Using redundant virgin cabling within flat as wireless antenna?

[laurenced]

hi all

I've just had a thought and I figured it might be an interesting project.

We have our router placed near the outside wall of the property. However, the previous tenants had it within the house, with a coax extension of probably about 30 metres which goes around skirting and doorways.

We don't use the extension, and I was wondering if somehow fitting one end of it to the router's antenna connection would be a clever way of getting fantastic WiFi reception all through the flat? Is it likely to work?

The connectors are different sizes, so I was thinking of just connecting it using some copper wire or similar. I doubt a VM coax > WiFi antenna adaptor exists.

Any thoughts welcome!

[Begize]

I wouldn't have thought so.

From my memory of physics at school, the size of an antenna would need to be proportional to the size of the waves it picks up. In the case of wireless LAN signals, these are generally in the 2.4Ghz spectrum (i.e. high) so they have small wavelengths - I would guess in the range of centimetres.

In other words, a 30 meter long aerial would be rubbish at picking up these very short wave lengths.

I suppose what you could do is attach an normal wireless aerial to the end of this cable run and then connect it in tandem to your router, along with the existing aerial. You would have to use high quality connectors and make sure your soldering was upto scratch or any gains you made in the signal strength would be lost.

Failing that, try the old trick of putting some kind of reflector around your existing aerial to collect the signal (like a satelite dish type thing). I've tried mine with an old tin foil dish and it seems to have improved the signal (my router is in the loft).

[Kymmy]

If you uncovered 6.25cm (1/2 wave of 2.4Ghz = 300/2400 = 12.5cm per hertz ) of the center core of the antenna and placed it near (within 12" of the wireless antenna) then it might work, but only if the other end is connected directly to the device instead of the antenna..

2.4Ghz though will attenuate like crazy through simple co-ax ut at 30M might still be stronger than the broadcast signal at the same distance...

Just don't connect them up directly!!!! Otherwise you;ll end up with damaged equipment...

[laurenced]

Originally Posted by Kymmy

If you uncovered 6.25cm (1/2 wave of 2.4Ghz = 300/2400 = 12.5cm per hertz ) of the center core of the antenna and placed it near (within 12" of the wireless antenna) then it might work, but only if the other end is connected directly to the device instead of the antenna..

THanks for the reply! Can you explain what you mean by this? Which end goes where?