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Author Topic: Distance for router?  (Read 6005 times)

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I Shooter

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    Distance for router?
    « on: May 22, 2010, 06:51:17 AM »
    I just hooked up a Desktop Wireless G card to the computer that we have in the travel trailer. I thought that it would be able to pick up the router in the house. No such luck. >:( I am only 120' from the router. The router they say is good for 200'and the card is good for 400', that is what Belkin said. I think the problem is that the trailer has aluminum siding. I know that the metal roof on the house kills cell phones. If you want to use one here you have to go out side then they work fine. My question is do they make a antenna that can go out side the trailer to make this work? My fear is that if I can't get it to work hear I won't be able to get it to work at a park. Thank you much for your time.

    soybean



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    Re: Distance for router?
    « Reply #1 on: May 22, 2010, 08:23:55 AM »

    I Shooter

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      Re: Distance for router?
      « Reply #2 on: May 22, 2010, 02:32:23 PM »
      No, I am looking for a antenna that will hook to the computer and go out side the trailer. New egg has a antenna with a 2'cable that sits on the desk and that is all I could find. Supper Biiz had nothing like what I need. Do you know of one that will go out side and hook to the computer. The computer works, yes, if it isn't in the trailer. In the trailer I can't get on the net as stated in the post.

      Computer_Commando



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      Re: Distance for router?
      « Reply #3 on: May 22, 2010, 02:49:55 PM »

      soybean



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      Re: Distance for router?
      « Reply #4 on: May 22, 2010, 03:00:30 PM »
      http://www.cantenna.com/
      Looks like that may be the best choice.  Linksys has a range extender but, as far as I can determine, it only works with Linksys products.

      rthompson80819



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      Re: Distance for router?
      « Reply #5 on: May 22, 2010, 03:25:08 PM »
      You should take another look at Newegg.  They have got a lot of antennas designed for outdoor use but they also have 30' extender cables for the antennas.

      I Shooter

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        Re: Distance for router?
        « Reply #6 on: May 22, 2010, 06:11:14 PM »
        I think the problem is that I don't know what I am looking at. I want a antenna that will connect to my wireless card and most of antenna I see at New Egg connect to the router. I need an antenna that I can mount on the side of the travel trailer and run a cable to the computer and connect to the wireless card. I read about one the decide that will work and find out that they have it connected to the router sending a signal. I need one to pick up a signal. So far no luck. The can thing will not work for running down the road at 70MPH. It would last about five minutes. Thank you much for your time.

        rthompson80819



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        Re: Distance for router?
        « Reply #7 on: May 22, 2010, 09:03:35 PM »
        What you probably want for an antenna will look a lot like a regular car antenna and you can mount it to the outside of your trailer, with a cable routed inside to your computer some how.  There are some flat antennas that will work just as well.  It will be an omnidirectional antenna, which means it picks up signal from all directions equally, which will be good for RV parks so you don't need to reorient the antenna every time you move.  The antenna is the easy part.

        What you need to be careful of making sure of is that the antenna cable will hook up to your computers interface, which is ether an RJ-45 ethernet connection or a USB.  Some of the antennas just have coaxial connectors on each end, and that won't do you any good.

        You might even call Newegg's (or whoever) 800 number and describe what you are trying to do.

        I Shooter

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          Re: Distance for router?
          « Reply #8 on: May 22, 2010, 09:55:07 PM »
          Yes, you understand what I am looking for. Though it has to connect to the wireless card where the little antenna hooks to. As I said before they make them for your desk. I just have not found one for the out side of the trailer.

          Geek-9pm


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          Re: Distance for router?
          « Reply #9 on: May 22, 2010, 10:45:36 PM »
          Now that we have a better idea of what you want, here are some observations.

          The type of wireless connection we often use with portable computers is called a WiFi connection. It sometimes is also called the 802.11 standard. These are references to a published standard that uses short range microwaves for a two-way communication using digital technology. These devices use a have a range of up to about 100 m or about 300 feet or so. Provided there are no obstacles like large metal sheets. The outside skin of your travel trailer makes it very hard for microwaves to penetrate, unless there is an opening. If you take the screens off of your Windows, then there is an opening for the microwaves to get in. But the antenna must be fairly close to the window in order to capture signals that are coming in at an angle. You're a have had similar experience with the cell phone systems.

          Now there is an important difference between the cell phone system and the WiFi system. Cell phones are meant to have a range of a few miles by using the help of high power relays on top of high towers with large antennas. That is an important difference.

          The point being made here is this, with suitable outdoor antennas on both ends you can expect to have reliable communications up to 300 feet or so. Both the router and the client will have to have antennas that are not obstructed by large metallic objects. Also can create walls, heavy foliage and even wooden structures can weaken the range of these type of devices because they run at a very low power level.

          Easy you can place the antenna near a window with no screen, or you can mount a short antenna on top of the roof or even on the side of the travel trailer. Also,microwaves can not go around metal objects that are more than about two feet in diameter.

          The basic antennae used for these devices looks like what we call a rubber ducky. However, the rubber ducky has to be specific for the application you're using. It has to be for the 802.11g standard. Which specifies two frequency bands in the microwave region.

          Just to give you an orientation of what sort of antenna are used for these devices, here is a link to a place where people love to tear them up and make them work better. Of course, you'll have to do that. But it's fun to see some of the tricks that people have done with these little antennas by tearing them up and rearranging them make similar but more powerful. But In your case you don't really need to do that. Just get the antenna close to a window, or mount outside of the window on a bracket.
          http://www.instructables.com/id/WIFI-Antenna-Hack!/
          Watch the video. Very entertaining!
          And by the way, I used to be an active radio amateur years ago and it was fun playing around with antennas and things like that.

          rthompson80819



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          Re: Distance for router?
          « Reply #10 on: May 22, 2010, 11:19:06 PM »
          I just have not found one for the out side of the trailer.

          Newegg has several that are exactly what you are looking for, and I'd give you a link, and earlier today I saw several, but didn't copy the link, and their search engine is terrible, and I can't find them again, and I'm about to go to bed.

          Just go on there and start poking around and you will find the kind of antennas you are looking for.

          I Shooter

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            Re: Distance for router?
            « Reply #11 on: May 23, 2010, 06:18:56 AM »
            Is the part that connects to the wireless card called SMA?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164135&cm_re=wireless_antenna-_-33-164-135-_-Product. That is the one I am thinking of getting. On the reviews they say they are using it to send a signal from a router. I am assuming that it will pick up one also, is that true?

            Geek-9pm


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            Re: Distance for router?
            « Reply #12 on: May 23, 2010, 09:58:30 AM »
            Is the part that connects to the wireless card called SMA?http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833164135&cm_re=wireless_antenna-_-33-164-135-_-Product. That is the one I am thinking of getting. On the reviews they say they are using it to send a signal from a router. I am assuming that it will pick up one also, is that true?
            Yes. All 802.11g devices use the same frequency bands for ending and receiving.The antennas are interchangeable.

            I Shooter

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              Re: Distance for router?
              « Reply #13 on: May 23, 2010, 02:10:13 PM »
              I just picked up a antenna that sits on your desk with a 3'cord. I stuck it out the window of the trailer to see if it would work. I was able to get two bars that allowed me to set things up but wouldn't let me connect to the net. I brought it back in the house to make sure that nothing was wrong and it works fine. It must take more than two bars to get on the net. Any way the place I picked up the antenna had an outside that would work *censored* they didn't have all the parts to make it work. I guess I will go back to the net and see what I can find. I know I am not the first one to do this. There has to be some place that has what I need. Thank you much for your help.

              I Shooter

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                Re: Distance for router?
                « Reply #14 on: June 03, 2010, 06:34:01 PM »
                Well, the antenna I ordered came in today. I hooked it up and no joy at first. I was only getting two bars and some times three. The three bars wouldn't last long enough to do any thing. So I went into the house and moved the router to a window and went back and checked the trailer. I had three bars and they worked. I could get on to the net and it worked fine. I found out that the antenna works great. I was able to pick up the neighbors net. It is the router that isn't sending enough signal. I thought I would replace the antenna on the router, no , it will not come off, thank you Belkin. So it looks like on the road I am set, at home I need to get a better router. Thank you all for your help. The antenna I got was from Trendnet, it is a omnidirectional and the place I got it from had the cable that connects from the antenna to the wireless card. That made every thing a snap to hook up. I picked up the parts from SuperBiiz on the net. All the parts ran about eighty dollars. As I said be for thank you all for your time and help.