Wifi antenna question

[Jon Miller]

A question for you HAM / electronic folks - I'm building a home made mobile WiFi antenna and was wondering if they are to be horizontally or verticaly (assumed) polarized? - Thanks - Jon Miller

 

[John Erwin]

Vertical.

Are you making the co-ax co-linear type antenna? I was thinking of trying one of those myself..

 

[Jon Miller]

Thanks for the info on polarity.
I built one of these "cantenna" type which are easy to build and had about $15 in it for cost but it's relatively large in size:
http://www.wb8erj.com/wirelessCantenna.html

Also I'm finishing up on a double bi-quad antenna which is much smaller in size but harder to build - it's hard to get the wire bent exactly as they show it:
http://martybugs.net/wireless/biquad/double.cgi

Haven't tried either as I'm just now trying to get my mobile WiFi set up.

Jon Miller

 

[Edward Ballou]

How then do you connect those to your computer? Are there pictures detailing this at all?

 

[Jason Montano]

Originally posted by Edward Ballou
How then do you connect those to your computer? Are there pictures detailing this at all?

You use a "pigtail" which is microwave grade coax cable with a RF connector on one end and usually a MC Card type connector on the other. Then connect to the RF connector on the antenna and the MC Card type connector to the external antenna plug on a wifi card. To avoid customization, you need a wifi card with a external antenna plug. Most cards use a MC Card type connectors but there are others.