WiFi Antenna
- Thread starter stinkyboy
- Start date
Where is your access point located? If it is an all brick building you may be getting into a psuedo faraday cage with the metal conduits running through the walls. Your best bet is to move your access point, as "increasing the power" really isnt an option (FCC has issues with it).
Fuq do I know about WiFi? I have a Mac Mini with built in Airport and there are many free connections available in my hood. I can only see a Motorola and some other locked down corporate network from inside my place. Free internet is the goal.
Do I need an Airport Base Station to go with the repeater?
Thanks Splat.
About 1/10000 of the cost of liquor you have drank at my place.Told u, now you owe me $22,!!!
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I don't know about your mac stuff but most PC based WiFi cards have an antenna sticking out the back, you can buy a high gain antena that will replace the little stubby one that is attached to the WiFi card, most allow you to mount it next to a window or somewhere else via an extension cord. I'd think that's the ticket. Something like this:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164153
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164153
The high gain antenna is only going to work marginally well if you aren't sticking it next to the window, but you might be able to do a long wire run to the window to connect the antenna. I don't know how long the wire can be before the signal degrades but I'll poke around later and find out. I think that will be your only really good option without a lot of trouble.
edit: just noticed it was a Mac Mini. That means no external antenna. I don't know if there's a way to connect an external antenna in that case...
The problem with the repeater is that most repeaters are only compatible with their own brand of wireless access points... and since you're trying to pirate a signal, that's not going to work. You either don't know what kind of access point they're using, or if they're using something obvious, you won't know if that will change... and then you're stuck with a $74 brick.
You can hack a Linksys wireless access point and install Linux on it, but that's a pain and you're more likely to screw it up than get it right if you've not had experience with Linux. That would be a last ditch effort.
edit: just noticed it was a Mac Mini. That means no external antenna. I don't know if there's a way to connect an external antenna in that case...
The problem with the repeater is that most repeaters are only compatible with their own brand of wireless access points... and since you're trying to pirate a signal, that's not going to work. You either don't know what kind of access point they're using, or if they're using something obvious, you won't know if that will change... and then you're stuck with a $74 brick.
You can hack a Linksys wireless access point and install Linux on it, but that's a pain and you're more likely to screw it up than get it right if you've not had experience with Linux. That would be a last ditch effort.
The wifi card in the mini is very small and has no external antenna port. You need two paint scrapers to access it, but its not going to do you any good.
Maybe someone makes a USB antenna with a lot of power and OSX drivers.
In some areas using open WiFi networks is illegal even though its the owners fault for leaving the gate open with a sign to come in...
Maybe someone makes a USB antenna with a lot of power and OSX drivers.
In some areas using open WiFi networks is illegal even though its the owners fault for leaving the gate open with a sign to come in...