WiFi antenna projects shown here will offer advantages if you want to make long wifi links between a device and an access point, or perhaps two devices. If you want strong, reliable wifi while you move about an outdoor area or among hilly terrain or buildings, consider getting connected with a with a 4g wifi hotspot or extending your wlan with a wireless bridge. These are easy ways to have broadband when you are on the move or need a signal but are far from your usual access point.
Any of the wifi antenna projects shown here will provide longer range and stronger wifi signals. With that, you can enjoy a higher data rate, and fewer signal dropouts. If your network must penetrate concrete walls, runs from one building to another, or covers a large outdoor area, plan to use a high gain wifi antenna at BOTH ends. Access points and clients must both support their ends of the communications link.
If you use Linux, be sure to use a Wireless Adapter with Linux Kernel Support so you may enjoy plug-and-play convenience!
For very long range wifi links, use a short helical, yagi, or biquad antenna mounted at the focus of a parabolic reflector. Wifi dish antennas offer the highest possible gain and longest connection range. There are high power wifi boosters advertised for very long range connections, but a high gain antenna is the first thing needed.
Bear in mind that beyond a distance of 3 km, throughput may begin to decrease due to the ACK timeout setting of the access point. ACK timing must be optimized for longer distances - especially over links covering dozens of kilometers.
Some articles to read that will raise your expectations of wifi performance:
- Rethinking Wifi for the Developing World
- Long Distance 802.11b Links: Performance Measurements and Experience
- Tuning Access Points for Long-Distance Applications
- A 279km experimental link in South America
- How a 125 mile unamplified wifi connection was achieved.
- Security issues pertinent to high performace wifi operation.
- Building a Rural Wireless Mesh Network.
- Quantifying wireless mesh network capacity.
Mesh networking is often a better way to cover an area than with high gain wifi antennas. WiFi mesh networking and mobile telephone ad hoc mesh networking can enable people to connect peer-to-peer without reliance on much infrastructure. Here is where users make the network, and it can function well in times of civil unrest or natural disaster.
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