Need A WiFi Boost

Here Is A Sailors Trick To Get A Better WiFi Signal From Shore.

It’s called a cantenna. Its a super easy antenna you can make. It’s very directional so you’ll need to point it at the WiFi source. Once set up you’ll be able to use all your WiFi devices.

Build your own directional antenna

To play with wifi antennas you must have an wifi hub which connects to external antennas (ie not just to the built-in antenna). Your antenna will have a normal N type coaxial plug to which you will connect the coax cable running down to the hub. It will also be the place you solder the radiating element. You will need an adapter cable (“Pig Tail”) runs from the wifi hub to the coax connector on the antenna. One end is the N type coax and the other matches the RP-SMA connector on the hub. You will want some way of mounting the antenna high in the boat but within reach for aiming. I used a camera mount which has multiple clamps and a big suction cup. The connector at the hub can be different if you use other than the alfa hub. Freeman Anderson and Bird give good close-up pictures of the various connector types. I just bought the whole pig tail and cable from them which they describe as a “cantenna kit” for less than $20. Click here for details.. My hub connects to the computer with a normal usb cable . The hub requires no external power source but this antenna will work with powered wifi hubs for increased power and probably longer cable runs

Building the Cantenna:

Basically the antenna is a kind of wave guide. You empty a tin can of a reasonable size. 3 or 4 inches across and as long as possible. We used an old fruit juice can. You cut off one end and clean the can. A coax connector is mounted on the side of the can and a very short radiating element is soldered on the inside of the connector extending about half way into the can. Exact location and element length for a given can are derived by a formula givenhere

I mounted a piece of aluminum angle bracket on the base of the can to allow for mounting a clamp and giving me the ability to point and rotate the can because I can never convince Susie to just stand there holding the can while I browse the net. Most women are funny that way. Trust me on this.

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Here is the video showing how it’s done.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdiEPZ2OGk

 

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