How to Get Wifi from 4 KM Or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED for FASTER SPEEDS!!!!

instructables

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!

by Project Upcycle

It has been years since I put this post up and I really ethernet cable and run it out to the adapter (it's appreciate all of the input and interest that you all waterproof, you can mount it to a telephone pole or have had in this project! flag pole you own) Hook the other one up way out where you need it and point the two at each other After research and development we have found ways until all of the indicator bars light up (or as many as to make this work EVEN BETTER. possible) on the side of the unit.

You know what we need? MORE POWER! If you don't have access to the signal source you can Enter: The Binford 31000 Series Unidirectional Based still get one and use it with the dish setup to get High Power Wireless (Tim Allen grunt here) With longer ranges, easy aim led indicators! (LOUDER GRUNT!) That can be placed up to 328 feet away from where you need it via ethernet cable! And if you get two and you still have a weak signal, How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!y!!o UuP cDaAn TbEoDo sFt OitR a sF AmSuTcEhR a Ss PtwEiEcDe Sa!s!! !m: Puacghe w 1ith a you can boost it as much as twice as much with a OH YEA! (Kool Aide man comes through the wall) 24db antenna that will attach to it. Can you tell I was a 90's kid? https://amzn.to/2vr030T

ANYWAYS ON TO THE GOODS! (it's TP-Link not P.S. The Satellite dish setup still works fine, I built it Binford) using stuff I had on hand. The long range high power https://amzn.to/2J4nO0M The link above goes to a wifi adapters have gotten considerably cheaper than really beefed up wireless receiver. Get two and you when I first got them. I paid over $100 each! Now you can shoot signal between them up to FOUR can get TWO for $80! KILOMETERS with line of sight!!!! THAT'S 2.48 MILES! OVER 7 times better than the original This has served me well throughout the years so satellite dish setup. hopefully it will help you too. ENJOY!

Get two, hook one up to your wireless router via

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 2 How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 3 Step 1: How to Get WIFI Signal From 1/4 Mile Away [or More] for Less Than $60

Yea I know, you don't believe me. 1/4 mile? OPEN HOUSE FREE PUBLIC WIFI network…so I Shenanigans. didn’t break any laws.

Still reading? Great. The problem was, the signal was very weak and I had The whole thing started when I dropped my friend off to hold the computer at odd angles just to do a simple for Horse lessons and didn't want to drive all the way google search. home only to drive back to pick her up in an hour and a half. So what did I do? Drove to the closest THERE HAS TO BE ANOTHER WAY! neighborhood and got on an open WIFI network. So after about twenty minutes of searching and finding things like “wokfi” and “parabolic asian [NOTE: Connecting to someone’s WIFI without their cookware” I had the basic idea of what I needed to permission is illegal in some areas!!!] do; Concentrate the signal onto the antenna using a The network I connected to was a local realtor’s parabola. After a bit more searching I found out how to build a parabola out of a cd and a glass pot top, but A usb wireless adapter like this one: I figured that it would be too weak for the distances https://amzn.to/2HITlWk that I am looking for [I would like to be able to connect Or this waterproof high power one: right from the parking lot at the stables] Then there https://amzn.to/2HebJph was the world record holder who had built a reflector out of a 10 foot diameter dish but that was WAY too Two wood screws long enough to screw your two big. So I compromised and picked up a rooftop 2x4’s together satellite dish from a guy on Craigslist.org. Some hot glue An unwanted cd [I picked up a free netzero disk at Long story short I built the thing and drove out to the Wally’s] stables, turned the rig on, started netstumbler, and A glass pot lid shaped like a parabola started looking it took a little bit but I got the right Some spray paint to make it look pretty angle to lock onto a signal and SHAZAM! I was And some carpet of you are going to be mounting it to connected! the roof of your car so It won’t scratch it.

So I knew that I had working signal, not just a fizzled If you bought everything new it would cost around connection from the router. The noise was at -100 $60 [Not counting the dish] and the signal was hovering around -75 or so. Not the Check your local craigslist or dump for dishes. fastest connection but based on the fact that I was ¼ of a mile away from the router I would say I was doing If you don't have any of the above supplies already I pretty darn good! would recommend getting two of these high power wireless adapters: https://amzn.to/2HebJph Ok enough with the stories, how do you build the darn thing! and pointing them at each other. As of April 2018 they cost $80 for two (you don't need a base station) and You need: you can extend your wireless range up to 4KM or A satellite dish [and the four screws holding it to the 2.48 miles with a line of sight between the two high roof [YMMV] power adapters, less if there are trees. The adapters A pair of scrap 2x4’s are waterproof and can be mounted on a tree or a A tin can [green bean sized] phone/power pole you own, and a cat5 cable can run A usb extention cord like this one: up to 328 feet back to your house where your internet https://amzn.to/2qGJmcW router is without signal loss.

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 4 How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 5 Step 2: Form the Rear Reflector

Step 1: rest of the rig]

Take your parabolic lid, remove the handle, it should After it is done forming take it out of the oven and just be a screw. IMMEDIATELY depress the center of the disk with Take your CD, place it mirror side up in the glass lid. something heat resistant like a spoon to form the CD Place the CD in the oven THEN set the oven to 300 to the parabola. degrees [faren if anybody is wondering] [WARNING: If you put the cd in a preheated oven the Let cool. cd will crack and the foil will wrinkle! This is bad for signal reflection! Start with a cold oven.]

Leave the CD in there for about an hour to an hour and a half [I just put it in there while I was building the

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 6 Step 3: Form the Rear Reflector Mount

attach it to the satellite dish. [don’t mind the second Step 2: hole that was v1.0 of the build.] Take your tin can and measure halfway and draw a vertical line around the can. Attach the can to the dish open side facing in.

Cut the can in half leaving the entire bottom intact, If your CD is cool then bend the can open and hot you need it that way. glue the parabolic CD to the can with the hole of the disk and the hole in the back of the can line up. Now cut a hole in the back of the can in the center at the top of the ribs. Make sure the hole is large enough to fit the female end of the extension cord.

Drill a hole in the bottom of the can so that you can

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 7 Step 4: Build the Support Rig

Mount the dish to the rig and check for stability, adjust Step 3: as needed. Attach the two scrap boards to form a “T” and sand them down to prevent splinters. The length of your OPTIONAL: Apply a coat of paint over the wood and boards is dependant on your dish, make sure that it is the back of the parabola CD. Do not spray the front as long as the widest part on the dish on every side to as it will interfere with the signal concentration. prevent tipping. OPTIONAL: If you plan on mounting it to the roof of Now line up the dish on the board a little farther back your vehicle, cut out a strip of carpet the size of all the than the intersection at the T [looking back it would be points where the stand touches the ground and staple more stable if you mounted it about halfway] and it to the bottom of the rig. mark the four holes where the screws go. Pre-drill the holes. [You may skip this step if your screws are small but mine are ¼” thick.]

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 8 How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 9 Step 5: Bring Everything Together

http://ProjectUpcycle.blogspot.com Step 4: Attach the USB adapter in the hole in the CD and run Sponsors: the wire down the arm of the dish. I would like to thank these wonderful businesses for donating to make Project Upcycle possible! Plug everything in and turn on the WIFI adapter. I use a program called Network Stumbler to find the Ranco Roofing and Insulation best angle for the dish, it has a refresh rate of one Lubbock Texas second so I can watch the signal strength in near real Call Kirk A Cooper time. [You cannot connect with Network Stumbler, Fax: 806-793-0673 only see data on the signal. Once the correct angles Phone: 806-786-4867 have been found, close the program and connect with your default configuration program.] Jackson Brothers Meat Locker Post Texas Another program I like is inSSIDer, it can show you a Http://www.jacksonbrothersmeat.com graph of the signals coming in and how they interfere [email protected] with each other. It’s neat but it doesn’t refresh as fast David Hernandez & Jose Hernandez as Network Stumbler. 806-495-2898 & 806-495-2631

Like My Instructable? Visit my blog!

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 10 Help me out here, I like this idea but I am confused on something. The dish will receive a signal from a satellite and the wireless wifi antenna will send the signal out? Or do you connect the sub to your existing internet connection and all this just boost the signal. If I am seeing this correct, we would be getting free wifi and that would be awesome. Which one is correct. Thank You and that is a great project for me to do. I have a spare dish

no, it receives signal from a wifi hotspot and allows you to connect to it from further away.

Why can't you use the LNA that came with the dish?

I didn't use it because I already had a usb adapter, and usb extension cord on hand. If you do use the LNA take pictures and make an 'ible about it!

Ingenious!

Does it matter where the wireless adapter is pointed at on the dish? Going to make ome of these. I have a dish network 500 dish that i found

Network Stumbler is a joke, it won't even see my WiFi adapters

Hi, I need help! What satellite dish should I buy, any specs on this? I'm trying to help my sister who moved into the apartment complex next to mine but she just found out they don't offer high speed internet :(

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 11 I built one similar, only i used a square copper plate and made the copper wire quad diamond soldered one end to the plate, the other to a xm radio antenna, of course grounding to the plate the antenna as well, used the large magnet to hold it in place on the dish. Then on the other end of the very long antenna i soldered it directly into my laptop wifi antenna. I would noy recommend this to just anyone, but i could get signal anywhere i went. Driving thru town i picked up 86 signals. This was also a laptop that i had put together myself, sony vaio base with a compaqlaptop screen on top. Yes a little different but it worked excellent. I am into trying whatever is at hand and making tbe best of it Lol. hello, i read someone mentioned ubiquiti stuff doesn't work really well solo, i bought an ubnt airgirid antenna, you think i will be able to scan and connect to a network with that? im definitely building that antenna, i have one spare dish network dish and your solution seems way better and to be working

One question what is that cable you insert at the end of the dish

USB extension cable

My music studio only has windows into a small square court yard in the cennter of a building with corridors and outer offices....many walls. And even attaching it outside in the courtyard might raise questions from others in the building.

WIFI using a dish can surpass what most people think are capable. If you were to use a circular polarized antenna at the feed point, and aim it at a second dish retrofitted in the same manner, you could get line of sight without a minimum of interference from other signals as well as reduce rain fade. Over water, a good 30 miles could be realized... Nice instructable BTW :)

Hey great article, i am gonna try this once it warms up outside. One question, instead of going into a laptop or pc is there some way I can connect to a router so I can make my own network?

Great stuff. Love the DIY and the reuse of the sat dish. Got a question though, isn't there a simple 8 db type of directional antenna one could purchase and simply mount. Noticed some of the RV forums run into this issue and have found some solutions Will be talking to Wilson Electronics ( known for cellphone boosting ) , and Dlink about antenna. The solution I am thinking off is an antenna mounted at roof line - 50 ohm cable in to house - 50 ohm adaptor to USB converter - wireless adaptor. Also noticed some mention of Ubiquity modems , these usually work in pairs and are not addressing the issue you have provided. Will paste what I find unless others post products they found off the shelf.

keep in mind that the IEEE 802.11b maximum LEGAL limit for a 21 dbi gain antenna is 20 mW. so make sure your power is not interfering with aircraft. that may be bad.

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 12 my sister is moving to the other side of the property. Is line of site going to be a problem??? It's less than a 1/4 mile. More like 100 yards...but a lot of trees? I think you have came up with a great project but not sure if it will work for us or not...

The USB adapter are a 3g modem ? What you used ?

Fleetwood Mac didn't like the oven to much. Put it in a cold oven then set to 300Â°F. Only was in there for 15 minutes before I checked it. Cool effect though. Reacted to the heat almost like lexan!

Great project! Gonna build one this weekend. Do you know wether the distance of the "feedhorn" / CD reflector in relation to the main dish makes any difference? If the USB wifi adapter/CD is closer to the dish, would you get a better signal? I'm trying to build something like this to use on an island we own. Mainland is aprox 3/4 mile away. Wide open between island and wifi spot on land, just water... Thanks for your instructable!

You aren't trying to trap the signal, you are trying to concentrate them on the antennae of your card, hence the parabolic shape.

Google, it was free.

That is about how it worked :) the adjustment bolts were loose enough to move the dish around and find the sweet spot using a program called ssid to measure signal over noise.

So in your experiment the router is sending the signal a 1/4 mile to you, but your laptop could not see it without the dish?

It was more like 1/3 of a mile. But yes.

The wireless router is sending the signal a mile away?

Probably more, its just waves

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 13 you would be supprised how far that signal goes, i have picked up connection with a 9 foot dish over a mile away.

How does this work if the router is not able to send wireless signal that far back to you?

I just followed your formula with a slight variation with OUTSTANDING results. I live in a house in the country and there was no internet. I followed your instructions for building the rig..EXCEPT I took my Verizon USB (760) WAN data card and substituted that for WiFI.

When I started I had ZERO bars.. nothing.. after I build this rig.. I got FOUR BARS.. plugged it into my Cradlepoint mobile broadband router and now I have internet in my whole house. Once I get a broadband connection I will use this as a backup but you guys are lifesavers.. brilliant use of physics to solve problems.

AWESOME! I'm glad I could help!

I am very excited to try this when I get all the materials. This will be a godlike tool to wifi dead zones in my house. Can't wait to build.

Do you think you could connect the end of the antenna to a wireless bridge instead of a USB port? I think it would work, but I would like to know what you think.

Yes, I have also used it to concentrate tv and radio signals, if you were to polish the dish you can also use it to heat up cans of soup [physics is fun!]

Greetings,

I am not clear about the angles of the CD. Where is the focal point of the CD supposed to be? On the USB stick or on the satellite dish?

Would this work without the CD? What is the reason for two dishes?

How do I know if a pot lid is a parabola?

Thanks

if its curved lid, its a parabola, 99% of lids are.

The focal point of the satellite dish is supposed to be on the CD, it will usually be several inches across. The focal point of the CD is where you want your antenna.

This way you get two passes to catch the packets. The second parabola concentrates the signal to the size of a dime as opposed to a CD sized signal pattern.

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 14 You can find the focal point of your cd by aiming it at the light and moving your hand away from it until the light is as small as it can get [every parabola will be different]

How to Get Wifi From 4 KM or 2.5 Miles Away!!! UPDATED FOR FASTER SPEEDS!!!!: Page 15