How to make a wi-fi booster

Interviewer: Frank Linhares says specialty of getting a strip search to the airport because he brings weird stuff on the planes, as he is coming out to visit us. It is great to have you back, Frank? Frank Linhares: Thank you, than you very much. Interviewer: techfile.ca is a great site for people who love technology. Really, we are kind of proto-canadian podcaster, one of the very first podcasters in Canada right? Frank Linhares: Sure. Interviewer: How long have you been doing that? Frank Linhares: About 2 ½ years. Interviewer: Yes, that puts you right there, the beginning of time. Frank Linhares: Yes, yes Interviewer: Amazingly. Frank Linhares: Surely, after the return of the screen savers Podcast. Interviewer: That is right. Frank Linhares: Yes. Interviewer: We are kind of in league here. Now, what other things with people have WiFi that is constant complain is I love wireless networking. It is fantastic. But, I cannot get into the basement. I cannot get into the attic, Frank Linhares: That is right, that is bad spots. Interviewer: Or I cannot get to the backyards. Bad spots? Frank Linhares: Yes, that is right. Interviewer: So, how can we fix that? Frank Linhares: I stumble upon this site called freeantenas.com, and they made this claim that you can print your own parabolic antenna, Interviewer: You print it? Frank Linhares: Yes, print it. Just like that. Interviewer: In an ink jet? Frank Linhares: On an ink jet or laser, you need thicker card stocks so it can hold up to be use. But if you print it, you get anywhere between 9 to 14 bba. And the key is the shape that is right. It is all has to do with the shape. they have got a bunch of scientific mombo-jumbo here to prove it. (Laughs) Interviewer: Scientist agree Frank Linhares: That is right, Interviewer: That if you print it like this, it will look like that. This is the optimal I guess. Frank Linhares: That is right. It is the optimal range, Interviewer: Now, you are going to cut this out? Frank Linhares: That is right. You cut that out and it is simple as insert slot A into slot B, and that is it. Interviewer: And, that is what you deed here? Frank Linhares: That is what I did. I also added some tin foil to the back reflective side in, that seems to help it. (Voice Overlap and laughs) Interviewer: That they not mentioned the tin foil? Frank Linhares: Yes, well it is in the forms, some just added a tin foil. Interviewer: Okay, because the, I mean you would not think it would work in with paper, but I guess the idea is that this hi frequency wave, this 2.4 gigahertz wave, microwaves, and that is the problem. Frankly, they bounce off stuff because of hi frequency. Frank Linhares: That is right, that is right. Interviewer: Television and Radio go right through it because they are lower frequency, but when you get into 2.4 gigahertz, it is so small, it goes right into it. (Voice Overlap) Even paper, it would bounce. So, having, this is enough but of course, having this makes it a little bit more, (Voice Overlap) Frank Linhares: A little but more, and you know what realistically, I got anywhere between 7 to 9 db begin with it. Interviewer: How do you know how much gain you gave in? Frank Linhares: I use Max Stumber 2. Interviewer: Stumber will tell you, Frank Linhares: That is right. It tells you how much starter, Interviewer: And, 7 to 9 db is that a bar? Frank Linhares: Yes, it is about the bar. You see, I have a lot of hot spots at home when I have my WiFi rudder con in the middle of home, Interviewer: Right, Frank Linhares: So, what I did is using the antenna, actually I have 2 of them. This is just my portable rudder for demonstration. Interviewer: So, show as how it works. Frank Linhares: I, you just poke the hole out. You kind of, (Laughing) Frank Linhares: You kind of slap it like that, and what I did is I took my WiFi unit, put it at the end of the hole. (Continue Laughs) Interviewer: Yes, Frank Linhares: And, I got full coverage include, Interviewer: It improves, so notice that difference. Frank Linhares: Big time, big time. You kind of sucks from this point back but, Interviewer: Because it is catching, Frank Linhares: That is right. It is catching, bouncing to that way, and I got, yes, 7 to 9 db begin which is quite impressive. Interviewer: Now, unfortunately I have an Apple airport which does not have, Frank Linhares: Right, the antennas. Interviewer: So, you need one with that antenna or, you need one that has a dowel that comes out of it, Frank Linhares: That is right. Interviewer: And, put an antenna on it, by the time you are doing that, you might as well grot and buy. Frank Linhares: That is right. There is actually (Voice Overlap) Frank Linhares: What was there, to the airport? Interviewer: To the airport. Frank Linhares: Oh, that is really interesting. Interviewer: freeantennas.com, Frank Linhares: That is right. They got a bunch of stuff. They even got more where you can built, Oh, we kind of skip that were we suppose to be, Interviewer: There you go, Frank Linhares: Where you can build, Interviewer: A reflector template, that is what we are doing here, Frank Linhares: That is where we are doing here but, you can actually go ahead and build other ones out of metal, corner once which actually is what I should do at home because I have it, Interviewer: You are putting that in the corner? Frank Linhares: I have it in the corner, and you can actually shoot, Interviewer: So obviously, some RF Engineer, that looks like his name is Emm Erskins, knows what he is talking about, and Frank Linhares: I think, I am going to build the outdoor one as well. Interviewer: Look at that, show us that. I want to see that. That thing is a, Okay, now we are talking. This of the must, it is not probably free Frank Linhares: CRTC might have a problem with that. (Laughs) Frank Linhares: But, you know, Interviewer: Just do not pack it in your luggage and I think you are okay. Frank Linhares: Yes, I might have to try. (Laughs) Interviewer: Frank Linhares at techfile.ca. Details on this and links to freeantennas.com on our website which is thelabwithleo.com. And, you know what is great you did not just show us the website, you actually made one. You try it and your fan of it. (Voice Overlap) Frank Linhares: Last night of my hotel because the one I actually brought got crush in the luggage so, Interviewer: You know the shape is really important. So, that is how easy it is, you can actually do it in your hotel. Frank Linhares: Yes, it took me like 5 minutes. (Laughs) Interviewer: You print that in the business center? Frank Linhares: Yes, actually I did. (Both Laughing) Interviewer: Excuse me, I have some very important doc files, thick card stock. Can I use my own paper? Frank Linhares: Yes, Interviewer: I need card stock and a guide can follow? A butt pan, some other mitts and tongs, and we will be set. Frank Linhares: That is right.