wi fi boosters??? (laptop, wi-fi, wireless, work)

[city414]

do they work?

i have a built in wifi card on my laptop but i want to extend my signal 20 miles to the south north and west is that really possible?

heres a product:

WIFI WI-FI BOOSTER ANTENNA SMA AP FOR WIRELESS LAN CARD - eBay (item 260331363838 end time Dec-12-08 20:24:27 PST)

[NHDave]

No way in hell your going to get 20 miles, nor even a mile. All that is is an antenna, nothing special at all.

[Katie1]

Can someone give me an idea how these work?

[juggler]

Originally Posted by Katie1

Can someone give me an idea how these work?

The device the OP asked about is simply an antenna. It works by capturing more of the radio wave emitted by the wifi access point (AP). You can also buy directional antennas (typically parabolic in shape) that focus/gather all the radio waves in one direction; these will also help to increase max distance to a limited degree.

You can also buy wifi signal boosters which use radio frequency (RF) amplifiers to electronically boost the output of the AP so that it can be received further away. These will cost quite a bit more than a new antenna for the laptop computer. The maximum power is limited to 1 Watt with a 6dB antenna gain per the FCC.

Either way you are not getting anything close to a 20 mile range. LOL.

[Katie1]

I was asking because my sons friend can get signals on his front porch but nothing inside. And its cold outside. So I was suggesting this for him ... put in the window maybe keep him from freezing! Thanks!!

[themaster]

I would suggest a usb wireless yagi antenna Katie there awesome at extending range.. they have a 16 foot USB cord.. technically you might not even have to put it outside just out the window.. (these antenna’s I’m talking about are meant to receive or act as wireless clients)

But bare in mind that to use yagi's effectively they have to be tilted the right way (to get there real maximum range) and that basically there 1 primary direction antenna's

[themaster]

I would suggest a usb wireless yagi antenna Katie there awesome at extending range.. they have a 16 foot USB cord.. technically you might not even have to put it outside just out the window.. (these antenna’s I’m talking about are meant to receive or act as wireless clients) you can also try a wireless extender if you have power out on your porch or farther out (where ever your getting signal from)

But bare in mind that to use yagi's effectively they have to be tilted the right way (to get there real maximum range) and that basically there 1 primary direction antenna's