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Boost Your Wi-Fi Signal Using Only a Beer Can

Posted by timothy on from the for-some-values-of-only dept.

First time accepted submitter AmyVernon writes with a small hack that "is supposed to boost signal strength by at least 2 to 4 bars," and which requires little more than a can of beer (or Orangina). She writes: "What you need: scissors, a utility knife, some adhesive putty and an empty beer can. The brand doesn't matter for the router, but I suppose it would be cooler looking if it were Asahi or Stella Artois than if it were Budweiser." Perhaps this will be added one day to my favorite (and very extensive!) list of low-budget Wi-Fi amplifying rigs.

5 of 229 comments (clear)

  1. Lameness and collateral lameness by gzipped_tar · · Score: 2, Informative

    1. This is old news.
    2. Amplified signal power in your direction == amplified noise for your neighbors in other directions.
    3. This is probably illegal in many jurisdictions.
    4. Nerds don't measure "signal strength" in "bars". Use S/N or leave /..
    5. ???
    6. Profit!!

    --
    Colorless green Cthulhu waits dreaming furiously.
    1. Re:Lameness and collateral lameness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

      OTOH, amplified signal power in one direction = reduced noise for your neighbors in other directions. Granted, if you measure signal in "bars", it's safe to assume you know nothing about laying out a site for minimal interference, but for those who know and care, directional antennas of modest gain can be quite effective for making your home network work without tragedying up the commons.

    2. Re:Lameness and collateral lameness by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Informative

      Obviously you're going to measure the maximum gain and adjust the power output to avoid exceeding the allowed EIRP. Then you'll still have better reception, and if the other side also uses a high-gain antenna pointed at your access point, you can each hear the other side better (because you lowered the received noise and increased the received signal), radiate less total power and create less noise for other Wifi users. That's what you're going to do, right?

  2. Bars by TarMil · · Score: 5, Informative

    Since when is WiFi signal strength measured in bars? It's a pressure unit.

  3. And if you're not a redneck... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Informative

    you could run the freeantennas.com template through your printer, cut out the bits, glue them together, slap a bit of tin foil on the back, and off you go. It really takes less than ten minutes to make one. That's an easy 8..9dB extra gain.

    The thing that's critical to beer can and paper-and-tinfoil construction is a reasonable parabolic shape and positioning the antenna at that parabole's focal point. Though a nice square angle will do too, but there again it's the focal point that does it.