We decided to go the cheap route to see how a few widely punted do-it-yourself options perform.<\/p>\n
These options include using antennas people may have at home, or that can be built at home with widely available and affordable equipment.<\/p>\n
![\"Antennas](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Antennas.jpg\")
<\/a>Antennas tested<\/p><\/div>\n
We used an inexpensive Wi-Fi N adapter with a removable external antenna to test the performance of each intervention. This adapter is available from electronics stores for around R100.<\/p>\n
We tested eight different antenna configurations:<\/p>\n
- \n
- The included antenna<\/li>\n
- The included antenna with Windsurfer reflector<\/li>\n
- A Wi-Fi antenna from an old TP-Link Router<\/li>\n
- TP-Link Wi-Fi antenna with Windsurfer Reflector<\/li>\n
- A 2.4GHz antenna from an RC radio<\/li>\n
- DIY halfwave Dipole<\/li>\n
- DIY 5 Element Yagi with halfwave Dipole<\/li>\n
- DIY Moxon rectangle antenna<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
We built the DIY antennas using online guides and calculators. We used copper wire extracted from an old power cable and SMA connectors bought from an electronics store.<\/p>\n
Building these antennas required digital callipers for measuring and a soldering iron for some connections.<\/p>\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/DIY-Antenna.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nThe antennas were not tested or tuned on professional equipment, as the average person would not have a vector network analyser at home.<\/p>\n
The Windsurfer reflector is easy to build. The design<\/strong><\/a> is printed on thin cardboard, cut out, covered in foil, and assembled.<\/p>\n
![\"Windsurfer](\"https:\/\/mybroadband.co.za\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Windsurfer-components.jpg\")
<\/a>Windsurfer components<\/p><\/div>\n
It was time to put these antennas to the test.<\/p>\n
We connected to three different Wi-Fi networks in our office for these tests. The tests were conducted inside the building and outside in the parking lot \u2014 about 80 meters from the access points.<\/p>\n
Inside the office, the antennas had a similar performance. When we went outside, however, the difference became apparent.<\/p>\n
The TP-Link router antenna with the reflector stole the show with the best performance.<\/p>\n
Without the reflector, the link speeds reported by Windows dropped slightly, and the weakest network was no longer visible.<\/p>\n
Another setup that performed well was the basic antenna with a Windsurfer reflector. While it could only connect to the strongest network, it was still a significant improvement compared to not having the Windsurfer reflector.<\/p>\n
The rest of the antennas yielded similar performances, most likely because they were not tuned at the frequency being used.<\/p>\n
If your router or adapter supports an external antenna, using one from another router may provide a significant improvement in signal strength and range.<\/p>\n
With minimal effort, you can build and add a simple reflector which will add a big performance improvement.<\/p>\n
The table below provides an overview of the performance of the different configurations.<\/p>\n
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