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Tin Can WiFi Antenna   Rating: (5.8 / 10)    Views: 7,203

Submitted By: hiskeyd on 1/7/2007. (  |  Share  |  Clikk It! )   

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Tin Can WiFi Antenna


Howto build a Cantenna:

This tutorial will walk you through creating a cheap wifi antenna that works better than most "store-bought" models.

First thing's first you will need the following parts:

1) A N-Female chassis mount connector (these can be found at most electronic stores, such as radio shack, and usually cost around $3)

2) Four small nuts and bolts (these need to be just long enough to go through the connector and the can, if your N-connector is a screw on type you won't need these)

3) Some thick wire around an inch and a half of 12 gauge wire should do the trick.

4) a can of some sort (I recommend a pringles can or a Nalley chili can. Really any can with a diameter of around 3inches should do the trick)

5) Sodering Iron

6) Drill or a hammer and a nail

So now that you've got your pieces you should should attach the N-Connector assembly to the side of your can. You need to make sure and put the holes in the correct place to mount the connector.

The placement of the hole and connect is extremley important. You can figure out exactly where to put the holes using the calculator here: http://www.csgnetwork.com/antennawncalc.html

So then once you have your numbers, mark the location on the can where you will put the hole for the connector. The 1/4 Guide Wavelength number tells you how far up from the bottom metal end of the can to put the center of the hole.

So now the fun part. Open your can... eat the contents... give it a good cleaning and a nice WHIPHISH! with a dry towel. Probably remove the label if you can.

You can use a drill or a hammer and a nail to make the holes. Or if you have some self drilling screws that would work too. Make sure it will be a nice snug fit, whatever way you choose to make the hole.

Now that you've got your hole, cut the wire so that when it is stuck in the connector, the total length of both the brass tube and wire sticking out past the connector is around 1.24 inches.

Once the wire is correctly sized, solder it into the connector keeping it as straight and upright as you can. Once it's cooled down, bolt or screw the assembly into your can. Put the heads of the bolts inside the can and the nuts on the outside to minimize the obstructions in your antenna.

Now in order to use your cantenna, you'll of course need to hook it up to your wifi card.

You'll need a special cable commonly known as a "Pig Tail". One end of the Pig Tail will have a "N" Male connector, which of course you connect to your cantenna, while the other end will have a connector that hooks up to your wifi card or access point.

To see what this looks like go here: http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi?PigTail


Now you are done. you should experiement to see what cans and what positions give you the best signal.

If you want to supercharge your cantenna get an old satelite dish and adjust your can appropriatley so that the focal point is right on the little wire in your can.

A buddy of mine once claimed he could pick up a wifi signal from about 1.2 miles with that, though I've never tried it.




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