Using In-Wall Coaxial Cables to extend antenna

[coolxal]

My house has coaxial cables in every room that goes back to the Master's Closet on the top floor.

Is it possible for me to connect a coaxial downstairs to one of these WL-ANT-191 antennas and then connect the coaxial in the closet to the N66U? Would that be too long of an extension for the antennas?

 

[hakatit]

I've wanted to do this forever. I was about to order the items needed to attempt this with a linksys I had about four years ago. It may have worked then. However (Correct me if I'm wrong, someone will) the RT-N66U uses MIMO ( Multiple In Multiple Out) technology. What this means is it uses the distance between the antennas to determine the direction of the signal, Thus allowing it to reduce the Noise from other signals. Think of it like your ears. The distance between them allows your brain to tell if a sound is on one side or the other. If you only can hear from one ear, determining direction is nearly impossible.
I don't fully understand why the antennas are external and have dual axis other then those are just the antenna they used. It would seem to me that for MIMO to work properly you would want the two + antenna to be a specific, known distance apart and on the same plane in all axis. I have all three of my antenna in different position with the hopes of maximizing the signal based on it's orientation. Because with radio technologies, technically a horizontal antenna should not work with one of a vertical orientation.

Other then that the only things I can see being an issue is that Coax is made for specific frequencies, and to have a 75 Ohm loss. The frequencies are anywhere from 54MHz to 700MHz. Our WiFi is 2.4GHz to 2.5GHz and 5GHZ. For that reason the Coax in your house may not work as you expect.

 

[thiggins]

As the OP points out, extending one antenna won't work with MIMO. But even if you did, the cable losses would offset any potential gain, even if it were the right impedance.

 

[TonyH]

As the OP points out, extending one antenna won't work with MIMO. But even if you did, the cable losses would offset any potential gain, even if it were the right impedance.

Hi,
Cable loss as well as connector loss.....

 

[RMerlin]

Since you have coax... How about MoCA adapters?

 

[joegreat]

My house has coaxial cables in every room that goes back to the Master's Closet on the top floor.

Is it possible for me to connect a coaxial downstairs to one of these WL-ANT-191 antennas and then connect the coaxial in the closet to the N66U? Would that be too long of an extension for the antennas?

Hi,

As you are dealing with high frequency (and a rather low signal level - remember: only mW = milliWatt = 1/1000 Watt) you need to take care about:
- Having the right cable for 2.4 Ghz AND 5 GHz
- A cable with the least possible attenuation for the given frequencies
- The mounting / pulling thru walls has to be done very carefully to avoid sharp corner, stretching the cable, etc.
- The connectors need to be mounted very precise as there a big signal loss may occur
- Measuring the cable after installing it (with a precise device) would be highly recommended
- All over, only a professionally skilled person, with the right tooling, should do cable extension for high frequency devices! I know what I am talking about as I am such a professional...
- You could easily loose more then you can ever(!) win if things are not done the right way!

Beside the cable installation, my biggest worry would be the routers behavior!
It has beam forming and power management, which is based on the fact that the antennas are short distance to each other and directly mounted to the router.
I would really like to know what happens if you spread the antennas and have a long cable involved...

Other extension, like PowerLine, might work better and be by far easier to install and would bring things really to a new level!

With kind regards
Joe