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Now you can build your cantenna with just one tin but chances are you wont meet the suggested overall minimum 3/4 wave length required when using the. So first thing to do is go to the and enter the diameter of the opening of your can in mm.
You will see the overall length on the can down the bottom, if your single can is too short then you will need to use two, Don’t worry if you a little over or under length but it should be fairly close.Alright then what we want to do is remove the top of one can and the bottom of the other. Once you have done this on the can with the top removed cut out a small strip approx 10mm across and 15mm down the can. Then we are going to use this slit so we can push one can inside the other, The can with the slit will deform slightly but don’t worry about it at this point.
Last thing to do is have a look at your again you can see the distance the element should be from the back of the can, measure this out on the can and drill a hole big enough for it to go through. Once the mount is in place go around and fully solder it to the can like in the image below.At this point you have a working cantenna, Connect your piggy tail between it and your wifi card and you are good to go. Remember this is a directional antenna so it needs to be point in the direction of the AP your trying to connect to.(Note: Some people have advised they had trouble finding the pigtales and connector’s so I’m trying to locate a bunch so I can make them available on).
Cantenna WiFi Antenna. Cantenna’s are mostly used as a receiving antenna for client computers. Most people use them to replace the rubber ducky antenna’s on their wireless USB adapters connected to a laptop. Cantenna’s are a great addition to your travel case. They can help you reach Wi-Fi hotspots that might otherwise be out of. Building the Cylinder (Can) Waveguide We chose to build the antenna for 2.442GHz, or channel 7, as this is close to the center of the 13 channels available to us (US designs use channel 6 (2.437Ghz), as they have 11 channels). I have included a key lengths calculator in the form below.
Now what about this stand business, this really was me just mucking about but it turned out to be quiet useful.What you want to do is take the bottom of the tin you cut off and cut three small triangles out of it evenly around its circumference, bend the remaning triangles down to make a sort of tripod shape. Then you want to bend them in the middle so the corner of each triangle touches then solder them together, now just solder it to the cantenna. This might seem a bit silly but it really helps when trying to point the antenna and it costs you nothing.Alrighty your probibly wanting to know was it worth the effort well for me yes. I have not had a chance to do exensive testing, but from some basic testing it seems to be giving me a 15db increase over the stock d-link antenna which is certainly a massive increase for the minimal cost of the build. I've used a similar design myself with good results.
Impedence matching is an important part of the design. The whole of the transmission line, includung the antenna requires impedence matching. When building home brew designs like these demensions will differ from the blueprint.
Using some rf decouplers and high frequency diodes and an oscilloscope it is possible to measure the SWR. A good match between your antenna and transmission line will result in a low reflected wave. If the reflection is high compared with the foward wave there is a bad match, poor performance will result and the dimensions of the antenna would need altering. When building a killer antenna impedance matching shouldn't be taken lightly and it's good to know, if you spend time getting this correct, you'll be getting optimal performace out of your hard work.
Dude, this one is so easy to do. Need a 18' USB extender. I wrapped a 1' band of aluminum around with 3' of handle below. The ribs are so within the shortest lenght of teh wave as to be no issue. Made 2 of these. My friends rave over it. Get a 4' + or- can, I used a tomato juice can.
Estimate where the face of the interior trace antenna is & its front facing direction. Cut a slot in the can 1.25' from the rear wall. Need a friction fit of your USb donagel. Insert it up inside 1.25' or more, play with it. You will get some 'much improved' signal strenght & more signals that you could ever imagine.
I have built every one of these Wifi antennas. I've never built one of these before, but as to your question about the coax connector, if your USB WiFi adapter has an external antenna connector, you'll need a coax jumper with the same kind of connector as is on your WiFi adapter. If you're adapter lacks an external antenna connector then I'm not certain how you'd be able to do this. You'd still need coax and you'd need to crack open the WiFi adapter and locate the antenna. Find where it connects to the board and solder the center conductor of the coax where the antenna connects and the coax shield would need to connect to ground.
Assuming you were able to identify where to solder the coax, and are skilled enough at working with surface mount boards, it MIGHT work. However, you're just as likely to ruin your adapter. Working with antennas isn't just a simple matter of hooking it up. A transmitter is designed for a specific impedance, measured in ohms. I'm not going to go into a treatise on antenna theory. A transmitter is designed to use an antenna system that has a specific impedance. If the antenna system's characteristic impedance doesn't match the transmitter, then you have an impedance mismatch which can, if the mismatch is too large, cause physical damage to the final transistors in the transmitter.
Thanks for your replys, as far as the ribbing on the can I dont thing this is an issue because if you look at the opening of the can there is actually a lip which I think will compensate for the fact the inside isnt smooth. Also with the impedence if you use the correct 50 ohm cable etc the impedence should be fine also the transmitter should have an impedence matching circuit to prevent damage. Some of the usb wifi adapters can have an external antenna connector added as ive done this before but your right you have to be real careful.
Wireless 2.4 GHz Directional Antenna CalculatorThis requires the use of enabled and capable browsers. This calculator is designed to give experimentation data for construction and use of a wireless range extending antenna. Detailed experimentation guidelines are below the calculator. Enter the diameter of the can and click on Calculate.UnitNumberRequired Data EntryCan Dish DiameterInchesCalculated ResultsCutoff Frequency For TE11 OperationMHzCutoff Frequency For TM01 OperationMHzGuide Wavelength SizeInches1/4 Guide Wavelength SizeInches1/2 Guide Wavelength SizeInches5/8 Guide Wavelength SizeInches3/4 Guide Wavelength SizeInchesLow Cost Home Brew Waveguide Antenna For 802.11bWireless Networks And Other 2.4GHz ApplicationsHere is a do it yourself (DIY) project that is an inexpensive way to increase the range of your wireless network or cordless phone.
This idea is not new and has many names such as shell cell, cantenna, bazooka antenna, canned antenna and tin can annie. We like to call it a recycled waveguide antenna. Whatever you call it, it is an interesting project that takes very little time and very little money.
Total time should be under an hour and total cost under $10.00, even if you don't have an electronics junk box at home. While this has worked very well for me, there is a certain amount of risk to equipment any time you experiment. We assume no responsibility or liability. In order to do this, you will need to gather a group of materials needed. Call it scavenging or preparation; it should not take long. For one recycled dish, you will need:1. 1 - N-Type Female chassis mount connector.2.
1 - Copper 12 gauge wire about 2 inches long.3. Several small nuts and bolts or other mounting hardware for mounting the connector.4. 1 - Can.The N type female chassis mount connector is typically used in radio applications. Hams and electronics hobbyists may have one hiding in the junk box. Most came so that they mount by way of four small screw or nuts and bolts; some had other mounting brackets.
We will mount this to the our recycled directional dish. One side is N-female for connecting the cable from your wireless equipment. The other side has a small brass stub for attaching the small piece of wire with solder.The can that worked best for me was 3.25 inches in diameter. The other people trying this have used other sizes between 3 inches and 3.75 inches with success. Some tried cans 6 to 7.5 inches in diameter. They also worked.
While there is no exact length of the can cylinder, the longer the can, the better the performance but the more directional it is. The calculator will provide the approximate numbers for actual installation of the connector into the side of the can cylinder. Enter the diameter of the can and click on Calculate. Drill or punch holes in your can to mount the connector the length of the 1/4 wave guide from the closed end of the can. The center conductor that will be soldered to the brass stub cannot ground against the can.
The shell of the connector does ground to the can. Before actually mounting the connector, prepare the 12 gauge wire to be soldered onto the brass stub of the connector. The length from the connector that worked best for me was 1.21 inches. It should be perpendicular to the shell of the cylinder when mounted in the connector and the connector to the can.
Hook up your cable from the wireless device external antenna port, point the antenna at another device and test the antenna. This is a linear polarized antenna. The direction it is pointing and the vertical angles are important. Generally line of sight (LOS) is a good rule. Most all wireless networks have tests for signal strength. Test prior to the project and after the project. Experiment with angles and directions.
Also experiment with can sizes and perhaps positioning of the connector. We would love to hear from you with results.Updated 8.15.11.
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