When Is A Baked-Bean Can A Wi-Fi Network Antenna?

Just a short article I found at http://www.netstumbler.com/2005/05/19/when_is_a_baked_bean_can_a_wi_fi_network_antenna/
Might help with some ideas of distances.

Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
Steven Buss, an 18-year-old Wi-Fi buff from Palm City, Florida, built three different types of antennas to see which provided the greatest range for his wireless network. The best performer, made from a "biquad" antenna and a used DirectTV satellite dish bought on EBay, picked up the wireless signal 1.3 miles away.
But the cheapest and easiest, the one he calls a "cantenna," made from an empty baked-bean can, let him connect to his 802.11b wireless network from almost as far--a mile away.
Buss ran his experiments using an IBM ThinkPad on a long, straight Florida road to avoid obstacles that can block a wireless signal.


Beans anyone?

please buy a pa-12-yagi for +- R300, 12dbi gain1

Lol, why pay R300 when you can go and buy a can of beans for R10? Lighten up mate

Hehehe good one hey Razer0

Razer0 said:

Lol, why pay R300 when you can go and buy a can of beans for R10? Lighten up mate

Click to expand...

Because you get all the pigtails etc. with it and don't have to mess with getting all that right - the oak is 100% right.

Dont think he knows how much pigtails + cabling costs. Also the guy in the competion that they are claiming is so good has copied another idea which has been around for ages , (pringle cantenna ?)...

Yeah!

I just saw this seattle site where they compared 10 different canned food cans as antennas. This meaty beef one won. performed the same as a 13dbi Flatpanel that costs R300.

Here are the facts though:
Connectors go for ~R50-R95
LMA cabling .. ?? per meter.

bah bah
Making a cantenna (the exact specs is just a google away) will cost you an hour or three, and about R150 in connectors and cabling. Plus it'll look really stupid unless maybe its a R20 Pringles can.

But the meaty beef cans work better and are tinier!

Now lets see. If someone can figure out a way to hack any USB adapter that can be stuck onto a 5M USB Extension cable, and build a Cantenna onto the USB adapter, water-and-weatherproof it all.

THEN! You'd have a unit that would otherwise cost ~R2000. What did you pay?

R2.99 PnP Heinz Baked Beans I had for dinner
R80 one connector
R20 lots of silicone glue
R60 USB extension cable
------------
<R200
for an AP than only has to be within 5M of your PC.

Come! Lets start a competition! Who can donate a prize!

I can think of one!
This would make low-cost community networks a real possibility.

Did I mention.. most USB adapters are unfortunately only ~16-18dBm output (30-50mW). But I am almost sure they can be hacked up to 21/100mW or 24/200mW.

This would up the range from 100m to 1km to 3km. May need to boost the usb voltage with an external ac adapter or something... come, where you electronics students, lets see some blue-grey-black smoke!

Making a cantenna is WAY more expensive than R300 if you take the time, and pigtail, and possible rebuilds due to failures into account.

I've tested a number of can designs and none of them come CLOSE to beating even a little 12dB yagi.

MR Yoghurt is 100% correct.