Ikea Hack: Wi-Fi Antenna
While studying abroad in Russia, Mutated Jellyfish had a difficult time finding wi-fi, so he made himself a wi-fi antenna using an Ikea strainer and his USB Wi-Fi adapter.
I brought with me a USB wifi adapter, which is just like the wifi card in your computer, but it plugs in to a USB port and can be extended with a usb cable. This card gets the same range on it as my laptop’s internet wifi card, so it can’t see a bloody thing either.
Parabolic kitchenware is well known to some as not only kitchenware, but also do-it-yourself directional dish antennae with which you can augment weak signals with the use of a receiver of some sort. Equipped with my new Swedish strainer, I used some scotch tape and one of my Prismacolor markers that I don’t like to mount my USB wifi receiver as close to the apex of the parabola of the metallic mesh as I could possibly eye-ball. I then plugged it in, held it up to the window, and started refreshing my wifi networks while I pointed it in different directions until I found an acceptable orientation.
Instead of no wi-fi connections available, his increased signal strength gave him four different connections.
Materials:
- A parabolic strainer (from Ikea or Oxo)
- A USB Wi-Fi adapter (Mutated Jellyfish said that the Motorola brand didn’t work, so here’s a link to a different one: Belkin ME1001-USB Wireless USB 2.0 Adapter 802.11g at Amazon.com
- USB extension cord: Dayton USB 2.0 Extension Cable Black 3.3 ft. at Amazon.com
- Popsicle stick or anything to mount the USB adapter: Freezer Pop Sticks at Amazon.com: Mutated Jellyfish used a marker.
- Black electrical tape: 3M 49656 “Scotch” Vinyl Black Plastic Electrical Tape at Amazon.com: Mutated Jellyfish used scotch tape, but electrical tape will look nicer, hold better and last longer.
Instructions:
- Connect the USB wi-fi adapter to the USB extension cable.
- Tape the wi-fi adapter to the end of the popsicle stick.
- Mount the popsicle stick onto the strainer with the USB wi-fi adapter as close to the center of the strainer as possible. Tape it in place wrapping the electrical tape around the stick, the handle of the strainer and the USB extension cord.
- Plug in the USB extension cord into your laptop and turn the wi-fi antenna until you are able to get the best wi-fi signal.