Cheap way to boost signal pickup?

DareDare SD
edited February 2009 in Hardware
Howdy, I live in an apartment complex, and my buddy the building over runs his net open, but I can barely get a signal, any cheap ways to boost my signal pickup?

I use a USB wireless adapter that I uh... >.>
I have duct taped to my wall, was the best signal I could get, sometimes get 2 bars there. Heh. -_-


Anyways, just randomly curious, not expectin' a miracle cure or anything. :bigggrin:

Comments

  • KhaosKhaos New Hampshire
    edited February 2009
    Google around for DIY WiFi dish setups. I saw a site a while back that had a sort of guide where a guy used a steel wok as the dish and used duct tape and wooden dowels to mount a WiFi receiver at the concentration point.

    I've also seen some designs that use large, tin cans as collectors.

    No experience actually building such a device, myself. I seem to recall that it is illegal to build a DIY receiver dish, as well. Some FCC regulation or summat. /me shrugs.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited February 2009
    If all you have is a USB adapter, there's not much that can be done. All the neat hacks require antennae or antenna connectors.
  • DareDare SD
    edited February 2009
    Thrax wrote:
    If all you have is a USB adapter, there's not much that can be done. All the neat hacks require antennae or antenna connectors.

    So I'm noticin' in reads.
    But the antenna mods etc, are more in the line of stuff I know, done alot of wiring and modding on cars and houses over my years, not so much on computers.

    From what I've read though, I can fiddle with just using a basic wok / other cooking sorts, and let my little USB thing be the focal point, for small small gains.. and the apartment complex here has 4 defunct little antenna dishes mounted around it, and I'm sure I have a buddy somewhere with a wireless card of some sort he could sacrifice for the cause, and it seems like an amusing project.

    Will ponder how much pocket cash I have next paycheck, as most the required items I have, the copper, the wiring etc. Out at the farm, we've got a ton of different sorts of wire etc, as the old man there used to do wiring and installs in more modern houses.

    I'm scratchin my chin in ponderingness. XD



    Lazyness wins.
    Gonna give this one a try instead. Have all the supplies handy 'cept the strainer itself.:
    http://www.instructables.com/id/Uni-Directional-WIFI-Range-Extender/

    Will let ya'll know how it goes.
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