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Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

VLF4986
Novice

Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

I have a DGND3700 and am curious whether adding external 9dBi antennas would improve anything?

Has anyone tried an external antenna mod. kit? Did it help?

Thanks
Message 1 of 12
sabretooth
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

VLF4986 wrote:
I have a DGND3700 and am curious whether adding external 9dBi antennas would improve anything?

Has anyone tried an external antenna mod. kit? Did it help?

Thanks


Better to line a cardboard box with aluminum foil and place the router in that. Now you have a semi directional antenna. Works for me.
Message 2 of 12
richud
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

I have a couple of 18dBi ones on order as an experiment 🙂
Message 3 of 12
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

To see a 3db increase of signal you would need to double the output power. Each time you double the output power you gain 3 db. Using a 9db gain antenna would help as long as the cable used does not have 9db of attenuation.
Message 4 of 12
VLF4986
Novice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

Well, I purchased and tried out an antenna modification kit for the DGND3700 v.1 consisting of two 15 inch 9 dBi antennas (one for each band). I thought I would give the antennas a try before drilling holes in the router. I taped the bottom inch of the 15 inch long antennas with duct tape to the back of the router so they were vertical. This may have skewed the results a little however likely not by much if any.

My results (a comparison of 2.4 / 5 GHz signal strengths taken at various locations throughout the house) show that nothing was really gained. The average signal strengths pre vs. post antenna modification were nearly identical.

I did discover the internal antennas are mounted on the side of the router with the "Netgear" logo molded into the plastic. You would want that side of the router turned toward the direction you need the greatest signal.
Message 5 of 12
sabretooth
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

Card board box with aluminum foil would work better.
Message 6 of 12
Retired_Member
Not applicable

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

When you change locations don't you have to move the cardboard box?


Adding antennas in theory should work, the problem could be an impedance mismatch caused by a connector, cable or antenna. I would use antennas that have a stand and place several feet apart.
Message 7 of 12
Mars Mug
Virtuoso

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

I think it’s a tad more complicated than that, when considering aspects such as MiMo, beamforming, building construction, reflections, client device capabilities such as number and orientation of antennae, the number and distribution of client devices etc. Unless you are trying to create some kind of directional communication between the router and a particular client device at a particular location I’m not sure that changing antennae at the router only is likely to be particularly successful.
Message 8 of 12
richud
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

I added a couple external antenna's to the 2.4Ghz radio [couldn't find any cheap 5Ghz ones] and it has improved it to some extent, I am just waiting for some different antenna's though (7dbi) and will post a guide when the slow boat from China arrives with them.

If you have some patience and some decent drill bits its pretty easy to do....
Message 9 of 12
sabretooth
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

You will have better luck lining a cardboard box with tin foil in a concave pattern and placing your router inside. More directional pattern now.
Message 10 of 12
jmizoguchi
Virtuoso

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

7db maybe not much of changes for you.

Also foil is good but you end out more directional the. Omani direction so know the signal changes when you go from ominous and directional
Message 11 of 12
richud
Apprentice

Re: Antenna Modification Kits -- Do They Work?

Am still waiting for some other antenna's but if anyone is interested this is a rough guide to adding external 2.4Ghz ones.

http://www.richud.com/wiki/DGND3700_V1_Wifi_Wireless_Antenna_Mod_Upgrade

It is cheap/easy mod and does improve the signal *a bit* - there is a reason most manufacturers put them externally.

As Mars mug eluded - this mod isn't very scientific 🙂

However if you do this you may notice flat/smooth areas inside the routers shell they are meant to be to stick the PCB antennas too - lets just say mine were not very accurately placed, and the target areas are quite larger than the PCB's...so it isn't like the tolerances are particularly precise to begin with.

If you are lucky enough to be using something Linux based like Ubuntu (maybe MAC?) 'iwconfig' will dump current details about the connection link-quality (important) , signal level , bit-rate, power etc.
Message 12 of 12
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