For a period of time (2007-2010), I was a poor college student who couldn't afford to pay for internet service. I was living in an apartment complex with many faint wireless internet signals passing through my apartment. I connected to unsecured wireless networks to access the internet for school work, but the connections were slow and unreliable. I improved the signal quality, one improvement at a time, for nearly two years. After many design iterations, and with a strong will, I finally developed a relatively successful wireless internet signal amplifier.
I started by purchasing a wireless internet adapter (which receives wireless internet signals) and a long USB cable. By placing the adapter in the location of my apartment with the strongest signal, I was able to improve my signal quality.
But that signal was still not strong enough or reliable enough, so I began building a signal amplifying dish. I performed some calculations for a parabola, using the desired location of the adapter (focal distance) and dish diameter.
I plotted the parabolic shape onto plywood, and cut it to the desired shape.
I then assembled the plywood into a paraboloid.
I used a readily accessible construction material called metal lath as my dish material. I used the plywood paraboloid as a template to help me form my parabolic dish.
Here you can see the shape of the first dish I designed.
I then mounted the wireless internet adapter (receiver) in the dish, with the adapter as close to the dish's focal point as possible.
I placed the apparatus in the window facing opposing apartment buildings.
The wireless internet signal amplifier roughly quadrupled the signal intensity, and provided me internet service for about two years. I later began construction of a larger, sleeker, more accurate version, but never completed it. I stopped using this method once I was able to afford my own internet service.
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