wifi antenna for laptops without antenna socket

August 16, 2005 6:43 AM

I have a laptop with an internal centrino wifi card which does not have an external antenna socket. Is there any way of boosting the signal it receives?

I was thinking of something like an aerial, and a cable which runs to loop of cable I could place the laptop in.

posted by bluefin to Computers & Internet (4 answers total)

If you're lucky, there will be a hatch on the bottom of the laptop that the wireless card is under. You can then disconnect the internal antenna cable(s) and mount your own. The connectors are fairly standard, it's just a matter of finding out which one your particular card uses. Hopefully the internal antenna cables aren't soldered on.
posted by zsazsa at 6:50 AM on August 16, 2005

Your computer is too big to place in the sort of wire loop that would make a good reflector. An old PrimeStar dish might work but that seems a little inconvenient. The best thing to do would be to connect an external antenna either by modifying the card inside your computer or by hooking up an external USB WiFi adaptor then making a parabolic reflector. This site has a simple project for making a reflector that I have used with good success. Mine is an external USB adaptor placed inside a piece of aluminum screen from the hardware store, cardboard, and hot glue. You have to get the antenna into the focal point of the reflector, which is a tiny little area just outside the reflector. You might be able to rig one up to your laptop's internal antenna if it is located at the edge of the screen.
posted by KrustyKlingon at 8:32 AM on August 16, 2005

I second the freeantenna link, if you are able to boost the signal at the access point rather than the laptop. I used foil duct tape on this one with excellent results.
posted by TedW at 9:39 AM on August 16, 2005

..If it's too hard to get to the antenna connector, you might get an access point and run it in client-bridge mode. You'll have to be wired to the access point, but it'll still make a reasonable extender.
posted by Laen at 10:24 AM on August 16, 2005