Would putting a better antenna on my wifi adapter result in better wifi reception signal

[steveis2]

Hi, I have a poor signal for wifi in one room and use an internal wifi adapter in my computer. This has two small antenna on its back plate that have a gain of 2dBi. The adapter is a TP-Link wireless N TL-WN881D model.
If I attached a couple of bigger antenna with a gain of 8dBi would that result in a stronger signal reception from my router and therefore better wifi signal and be worth doing. Or do antennas like that only work for the router doing the transmission? If the antenna idea doesn't work should I buy a wifi range extender to boost the signal?

Any insights into antennas etc would be very welcome.

Regards Steve

 

[bill001g]

They increase both reception and transmission...receptions somewhat more because of how microwave transmitters work. The problem with internal cards is the antenna are located very close to the metal case which blocks the signal. If you have placed it under the desk against a wall you are blocking even more of the signals. Proper placement with the antennas facing toward the router is the first thing to try.

It tends to be impossible to predict since the construction of your house will have far more impact that larger antenna will. It is a cheap thing to try but make sure you use 2 antenna. Current wireless is very dependent on the use of multiple antenna so replacing just 1 might actually reduce your signal. Then again replacing both may also have that effect since these devices tend to be optimized for the antennas they come with. All you can do is try it.

A range extender should be close to last on options to try. It needs to be placed 1/2 way between the router and your pc....actually it must be places where it can get strong router signal but still provide strong signal to the end pc. The signal level may increase but the quality of that signal and the speed will likely decrease. It transmits a interfering signal into the same radio frequency as the main router which degrade the quality.

If it is a option you might try powerline network devices before you would try a repeater/extender.

 

[weberdarren97]

It would help work signal reception, but if the problem is caused by multiple WiFi networks being on the same channel near each other (neighboring houses, etc) then the solution is to change the broadcast channel.

 

[steveis2]

They increase both reception and transmission...receptions somewhat more because of how microwave transmitters work. The problem with internal cards is the antenna are located very close to the metal case which blocks the signal. If you have placed it under the desk against a wall you are blocking even more of the signals. Proper placement with the antennas facing toward the router is the first thing to try.

It tends to be impossible to predict since the construction of your house will have far more impact that larger antenna will. It is a cheap thing to try but make sure you use 2 antenna. Current wireless is very dependent on the use of multiple antenna so replacing just 1 might actually reduce your signal. Then again replacing both may also have that effect since these devices tend to be optimized for the antennas they come with. All you can do is try it.

A range extender should be close to last on options to try. It needs to be placed 1/2 way between the router and your pc....actually it must be places where it can get strong router signal but still provide strong signal to the end pc. The signal level may increase but the quality of that signal and the speed will likely decrease. It transmits a interfering signal into the same radio frequency as the main router which degrade the quality.

If it is a option you might try powerline network devices before you would try a repeater/extender.

Thanks for the advice. I will probably try the antenna and thenif that doesn't work the powerline idea.

Steve

 

[steveis2]

It would help work signal reception, but if the problem is caused by multiple WiFi networks being on the same channel near each other (neighboring houses, etc) then the solution is to change the broadcast channel.

That's a good point. We live in a flat and there are lots and lots of other people's routers transmitting.

Steve