Special Subject 3 – Cantenna

Ok, so this post is a bit late ( several months late) as i finished my project and i’m currently in 5th semester.  Not too many details, because the posts purpose is to be short.

The idea is simple – i want to be able to communicate wirelessly over a distance of over 150m using an own-built wireless booster – the cantenna. The system overview is even simpler:

cantenna-sys-overview

Components required:

  • pea cans ( choose according to diameter – choose diameter according to requirements)
  • copper cable
  • wireless adapter
  • N-Type Female Panel-Mount Connector
  • RP-SMA to N-Type Pigtail cable

The result:

2012-12-11 12.11.08

In order to build the cantenna, the user must set up a goal. For instance i want my cantenna to reach a distance of 2km. Ok. According to that we will choose the cans diameter and position the copper wire after some specific calculations. My goal of over 150m was achieved – i managed to get a steady ping and a laggy video connection with the classroom at the presentation.

This project has proven to be quite interesting. I have created my own wireless booster and i have learned a lot about wireless communication. A good resource on that is a book named Wireless Networking in​
​the Developing World​
​, check out the refferences for download.

Refferences:

  • http://wndw.net/
  • http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html
  • http://www.zytrax.com/tech/wireless/calc.htm