Hey guys, My friend and I are trying to create a 2 computer Ad-hoc (no Access Point) network.
Because 801.11g pci cards are so cheap (we got the MSI brand, based on thr rt2500 chip (supported by Linux nativly)) without really knowing is our two houses are in range.
He lives a few houses away, well inside the 300meter range of the cards in open space, but obviously transmiting through a few layers of brick is shortening it quite a bit.
We setup one card to run as an emulated AP (access point) with SSID broadcasting, and tried to get a connection working.
we set both cards to transmit on maximum power, and at the slowest available bitrate ( 1Mbps )
The frustrating thing is, the connection only works at night, a few hours after the sun goes down, and stops working shortly after the sun rises again.
Also, the connection is very sincitive to moving the areal, just a few inches will kill the connection.
The fact that the connection works at night leads me to surgest that we are on the absolute borderline of the card working.
And the increace in tempreature of the air, (which i know to reduce transmition range) along with the increaced noise of others in my areas using wlan, the cards limits are pushed too far and the connection is lost.
So.. i want to ask you.. Without spending much money, and without the need for too much skill, how can i increace the range.
the antenna that comes with my card is has a small 2 Dbi gain, but higher gain areals, especially highly directional ones are quite expensive.
I've seen the pringle can design, but cannot find the parts needed, and online retails require me to buy in bulk.
Ive also had a little success building a satelite-like reflactor dish out of silver foil, but it seems to need to be re-aimed every few minutes... Possably every time my neighbours move whatever it is the signal is bouncing off, a car, the fridge door, who knows.
Also, ive been reading about antenna harmonics, and decided its just too complicated, but what if, i just build a hige copper structure, maybe the size of a chair, and used that as an antena, and just prey that whatever gain i lose in harmonics, i retrive in the sheer bulk and size.
ANYWAY, enough babbeling.. does anyone have any ideas for a penniless student type, with little skill soldering / welding, who mainly just wants to play with wireless just for the fun of it.. ?
Thanks.
