Pringles can Wi-Fi booster... and SparkLAN CF card

Pringles can Wi-Fi booster... and SparkLAN CF card - connectable?

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Gerard - 30 Mar 2004 09:40 GMT

Hi. Just new to wireless, and sort of tickled that if I hold the CF card's
top edge to my workshop window just at the right angle I get a fast,
usable connection to a neighbour's network/web. I don't have a router or
anything, still being a dialup guy. But this SparkLAN CF WL-672 isn't bad.

So I remembered reading last year about Pringles can antennas, and how
signal boost could be considerable. Looks simple enough from my search
results... But, it specifies using the copper wire attached to your
'pigtail' - presumably a little folding antenna on a PC card. This thing
here is just simple, no external projections, only about 1/8" of the metal
CF facing exposed and that no doubt insulated against conductivity to the
ceramic antenna.

So, I wonder, is it worth my efforts to build a proper antenna like this?
Will it 'connect' if I just alligator-clip it or otherwise offer a
proximity connection to the card? Did a pringles search here, but got
nothing.

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JD - 30 Mar 2004 12:02 GMT

> Hi. Just new to wireless, and sort of tickled that if I hold the CF card's
> top edge to my workshop window just at the right angle I get a fast,
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> proximity connection to the card? Did a pringles search here, but got
> nothing.

http://www.techtv.com/screensavers/howto/story/0,24330,3406172,00.html
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

first 2 off google

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Neil Paisnel - 30 Mar 2004 12:30 GMT

I think by pigtail they mean the cable that connects the WiFi card to the
antenna. So no not a folding antenna in the Wi Fi card. I do not know if
there is a CF Wi Fi card that has a BNC fitting available, but that is the
sort of thing you need to be looking for to connect the card to the patch
cable that connects to the antenna.

You may be able to operate on your CF card, and fix a BNC fitting or cable
direct to the card......I guess this would invalidate the warranty ;))

You may get some joy in having the cable from the antenna 'in proxmity' to
the card, but it would not be very reliable, even croc clip would be a bit
suspect.

I have been looking at various sites for a while to find info to connect my
5450 to a external ant. but have found nothing worth while, having been
looking at this for a few weeks now.

> > Hi. Just new to wireless, and sort of tickled that if I hold the CF card's
> > top edge to my workshop window just at the right angle I get a fast,
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
>
> first 2 off google

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Dennis - 30 Mar 2004 13:50 GMT

There are CF WiFi cards available which are commonly referred to as Orinoco
Gold cards. If you scan EBay for 'Orinoco Gold', you should see some.
These cards have a small circular plastic cap on the end which can be
removed so that you can plug a pigtail cable into them. The other end of
the pigtail would connect to your Cantenna. That's one way to do it. You
can find the pigtail cables on EBay. In fact, I've seen complete Cantenna
kits on EBay at one time or another. Look for 'Cantenna'.

Another approach altogether is to go the USB route. Check this link out:

http://www.foxpop.co.uk/wifi/wifi_06.htm

The beauty of the USB route is that you simply plug the USB cable into the
back of your system or laptop and then run the USB cable with the little
WiFi unit on the end over to your window. If the cable that comes with it
isn't long enough, you can buy USB extender cables on EBay. Look for 'USB
extender cable'.

Signature

Dennis Gallagher
Monroe, WA, USA

> I think by pigtail they mean the cable that connects the WiFi card to the
> antenna. So no not a folding antenna in the Wi Fi card. I do not know if
[quoted text clipped - 40 lines]
> >
> > first 2 off google

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Gerard - 30 Mar 2004 19:05 GMT

Ah, well, USB is well and good, but to be interesting to me that would
mean getting the CF card>USB adapter thingy, which at around $100 and with
not a lot of likelihood of drivers for a PPC over USB seems a bit of a
waste. I'm not really a PC guy. Do all my browsing from an iPAQ or my new
X5 Dell. Started out computing a few years ago with a Casio, and was happy
on the EG-800 (though 4 RMAs kinda put a damper on things at times) until
the last unit's CF slot died...

Anyhow, thanks for confirming my suspicions that the card I have isn't
really viable with a cantenna. I got the card, new, in a swap for an old
Casio Stowaway, and as I have no intention of ever installing a home wi-fi
setup (going straight from dialup to GSM/GPRS CF modem in a couple of
months, when Convergentech releases their new model with integrated 650mAh
Li-Ion battery), further investment in the stuff isn't interesting to me.
I'll eat a can of pringles sometime, rummage through my various nuts and
bolts and duplicate the cantenna, clip it to the SparkLAN card in a couple
of ways, and see what happens. Perhaps copper foil, soldered to the copper
wire, making decent contact with the stainless cover plate or maybe just
wrapping around the antenna itself..... worth a shot, when I get the time.

Thanks guys, for the interesting links and the wisdom.

> There are CF WiFi cards available which are commonly referred to as Orinoco
> Gold cards. If you scan EBay for 'Orinoco Gold', you should see some.
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> can find the pigtail cables on EBay. In fact, I've seen complete Cantenna
> kits on EBay at one time or another. Look for 'Cantenna'.

> Another approach altogether is to go the USB route. Check this link out:

> http://www.foxpop.co.uk/wifi/wifi_06.htm

> The beauty of the USB route is that you simply plug the USB cable into the
> back of your system or laptop and then run the USB cable with the little
> WiFi unit on the end over to your window. If the cable that comes with it
> isn't long enough, you can buy USB extender cables on EBay. Look for 'USB
> extender cable'.

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