Satellite Dish into Wifi Receiver.

[Zeal514]

So, I got this old Satellite Dish, and I will be moving into a apartment complex, where they offer free wifi at the pool area. Since money is tight, I want to use this wifi in my apartment, but Im about 60+ feet away, on the opposite side of the building. So I want to make the Satellite dish into a reciever, putting my USB Dongle in it, and seeing if I put it on my little Porch area, what type of signals I can pick up.

So heres my question, What type of USB Extension cable should I Use? I plan to be gaming, and streaming alot, since I wont have cable. I am just worried about getting a cheap chord, and it limiting the wifi, or the signal dissipates, get too much ping etc. I will need about 15-20 Feet.

 

[bill001g]

Like anything digital it works or it doesn't. A cheap cord will work as good as a expensive one. I think the limitation on distance for USB is 15ft. This is a little tricky to get the USB at the focal point. Most antenna are not round so it is not obvious when you point them at the source.

You also have issues putting a USB dongle outside in the weather. Eventually water will get in and destroy it.

For about $60 you can get outdoor antenna/bridge designed for this from ubiquiti called air grid that will work much better than anything you can hack together.

Still if I read it right you intend to try to get the signal by pointing the antenna back into your apartment since it is on the opposite side to what your porch faces. Highly unlikely you will get this to work. The building will absorb all the signal no matter the type of equipment you use. Wireless is microwave which is pretty much line of sight, to a point you can try to receive reflected signal but it is so easily absorbed.

A long pole above the roof line would technically work but I suspect would no be allowed by the apartment.

 

[Zeal514]

I have a somewhat good line of sight for it. Supposedly that satellite can pick up, up to 3 Miles away, I might keep it inside, so my neighbors dont freak out, hook it to a tripod, and put a plant in front of it so its hidden, then point it out the window.

As you can see I kinda sorta have a line a sight, but very very narrow. I could potentially it in my Screened in porch area, and use some sort of bag over the dongle, If I were to do this, I would probably get 24k Gold connectors on the wires, Tho I really want to avoid that, those wires are expensive.

The Satellite will be about 15-20 feet away from my PC, since my PC will be hooked up in the living room, and I will be running it along the wall so the wire is not noticable.

 

[bill001g]

It worth a try I guess pretty cheap if you have the dish already. It is very tricky to get it pointed just right though. The signal on the oval dishes comes in at a angle so when you point it at something on land the end of the arm looks like it is pointing to the ground. These are very hard to get working since there is no nice signal level meter like a satellite receiver has.

This is the product I like the best when I need to buy inexpensive ones. Costs $60.
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/AG-2G16-HP/AirGrid-M2-HP-16dBi-Grid-24GHz-CPE-24vdc-POE.html
I linked this company not because it is the cheapest place to get this but because they sell lots of other things like it. Some of the units are very small and would be not likely noticed as much as a big dish. They are a little expensive because it is cheaper to just use a physically big antenna rather than a high tech antenna design.

 

[Jakob123]

HI Bill I like your solution also: What I don't get is how the signal is converted to a USB connection. So from the antenna to the laptop what is inbetween?

Please let me know.

Thanks
Jakob

 

[bill001g]

Those unit are not USB they are ethernet connected. In fact that is how they their power you insert a small thing that looks like a coupler and it runs the power outside to the unit. What exactly you hook it to will depend on your application but you can directly hook it to the ethernet port on a PC if you only need a single machine

 

[Jakob123]

OK Cool, That should work great on a camping when my RV is parked to far from the wifi of the camping

 

[Jakob123]

Hi Zeal, what did you end up doing. Did you do the Satelite or the antenna from Bill?

 

[Zeal514]

The sattellite I tried did like nothing. I ended up getting my neighbors wifi pw and using that. but now im looking for a way to boost that signal, or decrease the latency.

 

[sumitd]

hey what did you use- ubiquiti or your own dish .

 

[nikkkitas]

I myself used to configure and install a satellite dish using the service here http://mapszoom.com/satellite-dish-installation.php
everything is easy to choose which satellite is to configure your antenna and your place of installation and the system will instruct you where to turn the mirror antenna and the angle at which it's simple.