Question 1

So I admit I'm a layman when it comes to these antennas.  Would this pickup/receive a signal from a far away hotspot like a Restaurant, or does this transmit a signal only?

Accepted Answer

A router can only broadcast as far as the fcc allows, which is roughly 300 feet, if there are no obstructions or electromagnetic interference. That being said, the parabolic antenna will gather a weak signal at distances greater than 300 feet, and focus that through the receiver. I used this antenna, coupled with an alfa networks awus036nhr v.2 and about 5' run of LMR-400 low loss from showmecables. i was able to pull wifi way over 300'. Keep in mind that this is a science. You aim the antenna like a laser beam, it has about 3-5 degrees of variance. Also, the reflector at the end of the antenna cannot be bent or moved, its very precise. My antenna went bad because the coax going to the tip would turn. I had to re-engineer the antenna to get the best reception possible. So its possible to get signals very far away. Most I ever got was 3mbps over 1/8 mile which I think is good. But its a science, very touchy, unless of course a larger amplified signal is used, but the wifi amps i bought from china were junk and even after setting my cards power output to 1% the amps blew over and over. Just remember when you use the antenna, everything is amplified, the secret is finding the sweet spot 3-5degrees and use a utility called inssider which tells you when you have the strongest signal. I was able to get my degree online and free internet all through college because of that antenna.  First i started with a homemade direct tv dish and hand bent antenna, then moved up to the 24 dbi parabolic, it did jump at least 17-20 , but like i said, the thing needed alot of tweaking, it was not high quality, but for the price i would recommend it. With a little know how and patience you can scoop up signals all over the place. Its really fun to get all the hot spots, for example, without antenna got 10 hotspots, with antenna got 50. Theres always 1 or 2 public spots with free access. Id definitely go for it and good luck :-)

Question 2

I have a small cabin separated from the main house by about 500 feet. I would like to use this antenna, mounted at the cabin, to receive the wifi signal from the main house and power another router inside the cabin. Is this possible or must the antenna be mounted at the house and beamed to the cabin? I really don't want the antenna at the house. I have ideal locations at the cabin. Will this product allow me to do that?

Accepted Answer

You need a flyswatter and this is a shotgun.  I am using ONE Of these for a 5 mile link. The other end is a much smaller, lower gain yagi.  This antenna would be maximum overkill for 500 ft.  While it almost certainly would work, you almost certainly do not need it.

Get a a pair of Engenius ENS200EXT units and use them with the stock antenna and you're done.

In all cases, make sure the antennae on all units can see each other.  2.4Ghz is very line of sight dependent.  If you can see a flashlight from one end to the other you will be fine.

Question 3

How does this connect to the router?

Accepted Answer

This antenna is exactly what I needed to transmit/receive wi-fi between home and workshop (about 1/4 mi).

Re: connecting router:  1.  Router must have an antenna port - If yours has a short, black antenna attached, just unscrew and remove it.  Then attach the cable from the TP-LINK. (cable not included, other than the short "pigtail" attached to the rear of the antenna.)

2. The cable from outside should attach directly to the router.  If you have a cable and connector store nearby, they're the ones to let you know which cable and which connectors are necessary.  If there's no store within reach, you can get assistance from the manufacturer's tech help line.

3.  Assuming you need to use wi-fi over a relatively short distance, for best results, you'll need two of the TP-LINK antennas.

My setup includes two wi-fi amplifiers, one for both the near and far antennas.  They, along with this antenna, give and maintain satisfactory signal strength.

Keep in mind - The antenna is highly directional so if you wish to "scan the area" for other links near your location, this is not the appropriate antenna.  For that, you need an omni-directional wi-fi antenna.

Important:  The two antennas must be in "line of sight".  Don't expect the signal to pierce tree branches, bushes, or other structures, even with the two amplifiers.

Question 4

how to hook it to the computer?

Accepted Answer

You need to buy a cable that will fit the end of the antenna and then the other end to a router. (A router with antenna) If no router then you have to have a WiFi card in computer that has an antenna to use this dish.

Question 5

I am using this to conect 2 houses about 24 miles apart. just using it for wifi conection. Will this antenna be a good choice?

Accepted Answer

It is plausible to get it work but Randal S is correct about the need for towers especially at 24 miles apart around the same elevation. The earth curves about every 7 miles so the need for towers is critical to accomdate for the fresnel zone. If its a true P2P (Point to Point) then obstructions and RF interference  may be the two biggest issues if tall towers are not a problem installing in your area. Check out air802dot com/files/FCC-Rules-and-Regulations.pdf for max output set by the FCC for 802.11 2.4Ghz band.

Question 6

Does this allow me to have wifi in a range of 32 miles?

Accepted Answer

I don't know about 32 miles; although I believe this is supposed to be able to reach that far. Something I will say is that this does work, but if you have trees in the way, or other obstacles it will reduce your signal. I installed one of these a couple weeks about a mile apart, and it does receive signal. It appears to have reduced the internet speeds in the house the internet originates from, but other than that it is working well. That being said the computer at the other end is only getting a couple bars, so its not super quick. We are still adjusting the position, and I think it is just something that will take time to tweak. According to TP Link's website, this should have a range of about 34.7 miles. Go to their site and look at the specs for this; they have a little more info.

Question 7

the overview says its b/g/n but the specs say its only b/g. which is it?

Accepted Answer

Well Wireless N can use 2.4 Ghz. I use it to attach to N networks. It works. I use an Asus wireless dongle. It's feature rich and performs better then the four other ones I've tried.

Question 8

What Happen if I use this in Indoors of my house instead of Outdoors in the back yard? Will I still get 25 km? Does anybody try this yet by using it inside the house and facing it to the wall? Pls help me out here, this will also help those that are curious about it and prefer to have it indoors, Thx ya!!

Accepted Answer

NO you will not see 25km range out of this antenna in side your house or structure 2.4 GHz band is line of sight this isn't super important at really close range but at 25km means a lot unless you live in a glass sky scrapper, look up "point to point wifi" that is we're these types of antennas come in to play with range, plus having this in the house would not be the best idea but if you still insist try a good small yagi antenna narrower and more directional signal

Question 9

I bought this antenna but it didn't come with anything to connect to the cable that on the antenna. Where do I get what it takes to get from that antenna wire that's attached to the antenna to the modem?

Accepted Answer

The connector attached to the end of the antenna is a female "N."  Your router or wifi adapter most likely has a female "RP-SMA" connector.  So, you need "N" male on one end, and "RP-SMA" male on the other.

Question 10

With a new greenhouse onsite, we are looking to add a wireless temp/humidity gauge to read on computer/cell phones, but our wifi won't reach from the house; it's about 335" away, through trees. Is this a good choice for our situation?

Accepted Answer

This would be suitable for your needs but you will want to make sure there are as little structures or tree's blocking the antennas view of your home as possible because the more and larger the objects between your antenna and your home to get the best signal possible.

Although this is a very powerful antenna and I've personally used it for over 1,000" for hometohome wi-fi acess so you should be more than fine with using it for 1/3 of the distance I was using it for.

Questions & Answers