

[Magnum]

bro.. stock antenna on that is 5dbi... where did u get the 8dbi antenna from? i called sense micro this morning (tp-link agents in sl) and they said trc doesn't allow them to import antennas.. did u hand carry or manage to shape up the customs chaps on ur ebay import?

Oops! checked again, its 5dbi. my bad!

suggest me a good 8dbi antenna

[YRD]

Bro.. 8dbi antennas are impossible to find sl.. if u know anyone aborad can easily get it or try ur luck woth ebay it's available for super cheap... Since ur using tp-link why don't u try TL-ANT2408CL..