theWhiteNoise.net - Web Log

Here’s the permanent installation of my long range wifi antenna. 

The antenna is a yagi design with about +24db worth of gain.  It’s VERY directional so I designed the mount to allow almost 180 degrees of movement in case it needs to be adjusted in the future.

The antenna is hooked in to a Buffalo 802.11G router which connects to the remote access point in client mode.  A second wireless router then uses the first router as it’s WAN connection and acts as an access point for local clients.  This allows computers within the house to access the remote wifi point without needing long range antennas of their own.  I had to mount the routers close to the yagi antenna because lengthening the antenna cable degregates your gain very quickly.  Since I was limited by where I could mount the antenna outside & still run it into the house with a 3 foot cable, this became the best choice:

Right now I’m using the wifi of one of my very kind neighbors:

At this range, the signal quality isn’t the greatest (in the 18–22% range), but it’s definitely usable & only has an occasional drop-out.