Antenna Extension Cable

[Markardi]

Hi Everyone,

My home is completely wired with everything leading to a patch panel in the basement. All those drops go to a Dlink DGS-1024D gigabit switch which connects to a Dlink DIR-825 router and onto the modem.

My problem is this patch panel has a steel door which when close, to make everything look neat and tidy, kills my wireless strength. With the door open, my signal strength is about 70~80% on the 2nd floor with my tablet (Asus Transformer). When the door is closed, that drops to 30~50%.

I could move the router out of the panel but that would require new wiring and I do plan on putting a NAS in the patch panel space as well. So I would like to avoid this option as I like a having everything all together.

There are antenna extension cables, but would they work with dual band antennas? I've found two so far:

TP-Link TL-ANT24EC3S
$10 each, has an IL of 2.2dB, but is only rated for B/G

Amped Wireless APC10
$30 each, has an IL of 1.7dB, rated for N.

The APC10 is 3x the price, but has better specs. Would the TP-link work just as well as they're both just a wire, or is there substantial difference between them?

I've emailed both companies about working with dual band antennas, Amped only said it will work with the 5GHz band, nothing about both at the same time. I've heard nothing for TP-Link.

Another option is to look at an access point on the second floor. With 3m/10ft of cable though, I could place the router's antennas at the ceiling of the basement which could improve the strength even more.

Your thoughts?


Thanks,
Mark

 

[thiggins]

The cables will work for both 2.4 and 5 GHz. Keep the cables as short as possible to avoid excess signal loss. I would not use 3m cables if 1m would work.

You would be better off with another AP.

I would not put the NAS in the closed patch bay unless it has some sort of forced air cooling. Be sure you put the NAS on a UPS.

 

[Markardi]

Hey Tim,

I agree about keeping the cables as short as possible, however, the two I listed above are the only ones I could find. If you know of any other extension cables, please let me know.

And thanks for the suggestion, I do not own a UPS, but will certainly look into one.

 

[stevech]

antennas are transparent as to modulation mode such as 11b/g/n in 2.4GHz.

An antenna with less thn 6dBi or so of gain is insignificant as to improving weak signals. Of course, at 2.4GHz, the antenna coax can negate the antenna gain, if too long and/or lossy (skinny, meaning less than 3/8 dia. if more than 3 ft.).

Always better to use access points connected by CAT5 to a switch/router or linked via HomePlug or MoCA.

 

[Markardi]

Hey Steve,

I'm not sure how much gain the stock DIR-825 antennas have, but to place them outside the patch panel, the extension cable only really needs to be 1.5ft long. As mentioned before, I can't find a cable that short. If you know of any, please let me know. Would it be possible to make one?

I am looking into an access point for the 2nd floor, the whole house is wired with Cat6, but I would still like to take advantage of my router's wireless abilities.

 

[stevech]

Common WiFi router external antennas are about 2-4dBi.
A new antenna (pair) with substantially more gain may be impractically large.
Assuming your existing antennas have screw-on coax connectors, usually of the type called reverse-polarity-SMA (but may not be), then you wouldn't need a coax.

Not practical to make a 2.4GHz coax cable/connectors.

If you must, then Google "wifi 9dBi" and pick a pair that have the same connector type as the ones you have now, probably RP-SMA.

You will probably be disappointed with the small improvement you'd see if you change to, say, 6 or 9dBi antennas (pair), considering the cost. Versus adding an access point (AP) or a repurposed router as an AP.

 

[Markardi]

Hey Steve,

Sorry for the late reply, I was out the past week.

I've repurposed my router as an AP on the second floor and it's working great! Thanks for the suggestion.

Just to note on the other points:
Yes, the connectors on the antennas are RP-SMA and you can find the parts on DigiKey, but they're pretty expensive. Also, I can't find any high gain dual band antennas so an AP has certainly been the easiest way to go.