We’ve seen a number of DIY wi-fi extenders designed to boost signal range, but many people remain doubtful of their quality. Macworld decided to test a bunch of myths about Wi-Fi speed, including just how well one of these DIY antennas really works.
It turns out they work really well. Using free templates from FreeAntennas, Macworld found some serious improvements:
At about 20 feet away from the router, the tests showed roughly a 12 per cent throughput improvement when we used the reflectors. Moving about 70 feet away, the performance benefit increased to 43 per cent. Doubling the distance reduced the throughput both with and without the reflectors, but still they helped the router deliver 46 per cent higher throughput speeds overall. The antenna boosters really did offer a boost to our network’s performance.
Sure, DIY antennas tend to look a little goofy, but if they work it doesn’t really matter. If you’re curious about other myths involving your wi-fi network speed, head over to Macworld for their full post.
Fact of fiction: What affects Wi-Fi speed? [Macworld]
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One response to “How Well Do DIY Wi-Fi Boosters Work?”
My own experiment with the Windsurfer design also backs this up.
The Windsurfer turned a flaky Wireless Bridge into a rock solid connection that allowed me to get ADSL2 (I could only get Pair Gain ADSL1) from my neighbor (all above board with him) for 2 years until I moved out.