Mobile wifi extension arial booster for smartphone question.

[Boucaneer]

Ok Chaps, I may need your help figuring something out.

I am off to live in India and will be staying bush/semi bush in my Indian Tricycle mobile home/gypsy caravan made from the tricycle in the picture below.

http://i.imgur.com/SSMg4oi.jpg

I have been looking to make or buy an external arial booster so I can receive wifi on a smartphone or tablet/laptop.

I shall be mostly using my smartphone, so I'm looking for advice, links to sites and generally starting a project here so one can receive local cafe wifi from a distance that works well.

If anybody can advise me or would like to work on the project you are welcome to. I will be staying months in the backwaters and bush of Kerala and have found a good way to charge my phone up with a Goal Zero product and also a Powerpot V thermal charger.

Now the next challenge is to extend my wifi range for a smartphone.

I'm using Lifesaver filter bottles for water filtering, so a pint of tea and Internet access in the evenings around my Ikea hobo stove would be great and a life changer.

I hope you guys may join the project.

Thank you,

Alex.

 

[TeeDee]

A very interesting project , I can't offer any help but will follow the thread. Nice one.

 

[bopdude]

The only range booster I used needed a 240v power supply, could you not just buy an Indian sim card for your data needs ? I'll admit, I know nothing of the Indian infrastructure. Sounds like a great get away, enjoy and remember, without pictures, it never happened

Best of luck

 

[weekender]

Good luck with your adventure it sounds great...👍 safe travels


Sent from somewhere?

 

[mountainm]

All of the ways I've seen of boosting wifi have been at the router end (pringles tubes, sieves etc.) - will be watching this with interest.

Something like this maybe?
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Crane-Super..._sim_pc_7?ie=UTF8&refRID=0V2Y2A6EZFJ1YR5N0CCQ

 

[didicoy]

Do a search on the archives for the Gadget show UK. They did a article on making a directional signal strength amplifier about two years ago. They boosted a wifi signal from up the Themes River in London about two miles away. Is resembles a hand held radar dish and a length of wire etc. You tube have a few home made types. I think some hand held recievers are available on ebay. I don't have time now, but will try and find link later. I love your transport. Would you like a travel companion? (only joking. new baby on way in March) what a way to see India.

 

[mrcharly]

Most devices don't have an external antenna connection so you will be struggling, I think.

The pringle tube devices are on the router end, not the device.

 

[mountainm]

Most devices don't have an external antenna connection so you will be struggling, I think.

The pringle tube devices are on the router end, not the device.

Yup. That's what I said.

 

[bopdude]

Depending on what you want to spend there are alternate internet options, none of which I have experience of ie satellite

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk

 

[Bishop]

TBH you'll have more luck with boosting the range on the laptop using an external wifi card such as the ALFA AWUS036NHR and a high gain antenna, preferably a ready made YAGI style directional type. That particular model Alfa can be configured to pump out 2000mW of signal (final radiated power depends on the antenna being used) the downside being it will suck the life out the laptops battery fairly quickly and probably exceeds the legal limit of just 250mW in most places around the globe. Unless your laptop thinks it's in Bolivia...

That said you can still get surprising results with more conventional kit inside the legal limits with DIY solutions such as a wifi stick mounted in the focal point of a simple parabolic reflector made from tin-foil or the grill from a disposable bar-b-q or coffe can. Range depends on terrian or obstructions so mount the assembly as high as posibble however the longest recomended length for a USB extension cable is about five meters or 15 feet, any longer and ohms law becomes a factor and there may not be sufficient voltage to run the wifi card or stick. Long antenna cables suffer from a similiar problem of signal attenuation. The connection speed will also suck badly as the distance to the access point increases due to signal noise resulting in data packets being dropped. Whilst there are some great long distance results from enthusiasts these tend to be achieved under ideal open terrian/line of sight conditions, from personal tinkering in an urban enviroment you'll be lucky to associate with an access point at 300 meters.

 

[Boucaneer]

Sorry for the late reply, it's been a very busy weekend. Thank you all for posting.

I am going to digest all this information and reply once I know more and have learnt some insight on the ideas and technology.

Thank you all again, I will be back.

Very much appreciated.