Portable Wi-Fi Antenna for Centrino Laptops?

Posted by Cliff on Thursday October 6, 2005 @10:45AM from the better-range-from-the-hot-spot dept.

Quinthar asks: "For years I've been reading of amazing extensions to wifi-range, but they always seem to include external hardware rather than what's built into regular laptops. As wifi makes it almost everywhere, is there anything I can use to eek out extra coverage in the coffeeshops? I've read of USB antennae -- are these snakeoil? If not USB, how else can I plug a real antenna into a simple Centrino chipset without the hassle of an external card? My dream would be a tiny parabolic dish with a tripod that folds up neatly. Does such a thing exist? Can I hold a Pringles can up to the right spot and expect results? Basically, what are my options, and which do you recommend?"

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Tiny dish won't work by inio · 2005-10-06 10:59 · Score: 4, Informative

reflectors don't work unless their diameter is at least on the order of the wavelength you're trying to reflect. for 802.11b/g that's about 12cm - way bigger than most people would like to carry around.

A better alternative is the modern waveguide cantenna design - far more compact than the original Yagi pringles can designs.