Has this ever happened to you? While surfing the net on your laptop, the wireless connection icon suddenly jumps up and warns you that your Internet connection is low or perhaps you have just been disconnected.
The immediate response for the above is to begin moving your laptop from side to side praying for the connection to increase or return. Just like looking at a compass and trying to determine the right direction, we end up walking around searching for a better WiFi reception.
Sometimes there are actual “dead areas” because of the location of your computer and router, thus the reception is low at certain points, not allowing you to surf properly.
There are many interesting and innovative solutions to solve this annoying problem. Some are in the form of accessories such as antenna extenders or external WiFi cards that attempt to extend your reception. Although many times these work well, they are costly and perhaps not as fun as doing it yourself.
The First option is for the light DIY users. With aluminum foil, glue, good will and 25 cents to spare, you can easily create the Windsurfer by yourself. The neat video by DL.TV can be seen below, and if you wish to use the template seen in the video, you can find it (here).
The second DIY option is an antenna hack where you take your regular antenna and turn it into a $30 range extender for the mere cost of approximately 5 cents! The simple step by step guide includes pictures and may be found at Instructables.
I hope these tips help you increase your Internet reception and surf quicker.I am certain there are many other ways to extend your WiFi reception. Please feel free to share with us any of your personal tips and projects that you’ve tried.
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What handy information! I laughed when I read the beginning about moving the laptop around to try to magically get the signal back! Thanks for the information.
Hey Neece!, it’s great seeing you again.
You don’t know how many times this actually happened to me . I am glad you find this information useful.
Thanks for your comment.
I have always been tempted to build one of these but I was always worried how it would affect the signal strength in the other rooms of my house but this one looks nice because it can be removed if it doesn’t work out.
@Simon: It’s not a wind up, and in a lot of cases it can help increase your WiFi connection.
@Chris: This method is simple, inexpensive and convenient since it can be removed if doesn’t work out.
I hope it will improve the WiFi signal in your house. Please let us know how it went.
Hi Chejrw, thanks for your feedback.
This trick worked for me as well as some others. I am not sure why it actually reduced your reception. It seems that in your case, the regular way simply works best.
note tough that this will probably also increase the your signal towards your neighbours who would probably take advantage of your monthly $30 high speed wireless internet subscription =\
[...] If your on a budget however, you can try making your own homemade wi-fi booster by using the template provided by freeantennas.com for the Ez-12 Parabolic Reflector. I first noticed this info on Walyou.com [...]
This actually worked for me. The first time a made on it was the normal size but instead of increasing my WiFi signal it dcreased. Anyway i made a new on, like three times the size of the normal on and whatta u know, my signal increased for 15%. Pretty awsome
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Neece — October 18th, 2007 @ 7:00 am
What handy information! I laughed when I read the beginning about moving the laptop around to try to magically get the signal back! Thanks for the information.
Tal Siach — October 18th, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
Hey Neece!, it’s great seeing you again.
. I am glad you find this information useful.
You don’t know how many times this actually happened to me
Thanks for your comment.
kemal — November 2nd, 2007 @ 2:02 am
A useful trick just like the other posts on the site. I’m lookin’ forward for the future posts. Thanks for the information…
Tal Siach — November 2nd, 2007 @ 2:29 am
Hey Kemal! Thanks for the warm feedback
I am happy you found the information useful. Hope to see you soon.
simon — November 2nd, 2007 @ 12:22 pm
Is this a wind up? or does it really work?
Chris — November 3rd, 2007 @ 5:06 am
I have always been tempted to build one of these but I was always worried how it would affect the signal strength in the other rooms of my house but this one looks nice because it can be removed if it doesn’t work out.
Tal Siach — November 4th, 2007 @ 1:47 am
Hi Simon and Chris, thanks for visiting.
@Simon: It’s not a wind up, and in a lot of cases it can help increase your WiFi connection.
@Chris: This method is simple, inexpensive and convenient since it can be removed if doesn’t work out.
I hope it will improve the WiFi signal in your house. Please let us know how it went.
links for 2007-11-04 | Funny Stuff is all around — November 4th, 2007 @ 2:26 am
[...] Increase your WiFi Connection by Yourself | Walyou Blog (tags: wifi tutorial diy tips) [...]
chejrw — November 4th, 2007 @ 2:54 am
I put one together and aimed it out into my living room - the signal on my laptop actually dropped from 3 bars to 2!
So much for the magical signal booster…
Tal Siach — November 4th, 2007 @ 6:36 pm
Hi Chejrw, thanks for your feedback.
This trick worked for me as well as some others. I am not sure why it actually reduced your reception. It seems that in your case, the regular way simply works best.
Steven — November 11th, 2007 @ 3:19 pm
note tough that this will probably also increase the your signal towards your neighbours who would probably take advantage of your monthly $30 high speed wireless internet subscription =\
Increase your Wireless Signal with a homemade WiFi Booster — January 11th, 2008 @ 4:27 am
[...] If your on a budget however, you can try making your own homemade wi-fi booster by using the template provided by freeantennas.com for the Ez-12 Parabolic Reflector. I first noticed this info on Walyou.com [...]
trembler — September 25th, 2008 @ 10:05 am
This actually worked for me. The first time a made on it was the normal size but instead of increasing my WiFi signal it dcreased. Anyway i made a new on, like three times the size of the normal on and whatta u know, my signal increased for 15%. Pretty awsome