Sony Location Free TV

renderman · 03-12-2007

I have a friend who picked up a Sony LF-X1 location free TV setup (think slingbox + tablet PC). The set top box that broadcasts over wireless to the tablet "TV") from any video source, and (in theory) be accessed remotely over the internet.

Initial poking at it shows that it's operating on 802.11b/g and 802.11a channels and seems to be normal 802.11 traffic (their own protocol I would wager)

The problem is that the unit has piss poor range and sony (in their infinite wisdom) did'nt include a connector for an external antenna, replying on the wimpy internal one to do the job.

A bit of googling shows that no one has taken a whack at hacking the thing or doing an antenna mod.

The FCC ID (AK8IRF302U) shows the dual band minipci card inside and it has dual hirose connectors.

2 questions:

First: Any special considerations if I do take a whack at upgrading the antennas beyond the usual n00b warnings.

Second: Anyone else have experience with this type of unit? I'm very surprised the tinkering community hasn't torn into it yet.

TechN9N3 · 04-04-2007

Just purchased the location FREE system. would be interested in chatting with you.

brwrdrvr · 04-05-2007

Hey Render what kind of range are you getting vs the range you want?

renderman · 04-05-2007

it's about a 1200 sq ft house, with a yard.

It covers the main floor of the house pretty well, but no downtilt, so no basement use and it's pretty pathetic in the yard, which was the main intended use of it.

They have Wifi, the neighbors do too, as well as using BT keyboards, mice and a 2.4 Ghz phone. Basically it's a spectral mess around there that I am slowly cleaning up.

It works best on the 5Ghz .11a settings, but the range is pretty useless there. I just want to push it out about 50-70 feet from the base unit into the yard Vs. the 40 ft they get now.

I'm just surprised that for something that is supposed to be 'location free' they have a pretty crappy antenna and no way to boost or redirect signal where you want it.

brwrdrvr · 04-06-2007

I was reading the specs on this thing. I see it is possible to connect via the internet or home network rather than connecting to the wifi channels from the base station. Did I read into that right?

Dutch · 04-06-2007

Quote:

Originally Posted by renderman

I have a friend who picked up a Sony LF-X1 location free TV setup (think slingbox + tablet PC). The set top box that broadcasts over wireless to the tablet "TV") from any video source, and (in theory) be accessed remotely over the internet.

Initial poking at it shows that it's operating on 802.11b/g and 802.11a channels and seems to be normal 802.11 traffic (their own protocol I would wager)

The problem is that the unit has piss poor range and sony (in their infinite wisdom) did'nt include a connector for an external antenna, replying on the wimpy internal one to do the job.

A bit of googling shows that no one has taken a whack at hacking the thing or doing an antenna mod.

The FCC ID (AK8IRF302U) shows the dual band minipci card inside and it has dual hirose connectors.

2 questions:

First: Any special considerations if I do take a whack at upgrading the antennas beyond the usual n00b warnings.

Second: Anyone else have experience with this type of unit? I'm very surprised the tinkering community hasn't torn into it yet.

As usual, it's a twoway solution. Is the same type of mini-PCI card in the base station and the tablet-tv unit ? Atheros based is my guess, since it's a/b/g capable. Upgrading the antenna on just one unit would probably not be enough, but doing it on the tablet-tv unit would be my first choice since that is the one that will be moving around.

Get one (or two) of these : http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?...cat=289&page=1 with a mc connector in the other end.
and one (or two) of these antennas:
http://www.fab-corp.com/product.php?...cat=282&page=1

Total price 23.94 (or 47.88 for 2) USD before NS forums rebate + shipping.

You should be able to test if there will be any improvements in reception, using just one antenna connected to the main u.FL connector on the card in the tablet-tv unit. If it works, drill holes in it's cabinet, so you can run the pigtail inside it.

Dutch

03-12-2007	#1 (permalink)
renderman Drunken Stumbler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Anywhere but Utah Posts: 1,802	Sony Location Free TV I have a friend who picked up a Sony LF-X1 location free TV setup (think slingbox + tablet PC). The set top box that broadcasts over wireless to the tablet "TV") from any video source, and (in theory) be accessed remotely over the internet. Initial poking at it shows that it's operating on 802.11b/g and 802.11a channels and seems to be normal 802.11 traffic (their own protocol I would wager) The problem is that the unit has piss poor range and sony (in their infinite wisdom) did'nt include a connector for an external antenna, replying on the wimpy internal one to do the job. A bit of googling shows that no one has taken a whack at hacking the thing or doing an antenna mod. The FCC ID (AK8IRF302U) shows the dual band minipci card inside and it has dual hirose connectors. 2 questions: First: Any special considerations if I do take a whack at upgrading the antennas beyond the usual n00b warnings. Second: Anyone else have experience with this type of unit? I'm very surprised the tinkering community hasn't torn into it yet. __________________ Never drink anything larger than your head! Scaramental Wine Taster for the Church Of WiFi Buy our books! "I reject your reality, and substitute my own!" – Adam Savage CoWF WPA Hash Tables

04-05-2007	#3 (permalink)
brwrdrvr Cajun from Hell Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Capitol City, Louisiana Posts: 3,266	Hey Render what kind of range are you getting vs the range you want? __________________ We need to hire more IT people so we can get more CADD work done.

04-05-2007	#4 (permalink)
renderman Drunken Stumbler Join Date: Jun 2002 Location: Anywhere but Utah Posts: 1,802	it's about a 1200 sq ft house, with a yard. It covers the main floor of the house pretty well, but no downtilt, so no basement use and it's pretty pathetic in the yard, which was the main intended use of it. They have Wifi, the neighbors do too, as well as using BT keyboards, mice and a 2.4 Ghz phone. Basically it's a spectral mess around there that I am slowly cleaning up. It works best on the 5Ghz .11a settings, but the range is pretty useless there. I just want to push it out about 50-70 feet from the base unit into the yard Vs. the 40 ft they get now. I'm just surprised that for something that is supposed to be 'location free' they have a pretty crappy antenna and no way to boost or redirect signal where you want it. __________________ Never drink anything larger than your head! Scaramental Wine Taster for the Church Of WiFi Buy our books! "I reject your reality, and substitute my own!" – Adam Savage CoWF WPA Hash Tables

04-06-2007	#5 (permalink)
brwrdrvr Cajun from Hell Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: Capitol City, Louisiana Posts: 3,266	I was reading the specs on this thing. I see it is possible to connect via the internet or home network rather than connecting to the wifi channels from the base station. Did I read into that right? __________________ We need to hire more IT people so we can get more CADD work done.

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04-04-2007	#2 (permalink)
TechN9N3 Registered Member Join Date: Apr 2007 Posts: 1	Just purchased the location FREE system. would be interested in chatting with you.