Evil_Genius

hey everyone, I'm new here (which you can see from my post count) and to wifi in general (which you can see from the newbie-ish questions i'm about to ask). my issue is as follows: I bought a pacific-wireless dbi 24 (PW 24) grid-type directional antenna, put it together (after multiple bruises, cuts and concussions) and connected it to my PCI card in order to get a better signal/connection speed from an AP about 300 meters away. Yeah, before you write it--I do know that 24 dbi may be an overkill for that distance, but I was always a maximalist. In any case, I stuck the antenna out of my window, pointed it at the AP (partially blocked by my neighbor's roof..won't be a problem when i'll get it mounted on the roof), but got no signal whatsoever (i was checking on both n.stumbler and my Asus Wifi control center program). After wiggling the antenna around in multiple directions, I still didn't get even a single dbi of signal. So, therein lies my problem. I am 100% sure that I SHOULD have been getting a signal, since even the little omni antenna which came with my wifi card was getting 20% signal strength from the same location. I have three possible explanations for this malfunction, but due to my lack of experience in this area (so far the most advanced radio technology i've experienced was while heating up pizza w/ the microwave) , I don't know for sure.

1. the antenna is somehow malfunctioning. this seems possible because i'm not getting ANY indication that an antenna is connected to my card, the only "transferred data" the Asus Wifi program is showing is the one that my card catches even without an antenna. however, i've taken it apart and put it back together twice, and there has been no improvement--so I don't think I made a construction mistake.

2. the cables/connectors are mistakingly connected. my wifi card has a RSMA type connector, which I then connected to a Halden 155 (low signal loss) cable with an RSMA connector on one end, and without a connector on the other. I then attached a N-female connector there (since my PW24 has a N male connector on a pigtail). Now, I have no reason to suspect the connections are a problem--they all connect tightly and sturdily, except maybe for the connector/H155 cable link. Do you just insert the cable, without removing the rubber isolation, into the slot on the connector, and then tighten the lock? or is there some part of the process that i'm missing?

3. This is probably the most likely and least desired explanation...could my card be simply too weak (i.e. not enough power output) to be used with the 24 dbi antenna? The card is the one that came with my Asus motherboard. The motherboard has a special slot (not standard PCI, but rather a custom Asus one) into which the "Wifi-b Asus Wifi@Home" card is inserted. I thought that Asus cards had model numbers such as "W..105, 330" etc. but there was no model number listed for this one. So, that's pretty much my question--is this card's power output not sufficient, and should I purchase a different one (and which?) ? I've read that the Z-COM XI-626 card is a good match to this antenna, but I saw no reason to buy it since I had a wifi card already.


So, that's pretty much it. Sorry for being long-winded, but brevity never was one of my virtues...

thanks in advance for your answers, and for now I'll just start poking the antenna out of my window, scaring the bodily excriments out of the grandmas that live next door (since it's 5 am..)....

p.s.--am i perhaps aiming the antenna incorrectly? i move it in small incriments, wait for a few seconds, then move it again...or should i keep it in one position longer?

p.p.s.--(i know, this must be getting annoying)--if i resolve this problem, and bring my signal up to say, 90%, will this improve my internet connection speed (i'm connecting to the internet through the AP that i'm accessing...which is owned by a local phone company and offers 512 kilobites per second internet). When I access it with my omni antenna, (15-20%) strength, I only get 55-60 kbps internet, which isn't much better than 56k... what sort of improvement can i expect?

p.p.p.--some people told me that using such a high-gain antenna might be dangerous..however, I don't see the point of their argument since it's a *directional* antenna which only catches/ emits a signal in one direction--in which there is nothing but area (i.e. how can I be exposed?) besides, even expsure a few seconds long wouldn't be harmful since the power of the antenna is thousands of times smaller than that of a microwave oven..anyone know a definitive answer to this?

Madhadder

I'm guessing it's a bad connection job on the N connector...
Soldering Microwave connectors to cables can be a PITA..
The only way to test this is with a $$$$ microwave cable tester.
Which is why most of us here get our cables (Standard & Custom)
from Fab-Corp. They are masters of this art, and have the test rigs
to test every cable for correctness.

Check'em out at : Fab-Corp

You may also want to check to make sure NS can see the card and is working correctly.

For the p.p.p: You need to do some more research here.. Yes the Antt
is directional, but it also puts out wave behind it up to 20ft or more. So
if you were standing behind it you wouldn't get hit with the full force of
the waves, but you would sure as $shit get at least 85% which is still
very bad.. Remember Wi-fi operates ar 2.4 Ghz, the same as a microwave
oven. What happens if you put a cup of water in a micro for 2 min??
That's right is will boil. Remember health class in MS/HS when you first
learned that the human body is 80% water!!! Now you should get the idea.
The eyes are in the biggest danger from Wi-fi. SO STAY FAR THE HELL BACK

__________________
Legends may sleep, but they never die!!!!

Evil_Genius

thank you for the hasty reply, you were remarkably helpful for a "newbie basher".

some questions and clarifications:

well, net stumbler sees my card just fine; I get a good AP list with my omni antenna.

since I happen to live at the End of the Technological Nowhere (i.e. Czech Republic), there seems to be a monopoly of Microwave peripherals here--with little else available. But I tested 3 different cables with the antenna--2, 5, 10 meters (all by the same company/same type) and still getting a big zilch--doesn't that mean the cable's ok?

and about the antenna aiming--would I be getting ANY signals/hints of a signal if I was pointing the ant. in the right direction, or is it an all-or-nothing situation (i.e. you point it EXACTLY at the AP, or there is no evidence that the ant is even working?)?

question: so, you don't think my version with the "too low card output power" is the right one? buying a new card would be a chore, but not that much of an expense--so if I must, I'd do it.

question: if the radiation really IS that dangerous, then how am I supposed to find my AP's signal, by moving the ant. with a ten foot pole?!

again, keep the advice coming, please! I tend to be a bit obsessive/compulsive about things, so I probably won't be able to sleep till I get this right..lol

King_Ice_Flash

http://www.cisco.com/univercd/cc/td/...g/bkscgaxa.htm
What he is saying is don't break the power laws & don't look into or be in the path of high gain antennas. The FCC doesn't make rules for no reason, so be sure to follow them.

__________________
"Yeah," said a voice from under the table, "you go to pieces so fast people get hit by the shrapnel."

MikeP928

Pointing a 24db parabolic at a signal is about like pointing a laser at the AP. At 300m, that building is either completely blocking or no problem. It might affect part of the fresnel zone, but if you can see the antenna, you should get a signal.

And I hope that phone company AP is a public hotspot. It's too early on a Monday morning to put on the nomex undies and discuss Theft of Service.

__________________
Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote.
-- Benjamin Franklin, 1759

wrzwaldo

That comment is lame on so many levels. You are one of the many reasons for Birth Control and the FCC. You are also one of the reasons for spectrum saturation. Get a friggin clue of what you are doing before you do something really stupid (but I fear that may have already happened). Hopefully you will have sterilized yourself and stopped any future moronic activity in your family tree.

Barry

I don't think he has to worry about the FCC. Having done this with my iPaq, with netstumbler running wave the dish back and forth across the neighborhood. It should pick up something, if not your dish might be bad, or put together wrong. I also wouldn't stand around an active antenna for too long, it is pushing out microwaves like the other guys said. You aim it off, look down the imetter mast, kinda like aiming a gun, should get you close.

__________________
Never do anything you don't want to explain to the paramedics.