DIY Toilet Brush Wi-Fi Antenna

Signal strength makes or breaks a wireless network. If your wi-fi router is too far away or not positioned correctly then your browsing will suffer by dropped connections. There are a few ways to tackle this problem. First, you can buy a more powerful wi-fi router or secondly you could make your own directional antenna… from a toilet brush holder.

By making your own antenna out of a toilet brush holder, or a tin can, you can attach it to your base station and boost the signal. By making the directional antenna yourself, you can save quite a bit of cash and achieve some good results. Making a directional antenna takes around 30 minutes which means most people can find time to work on it.

Wi-fi signals often struggle around larger houses and especially when they need to jump between three or so rooms.

Replacing just one of two antennas at the base station can be a way of improving WiFi coverage, for example, down to the bottom of the garden. The near zone is served by the remaining stub. All current WiFi modules automatically use the most suitable antenna for each client, a process called antenna diversity. Even with models having only one external antenna, it’s worth having a look inside the casing. Usually, a tiny socket for the second antenna is fitted on the WiFi module. Depending on the manufacturer, this type of plug is called U.FL or Ipex. The connection can easily be led out through a ventilation slot with a short adaptor cable (”pigtail”). On some WiFi notebook cards and USB sticks, there is also an antenna plug, and a look at the data sheet will tell you its type – normally SMA or RPSMA.

Via: Gadgettastic and Heise Online

For the most detailed explanation and instructions, check out the Heise Online link above.