WiFi Dish

[ECruzBUD]

Hello,

Someone on ebay referred me to you that might be able to help me with answers.
I hope that this is the right thread?? If not, please move me to the different
thread catagory.

I heard some peole uses dishes like any dishes for receiving free WiFi inernet.
Some use LNB and use LMR cable to the router or WiFi adapter.
And use RP-SMA connector or RP-TNC connector.

I am wondering have any of you DYI WiFi Dish and have it been successfully???
What LNB would I need to use???
I have Dish 500 which is 24 inch, sitting around and am wodnering what
LNB would I use to receive WiFi???
I'm hoping for a long range signal of WiFi. But what I don't understand
is what and how would it work on a computer at one end????

You would need to find a WiFi signal with no password protected.

I live a mile away from the airport in Seattle. ( 98188-5023 )
And less than a mile, there's a airport stirp with bunch of hotels,
gas stations, and resturants dose have WiFi signal, as well.

Any suggestions????

That's why I'm here by an ebayer who was selling his amature dish
antenna on ebay with WiFi LNB built onto it. And he answered me
to ask you guys.

You're more than welcome to PM me rather than reply on this thread.

Thanks,

Eugene
Seattle, WA.

 

[grohgreg]

The reflector itself would likely be the only original component of a former satellite dish. The original electronics would not be compatible with WiFi; wrong frequency translation. The seller likely just mounted a conventional WiFi antenna/receiver in front of an old satellite dish (minus satellite electronics). With the proper orientations, the dish would intercept a larger signal component and reflect it towards the WiFi antenna. Only thing to be careful of here is not to overload the front end of the WiFi receiver.

Understand that you'd only be able to use non-secure access, and that those who provide it often have the capability to detect and block parasites.

//greg//

 

[berck]

Basically, you're using the dish as an antenna. I've made one before on an AP to provide a wifi signal over a longer distance. We never fully tested it, but it works and can be done. If you want to use in on your end to pick one up, you'll need an access point (AP) that will be a client to the distance network. It will also need to support a removible antenna connection. The AP point will tie into a switch. If you want to use wireless, you'll need another AP to provide internet within your home. There are going to be some things to figure out with networking to make it all work.

The instructions for creating the dish as an antenna can be found here. The example is the Primestar dish because its big and provides good gain. The Dish 500 should work fine.

 

[grohgreg]

Basically, you're using the dish as an antenna. .

No, it's not. A "dish" is merely a passive collector/reflector. When used for satellite TV, the actual antenna is a component of the LNB-f. Plus, satellite reflectors are "cut" (sized) for the wavelength of the signals reflected; Dish operates in the 11 to 15 GHz range, commercial WiMax/WLan is down in the 3 to 6 GHz range. He still needs an antenna, which will necessarily be a component of his wireless router. The antenna - or extension of - is placed in front of the passive reflector, which in turn acts merely as a "backstop" to hopefully
(a) capture some of the RF splatter from the distant and non-secure "free" WiFi hotspot, and
(b) bounce enough of his own router signal back to the hotspot to complete the loop.

In theory, it can work. In practice..........

//greg//

 

[berck]

Greg,

If you look at the link I provided, it goes over everything that needs to be done. I misspoke about the dish being the antenna. In the link, the antenna is in the can that is pointed back to the reflector. I've made one, so in practise, it does work. His situation is different though. I used the dish on the AP to broadcast my signal.

 

[grohgreg]

Uh-huh. He's wanting to pirate free internet from a distant non-secure public hotspot. You're simply extending your presumably secure home network. You don't risk shutting yourself down. But he must run a non-secure home network for this to work at all, AND risks detection and exclusion from the hotspot for his efforts. Not that other folks don't do it. But I just want to make sure that the risks are known.

//greg//

 

[berck]

True, but you can run two different wireless networks, which was what I was suggesting. Even though you secure one, the long distance one will not be secure. The detection problem will always be an issue of course.

 

[grohgreg]

Think about what you just wrote. The stated goal was to obtain "free" internet, right? So what's the point of pirating a non-secure (and almost certainly slow) signal, if there's already secure internet in the house? Or do you know some way of integrating a non-secure signal into an established secure home network?

//greg//

 

[berck]

Think about what you just wrote. The stated goal was to obtain "free" internet, right? So what's the point of pirating a non-secure (and almost certainly slow) signal, if there's already secure internet in the house? Or do you know some way of integrating a non-secure signal into an established secure home network?

//greg//

Are you purposely not reading what I write, or can you not understand it?

From the beginning I mentioned the fact that you could use two wireless setups. One is to link the internet and the other one to broadcast around the 'house'. You can secure the one around for around the house, but you have no control with the one you try to pirate. That link will be open, so all your internet traffic can be seen by those who can tap that network. Never did I mention that there was internet already existing in the home.

 

[harshness]

One is to link the internet and the other one to broadcast around the 'house'.

Have you figured out how you're going to run two wireless adapters (one requiring an external antenna) on a single computer?

 

[grohgreg]

From the beginning I mentioned the fact that you could use two wireless setups. .

Strange, I can't seem to find that bit. But we can let that pass for the moment. I'm more interested in why you avoided the question about how to integrate them.

//greg//

 

[jimdandyvi]

You could setup the distant WiFi using the dish as an unsecured network. You would then setup your internal network using another wireless router as a bridge or wireless bridge.

If you want to secure the data going over the "free" unsecured link just use a VPN. VPNs can either run on your clients or on your second wireless AP that you have installed.

My internet from my ISP is received as WiFI. The signal is unsecured, however the ISP filters MAC addresses so only paying customers can log onto their network. I then run two WiFi networks ( 1 N & 1 G ) behind the ISP's radio. Both my networks are secure and traffic that needs to be even more secure is routed through a VPN that runs on my router.

 

[harshness]

I then run two WiFi networks ( 1 N & 1 G ) behind the ISP's radio.

I think the question is how do you run dual WAN wireless on a single machine. Stealing someone else's bandwidth has a very low degree of difficulty but combining it with your own is a lot more interesting.

 

[road man]

Think about what you just wrote. The stated goal was to obtain "free" internet, right? So what's the point of pirating a non-secure (and almost certainly slow) signal, if there's already secure internet in the house? Or do you know some way of integrating a non-secure signal into an established secure home network?

//greg//

I can understand where you are coming from! I am in a campground that has unsecured Wifi and I am on just the fringe of the signal. So I got a outside antenna and a wireless adapter. But I am going to to take it to the next level and set up my own wifi so all my devices can be used.

 

[digiblur]

Going old school with the separate dish eh? Ubiquiti makes them all integrated.

Sent from my C64 w/Epyx FastLoad cartridge

 

[Stargazer]

There is a new product that has the best bang for the buck. I used to mention Ubiquiti then Deliberant came out with a great product. Now Arc Wireless seems to have the best bang for the buck with their new ArcFlex product. They have made antenna's and enclosures for years and they have a very interesting product lineup now. They have a radio that powers off USB with a 15 db flat panel antenna for $39 and another solution that runs off USB or Ethernet cabling with a dual radio (AP/Client) one transmits and one receives for $89. They use wireless n MIMO capable of up to 300 Mbps. ARCFlex Introduction- YouTube

 

[digiblur]

Do they have something like the Nanobridge M2 or AirGrid? All in one integrated radio head.

 

[berck]

Strange, I can't seem to find that bit. But we can let that pass for the moment. I'm more interested in why you avoided the question about how to integrate them.

//greg//

See post 3. Not step by step, but a switch and two AP's (Access Points) is what is needed. Which is what I detailed. I don't see how I avoided a question already answered.

 

[berck]

Have you figured out how you're going to run two wireless adapters (one requiring an external antenna) on a single computer?

Why? Its cheaper to buy two Access Points and a switch.

 

[grohgreg]

See post 3. Not step by step, but a switch and two AP's (Access Points) is what is needed. Which is what I detailed. I don't see how I avoided a question already answered.

Because I thought I was responding to the OP. My bad. I think we scared him away.

//greg//