Hi,
I am new here. I am trying to modify an old dish network dish to get better wifi reception. I gutted the reciever part of the dish, hogged it out and made room for my USB Wireless Dongle. Will this work? Will it be any better than a tin can? Do I need to paint or cover the dish with aluminum foil? Here are some pics,
Thanks
Greg
If you remember transistor radios you'll also remember how the reception got really crappy if your radio antenna was near anything metalic. That's because the metal was blocking the radio signals, and the only way to get a better reception was to move the antenna away from the metal.
Wireless technology works similar to transistor radios because they both use radio frequencies. In those pictures your USB wireless dongle looks like it's surrounded by metal. So I'm not sure if it'll pickup a clean signal.
As porengo says surrounding with metal is bad as it blocks part of the antennas signal.
Metal sufaces reflect wireless signals, so what you need is something that directs most of the reflections in only one direction, some thing like this:
OK, I think I get the picture. Now I am going to use a biquad antenna at the focus point of the dish. I am going to run a cable to my router if this will work. What kind of connector do I need to connect into my router where the antenna was? I went to Radio Shack and they didn't have one.
Thanks again for all the help,
Greg
You'll be very happy with Dish Network old dish and a biquad antenna. No need for aluminum foil. Use plastic pieces to mount the biquad. Here is a great tutorial with pictures:
You're on the right track - satellite dishes are great for Wifi. Here's one that's been working long distances since 2006, with some improvements over time. Inverting the mount makes aiming easier. Mount a USB wifi adapter at the feed, and try to avoid all but the best hardline coaxial cable IF you must use it.
concept will work.. you will have to hog out the backside of the old LNA housing to get the usb cable to fit.. ...Thought it may not make the most of the capacities of the parabolic dish. No need to foil or paint the dish. Actually, It seems to me that if you foil the dish, unless you are absolutely perfectly smooth, the roughness of any wrinkles in the foil will throw off the focus a bit.
Never played with "wok-tennas" and I have heard mixed results.. some say they work.. some say isn't worth the effort.
I think it comes down to the fact that WIFI wavelength ( around 12 cm or rough 5 inches) is so short that one or two millimenters off will be enough to miss the best focus.
Modifying old dish network dish for wifi 
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