Making a USB wifi antenna pull down wifi and repeat signal...?

jonezy199

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Sep 18, 2013
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Hey guys, So here is my problem.

I am a student on a university campus that has wifi all over. Unfortunatly, at one end of my house the signal is weak and drops sometimes. I'm purchasing a wifi antenna / usb adapter ( http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=9SIA24P0NW5508 ) so when I am in my room (where the internet is weak) I can have strong signal. Is there a way to repeat the signal I pull down from the antenna via a wireless router or wireless repeater? I wasn't sure if any routers take usb input instead of coaxial or dsl and output wifi...

Any thoughts, ideas, or suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thank you!
 
Solution


Not another router....a WiFi range extender might work...


Not another router....a WiFi range extender might work.
http://www.amazon.com/NETGEAR-N600-Wi-Fi-Range-Extender/dp/B004YAYM06
 
Solution
Remember, though....you overall connection is only as strong as the weakest link.
If the signal between whatever repeater thing you buy and the university sucks.....it will suck. You may get 8 bazillion megazooms between you and the repeater....but if the repeater can only talk to the university at 0.25 kilozooms....that is what you get.
 



Thanks for the quick response. The only problem with that is I do not have access to the router. I am just trying to use the antenna to get connected and pull down my university's free wifi, and then switch the connection from my computer to a wifi repeater / router that you can plug a usb into instead of a dsl line, coaxial cable, or cat-5 cable. Thanks!
 


Right. So you need a range extender (as above) or a Wifi-ethernet bridge.
Both of which rely on whatever signal strength they get from the university.

The bridge thing sucks in WiFi, and you can connect to it via WiFi or ethernet.

But if the signal that thing gets sucks......well...it will suck overall.
 



That is why I wanted to relay the signal from the high gain antenna and not just rely on a wireless repeater. The antenna will get perfect signal because it is placed outside... where the wireless repeater probably will not.
 


The thing you posted apparently connects via USB, and broadcasts over a wide area.
What you need is something to get the WiFi signal from the university, and rebroadcast that.

As said....if the overall signal between 'it' and the university sucks, your overall experience will suck.
 
If you want a outdoor device you best bet is a outdoor bridge and then a AP inside your house. You build your own repeater with part outside and part inside. ubiquiti sells a number of outdoor bridge products something like their airgrid system would work. You would then use whatever router or AP you like to get wireless in the house.

I don't know if I trust the device you linked. The antenna is way to small to get 36db of gain and they would have to reduce the power immensely to not be in violation. The fine print says 30db gain which is much less than just the antenna. That radio transmitter cannot have a negative gain so their numbers must manipulated or be false. I would be very wary of that device without reading the FCC report.... it does even say it is fcc approved and it links directly to a company in china.
 
Er, what you could do (and I have done it in a pinch) is to use the wifi antenna and plug in a router to your ethernet port (via an ethernet cable obviously) (if you have a wifi router laying around its all the better. I am using one from like 2003) Then just bridge the connections in windows.

Sorry if wording seems odd. Way to tired.

Or you can use ICS with just an ethernet cable from on pc to another.

Also with either of those solutions you would need to have the host pc be on at all times.