A quick question those geek/nerd types.

[lionkingcmsl]

Is there anything that can increase the range/senstivity of a laptop's built in wireless antenna?

Also where is said antenna located in a laptop, generally?

For the record I have a Compaq Presario V2000.

Comments

[shockwave77598.livejournal.com]

If it's a builtin antenna model, then there's nothing you can really do. Those are usually right behind the display, btw, so it's highest when the laptop is open.

There are PCCards with external antenna connectors (SMA) that can go to directional antennas. But you have to know where your access point is to point the antenna at it. Think Telescope.

http://www.cantenna.com/

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

Most of these laptops use a MiniPCI card which allows you to hook two small antennas to them. These antennas are built into the display... but what's to say you can't build another line out and build a pigtail to a proper antenna or even a cantenna?

[camstone.livejournal.com]

Probably nothing, if you're savy at wiring. You could probably replace the antenna with some minor difficulty and put in one that's a better receiver - but at some point, it won't matter, since the issue is also one of signal out of the laptop as well. Might be easier & cheaper to plug something into the USB port, or via a new PCMCIA or CARDBUS laptop card and then disable the default one.

[strredwolf.livejournal.com]

http://mtarena.blogspot.com/2006/06/add-external-antenna-sma-connector.html

Try that. Hack-a-day had it for a while. It's basically putting a pigtail into the laptop itself.

[skipai.livejournal.com]

Made one from a Pringles tin or a normal metal tin? Apparantely they make good attennas :)

[smrgol-t-kirin.livejournal.com]

Yes, but "cantennas" are fairly directional.

MAKE Magazine has an article on building one this quarter - I'll copy it and give it to you nextime you're up for "training".

[skipai.livejournal.com]

Seen that in various mags over here from Computer Shopper to BBC Focus magazine.

Mind you, the Focus one was a really old one.. :)

[jamesb]

Pringles cans are a bit small in diameter to work properly on the lowest couple of Wi-Fi channels.

About 6 months ago I wrote a couple LJ entries detailing my own cantenna calculations and construction. You can find the entries here and here. Other commitments have meant that I have yet to do performance testing on my cantenna design.

[makovette.livejournal.com]

Commitments - yes, yes you could say that :)

CYa!
Mako

[jamesb]

My laptop doesn't have a built in Wi-Fi system, but even so, as long as you have an unused PC-Card slot, the method I chose to boost my laptop's Wi-Fi range, may solve your problem as well.

[kamau-d-lyon.livejournal.com]

Actually, rather then doing anything to the laptop, you might try boosting the signal by using a repeater or such. I use a Linksys Wireless-G Range Expander here to get my signal to an office about 100 foot beyond the house. Not the greatest signal but better then none at all. It might work for you but I'm not sure.

[jfox.livejournal.com]

While I realize that this has been replied to adnoseum... considering that the V2000 has a nearly identical shell and board to my HP I thought I'd offer this helpful tip.
On an HP, the wireless LAN is provided by a miniPCI card, which is located next to your RAM. Attached to this card, are two wires. One black, and one white. According to the techie I talked to at HP, the black wire is a "ground" (it attaches directly to a metal plate on the back of the mobo, so I'll believe him). The white wire, however is about four inches long, and runs in a diagonal line towards the bottom right corner of the board (at least, on mine). That is the antenna. That is also why Compaq and HP notebooks have the worst signal acquisition and transmission capabilities of any notebook; as as been mentioned before most others run an antenna up behind the LCD. I have a friend (trucker) who bought a CARDBUS wifi card with an external antenna connector; which he then connected to a commercial (I have NO idea how he got it) amplified omni-antenna. On my truck however, I found a simpler solution; for my cell phone (the cingular one) I already use a Wilson amplified antenna (30 watts) which is rated from 2.4ghz down to 900mhz. Right now it is dip-switched to 1800 and 1900mhz for the cingular phone. However, since 802.11g/a are on the 2.4ghz band (actually, A can also be on the 5.8?ghz band-- the same as the new cordless phones as well).
For home use; I'd simply suggest a repeater. If you're trying to pull in wifi from outside the "office" I'll remind you that stealing wifi in new york is apparently a crime... and suggest you use a signal meter to discover its source and then apply a directional high gain ant. to it ;)