Thread: Aerial's to get WIRELESS really moving

Wireless Broadband is a great system,BUT...laptops are always struggling for enough signal from the phone tower. As an example, Optus signal in my area is weak inside most homes here, making downloading unreliable etc, and phone line ADSL is non existent in some areas

If you want big signals and outside aerial is the go. Inside aerials can also be unreliable

A very high gain aerial that does the job fine is a UHF TV version of a Phased Array. 8 elements arranged in front of a wire or ally screen, sometimes refered to as a Wissi, which is the German version sold by Matchmaster here in Australia. Jaycar have a version also. The wireless network runs on frequencies just abve UHF TV. The front elements need to be trimmed 10mm to increase the freq coverage to the 900 mhz band used by Optus. The aerial needs to be mounted with the dipole elements in the vertical plane and pointed at the nearest tower carrying your provider. Usually can be mounted on your TV mast etc. Use satelite RG6 tv cable down to your computer, and Jaycar sell a flylead that will fit the Optus usb wireless modem aerial socket. Hey presto, unreliable signal turns into 4 bars and high speed,..with every connection

If you want to be more precise with your aerial direction, for max signal, a tv type signal strength meter can be used to set it up.

Cheers from,
Big Country

For 3g service, I use exetel which uses the optus 3g network as wholesale. Has added advantage of no long term contract (just month by month), costs me about ~$37 for 5g, brought my own dongle and they sent me the sim.

For UHF antennae, as crazy as it sounds I get excellent service (better than anything commercial Ive bought) from two I made from bits of junk.
The first I made from coathangers (no, not bent in a map of aus shape), the second from a roll of fencing wire and a few bits of wood!

There is an excellent design called a Gray-Hoverman, which you cant buy from shops but are welcome to bend up from coathangers, pcv pipe etc. Heres a link for reading and the dimensions if anyones interested:
The Gray-Hoverman Antenna For UHF Television Reception - Digital Home Canada

Best of luck