With just a wire, a wood screw, and a drinking straw you can go MacGyver on your PC's WiFi and make yourself an omnidirectional "range extender" antenna, similar to what you'd find in the store for $30. There isn't a lot of talk about the reasoning behind the antenna design... it's just a straight duplicate of what's in the commercial product.
WIFI Range Extender Antenna - Link
Posted by Jason Striegel |
Nov 23, 2007 09:57 PM
hacks |
Permalink
| Comments (4)
| Email This |
| Digg this!
Oldest comments listed first.
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!
Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.
$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)
Check out more videos from MAKE.
 |
MAKE on Facebook Visit our Facebook page and become a fan of MAKE! |
 |
MAKE on Twitter Follow our MAKE tweets! |
 |
MAKE on Flickr Join our MAKE Flickr Pool! |
Gareth Branwyn
Editor-in-Chief
Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
| Web | Twitter
Becky Stern
Associate Editor
| AIM | Twitter
Marc de Vinck
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
John Park
Contributing Writer
| Twitter
Sean Ragan
Contributing Writer
| Twitter
Matt Mets
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
Dale Dougherty
Editor & Publisher
| Twitter
Shawn Connally
Managing Editor
| Twitter
Goli Mohammadi
Associate Managing Editor
Kip Kay
Weekend Projects
| AIM | Twitter
Collin Cunningham
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
Adam Flaherty
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
John Baichtal
Contributing Writer
| AIM | Twitter
More contributors: Mark Frauenfelder (Editor-in-Chief, MAKE magazine), Kipp Bradford (Technical Consultant/Writer), Chris Connors (Education), Diana Eng (Guest Author), Peter Horvath (Intern), Brian Jepson (O'Reilly Media), Robert Bruce Thompson (Science Room)
Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!
Click here to advertise on MAKE!
Weekend Project: Pinhole Panoramic Camera
A sturdy, panoramic design pinhole camera that uses 120 film. Thanks go to Ross Orr for the original article in MAKE Volume 09. To download The Pinhole Panoramic Camera video video click here and subscribe in iTunes. Check out...
More...
Help | Write for MAKE | Contact Us | Subscribe | Advertise with Us | Privacy Policy| About MAKE | FAQ
© 2010 O'Reilly Media, Inc.
All trademarks and registered trademarks appearing on makezine.com are the property of their respective owners.
RSS
To make the extender antenna the wire used must be made of copper *without* any plastic coating. The plastic on a wire alters the velocity factor of the wire and detunes the antenna. An antenna made from a plastic coated wire will be shorter in length than a plain one. The efficiency will also be reduced.
Reply to this comment
Isn't it a porn image on the bottom right corner in the last sequence ?
I was distracted by it and looking at it closely reveals to me what seem to be a girl on top of a guy... or it's just me :)
Reply to this comment
nice one... mcgyver...lol...
Reply to this comment
Tried and works like a charm. Tip. I found it difficult to make a perfect coil (final result did not have any geometrical shape) using a wood screw. I used a stirrer instead, its diameter was around ½ of the drinking straw, and after making the required turns stretched the coil a bit (to ensure the coils do not touch adjacent turns).
Reply to this comment