Reddit Reddit reviews Alfa APA-M25 Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain Directional Indoor Panel Antenna with RP-SMA Connector (Compare to Asus WL-ANT-157)

We found 12 Reddit comments about Alfa APA-M25 Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain Directional Indoor Panel Antenna with RP-SMA Connector (Compare to Asus WL-ANT-157). Here are the top ones, ranked by their Reddit score.

Computer Networking
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Computer Networking Antennas
Alfa APA-M25 Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain Directional Indoor Panel Antenna with RP-SMA Connector (Compare to Asus WL-ANT-157)
Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz / 5 GHzGain: 8 dBi @ 2.4GHz 10dBi @ 5GHzConnector: RP-SMA Plug (Male)Dimension: 167.3 x 66 x 18mm - V.S.W.R: 2.0:1 MaxAlso Works For 3DR Solo Drone, DJI Phantom 3 Drone, Yuneec Typhoon H ST16 controller,
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12 Reddit comments about Alfa APA-M25 Dual Band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain Directional Indoor Panel Antenna with RP-SMA Connector (Compare to Asus WL-ANT-157):

u/b_coin · 1110 pointsr/worldnews

HIJAKCING TO SAY I DID THIS

  1. start with this or this (bonus: with the latter one you can replace the puny antennas with badboys like this)
  2. then get this or this and install it on #1
  3. relocate your linksys or other modems devices behind this firewall or remove it entirely in favor of a mesh wifi solution
  4. be happy you have control over your network devices
  5. donate money to the pfsense or m0m0wall project so they can fund the creation of slick android apps to control your new firewall
  6. don't forget to keep your firewall software up to date

    EDIT: MONOWALL IS DEFUNCT, USE OPNSENSE INSTEAD

    EDIT 2: Well this post has blown. Be aware that you can replace #1 with an old computer you have in your house. But /u/kingbrasky advises against it because it could be power inefficient and riddled with spyware and other popups so he (or she) still recommends following #1
u/tyami94 · 37 pointsr/techsupportmacgyver

u/Rubik842 is right, even if he is being a little vague. It probably won't help much, if at all. RF at WiFi frequencies is very vulnerable to the skin effect. The wire you are using is probably causing a lot of loss, or at the very least, low SNR. Even though your speeds are significantly higher, your latency is probably off the charts due to all the packets it would be dropping. The only time you wouldn't be dropping packets is if you are incredibly lucky, as even the slightest defect in that cable will cause multipath distortion and at least a little bit of noise.

All of this is completely disregarding the problem with your reflector. There is a very low chance that it is efficient at 0.12491352416m (for 2.4GHz, around 12.49cm) or 0.0599584916m (for 5GHz, around 5.99cm) If I were you, I would go buy a pre-built directional antenna, as they are designed with all this in mind. They are pretty cheap if you know what you are looking for.

It is still pretty intuitive for a temporary solution, though.

This one will work well with 5GHz: https://www.amazon.com/ALFA-APA-M25-directional-connector-WL-ANT-157/dp/B00R1PA9EO

This one will work well with 2.4GHz: https://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Outdoor-Directional-connector-TL-ANT2414A/dp/B003CFATNS?th=1

Beware of no-name omnidirectional antennae, as they aren't well made. Most of them make things worse.

Info for those who don't work with radio: Those numbers above represent the ideal length for your antenna. They are pretty easy to calculate. The formula is λ = C/f, which means wavelength = speed of light / frequency in Hz.

To get wavelength from GHz:

299792458 / (GHz * 1000000000)

For MHz:

299792458 / (MHz * 1000000)

For KHz:

299792458 / (KHz * 1000)

For Hz:

299792458 / Hz

​

The result will be in meters for all of the above.

​

Your antenna can be full-wave, which means its length matches the wavelength.

You can also get a half-wave antenna, which has a very small degradation in performance. Its length is half of the wavelength that you are using.

Quarter-wave antennas are also available, but they carry a more significant performance decrease. You can probably guess how long it needs to be based on the pattern so far.

Anything smaller probably isn't worth it, as a full-wave antenna for 2.4GHz is just under 5 inches long in the first place. A quarter wave antenna is just over an inch. Full-wave 5GHz antennas are already tiny. They are around 2.4 inches long, with quarter-wave being barely longer than half an inch.

​

To be totally honest u/dusty_whale, if you are happy with it's functionality, I wouldn't bother buying one. There is a chance, albeit a rather small one, that your DIY reflector fulfilled all of those requirements I listed above. Nice job, it looks really cool regardless.

Edit: Easier to read number formatting for the wavelengths.

u/DdCno1 · 6 pointsr/AskTechnology

Ideally, there would be a strong directional antenna at your parent's home, aimed at your window. These are not expensive. If their router has external antennas using a standard antenna mount, you can exchange one of them for a directional antenna like this one. Even through walls, it should improve the signal considerably, but you have to carefully aim it, since it'll only deliver a very narrow signal. The example I linked to is for 2.5 and 5GHz WiFi - if you only have a 2.5GHz router, you can get a cheaper model.

At your end, you may want to place a repeater with a high-gain antenna, at a window that looks at your parent's house, which would be the spot you'd aim at with the high gain antenna. Just pick a model with good reviews. You can also get a directional antenna for this device as well in order to further improve the signal, if necessary. Most repeaters have the same standard antenna mount as routers.

In any case, this will require a lot of fiddling, running back and forth (or getting one of your relatives on a phone and coordinating them to aim an antenna for you). Expect a good afternoon of tweaking until it works. I can not make any promises regarding bandwidth, since this is highly dependent on local conditions. The method listed above is the easiest option, just a few simple antennas and a repeater.

Alternatively, you could also get more specialized, stronger directional antennas, mounted outside on the walls of their house and where you are living, but that's a bigger effort. It's not that these are expensive though, even the cheapest model has a potential range measured in miles. Installing two of them wouldn't cost much more than getting a repeater and two directional antennas, but the results would be significantly better.

u/DZCreeper · 3 pointsr/buildapc

The higher the gain with omni-directional antennas the flatter the signal is, imagine it as a donut getting squished. So you may want a lower gain, say 3-7dBi. Because they operate in circular area you also pickup more noise this way, so if have a lot of nearby 2.4 or 5GHz devices then avoid these.

Uni-directional is best for a stationary system, you just point it at the wireless access point. In this case you want as high gain as you can afford. 8-10dBi is normal, but you can go up to 15dBi (indoor models) if you are willing to spend more.

https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-APA-M25-directional-connector-WL-ANT-157/dp/B00R1PA9EO - If your wireless adapter has multiple antennas you will need multiple of these.

https://www.amazon.com/30cm-Female-RP-SMA-Extension-Cable/dp/B00EPG4A3I - Get one of these for your antenna, being able to position properly is critical for signal strength.

u/LoneKrafayis · 2 pointsr/buildapc

I would get a USB wireless dongle, USB extension, and a directional antenna. To make this work, the dongle must have a removable antenna. If shipping is not an expense, I would buy step-by-step, starting with the dongle, then extension, finally the antenna (and antenna mounting solution).

I have no personal experience with this equipment. It was chosen because of features (like replaceable antennas) and Amazon reviews.

Alfa AWUS036AC Long-Range Dual-Band AC1200 Wireless USB Adapter With 2x Dual-Band (2.4GHz / 5GHz) external antenna for Extreme Distance Connection - Up to 300 Mbps - USB 3.0 - AC1200 Wireless chip - USB desktop Dock Included

CableCreation Gold (Long 16FT) Super Speed USB 3.0 Active Extension Cable, USB 3.0 Extender USB A-Male to A-Female Cable, 5Meter/16ft, Black

Alfa APA-M25 dual band 2.4GHz/5GHz 10dBi high gain directional indoor panel antenna with RP-SMA connector (compare to Asus WL-ANT-157)

All together, this is 95 CAD, but I expect the first item will solve the problem. If you do get the high-gain antenna, try it as a replacement of each of the side antennas on the USB dongle. This is because one antenna might be more important to the device then the other.

u/buddascrayon · 2 pointsr/oddlysatisfying

They're likely talking about something like this. A directional wifi antenna can pick up a wireless signal from a fairly far off point. You could also build a cantenna.

u/cree340 · 2 pointsr/wireless

If you're getting a low signal, your best bet would be to buy a directional antenna and properly position it to have as few obstructions and the most direct connection to your WiFi Router/Access Point. [Here] (https://www.amazon.com/Alfa-APA-M25-directional-connector-WL-ANT-157/dp/B00R1PA9EO/ref=sr_1_1?s=aht&ie=UTF8&qid=1479957653&sr=8-1&keywords=WL-ANT-157) and [Here] (https://www.amazon.com/Super-Power-RT-AC66U-WZR-HP-G450H-Nighthawk/dp/B00DMJI9TA/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1479957417&sr=8-1-fkmr2&keywords=7db+antenna+wifi+dual+band) are examples of some directional antennas. Another consideration is to connect some sort of base with an extension to the antennas so you can place the antennas on the table and level with your WiFi Router/Access Point. Also, make sure that if you have a WiFi Router/AP with external antennas that the antennas are perfectly vertical and that the antennas on your computer are exactly vertical too.

u/healcannon · 1 pointr/wow

So if you have a wired connection I don't have any solutions for you. If you are wireless I do.

First is to see if you have a 5g network and an adapter that can actually connect to that. I do and I wasn't because my adapter couldn't. The issue is if you have a lot of walls between you and the router that the 5g is actually worse for that so that part didn't help.

Second is to make sure your router isn't in an area surrounded with a lot of things that can block it. This includes physically.

Third (and between this and the second part it solved my lag issue in dungeons and raids) but a directional antenna for your adapter. It has a much better connection than a regular antenna which is enough for most people. Here is the link to the one I found.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00R1PA9EO/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Now a good way I was using to compare my success outside of just playing was to run this link (http://portableapps.com/apps/utilities/winmtr_portable) and ping one of the wow servers closest to me found on (https://us.battle.net/support/en/article/7648) Then let it run for about 60-90 seconds and see how bad my worst ping is. If it shoots up really high then you probably need to keep adjusting the aim on your directional antenna/ buy a better adapter/ move the location of your router/ buy a better router.

u/fearoffish · 1 pointr/vandwellers

What I use is an ALFA Network AWUS051NH v2 (Amazon UK) but I replace the antenna with a 10 dBi directional (Amazon UK). It gives me lots of range and flexibility.

There are other solutions, but this is mine.

u/i4get42 · 1 pointr/wireless

Hi there! If you're looking for the cheapest/ most effective option I'd recommend getting a used home router that does 802.11ac and swapping the antennas for something that is directional (after trying without first). I'd lean towards putting it in your apartment to amplify the transmission of downloads instead of hers to amplify the reception of those downloads since most internet traffic is download to the home, not upload. Also, having her connect to your current wifi may actually slow down your connection back at the house since everybody else has to wait on her slow connection and re-transmits.

If just the additional router fixes things you're good to go. But if her signal is still week, switching it to directional antennas pointing in her direction will increase her signal strength and also be better at hearing her computer from that direction.

So here is the detailed run down:

  • Disclaimer: Please never use the Wifi to control a personal relationship, but sure as heck take it down if the relationship ends/ sharing Wifi becomes a problem for your family.

  • Get a used but good older 802.11ac router since the higher possible data rates will allow for better data rates at lower signal strength as well. Something like this. I am biased towards Asus, but if you really like a different brand stick with the one you love.

  • Plug your PC directly into the router to configure it to not hand out DHCP, and set a static IP address on the router that is in the range of what you're already using in your apartment, but not an address that your current home router is likely to give out. You can probably pick 192.168.x.254 since DHCP servers very often start low and go up. That x should, of course, be swapped with whatever number your home router uses there.

  • Create a wifi network just for your girlfriend with a passphrase that she knows WPA2-PSK is what you are looking for for security. If you see the option you might set it to use a different wifi channel on 2.4 and 5GHz than the one you already have in your apartment, but it will probably pick one for you that is fine (1, 6, 11 only for 2.4Ghz to be a good RF neighbor)

  • Use an ethernet cable to plug one of the LAN ports from your existing router into the LAN port of your new router (Don't use WAN because double routing and NATing creates problems you don't want to deal with here). Hopefully, you can put it in the part of your apartment that is closest to her's.

  • See if everything is great.

    • If not you are looking for directional antennas buy at least two of something like this. Be sure you are getting something that supports both 2.4 and 5GHz, you are looking for something like 5dbi at 2.4GHz and 7 to 10 dbi at 5GHz. That is going to be a more directional antenna. Swap them for the omnidirectional antennas that come with the router and point the antenna towards her apartment to create a shaped signal (Think flashlight instead of a bare lightbulb). You don't want to just swap these on your own home router though since that shaped signal would probably reduce your own wifi coverage.

      Hope this helped some. Good luck!
u/Mirin_Gains · 1 pointr/Calgary

Buy a directional 2.4/5.8 GHz antenna and point it where you want better signal. Can also do that on the receiving side. These will cost around $20. Check radiation pattern of antenna type and orient accordingly.

Also I can't imagine a repeater (like a relay) being more than $50 either but I've never actually checked. Last option is a cheap Chinese booster (more output power, not as efficient as higher gain antenna) but it really isn't legal.

I don't know where to buy quality dual band antennas (TrueRC for my RC gear) but this would do the trick. Just make sure your router is RP-SMA.

https://www.amazon.ca/Alfa-APA-M25-directional-connector-WL-ANT-157/dp/B00R1PA9EO/ref=mp_s_a_1_6?keywords=dual+band+panel&qid=1555738579&s=gateway&sr=8-6

u/teh_bakedpotato · 1 pointr/radiocontrol

RCmodelreviews has lots of really good videos on this, go through his channel and take a look.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bx7gMUw1MGw

You are going to be limited by the transmitters power, usually measured in mW or milli-watts. You wont get much distance gain from a whip antenna off of an internet router because it has a low dB gain. More gain means more transmitting power, but a much more narrow transmission band.

To increase the range you could try a patch antenna, which could potentially double your range, the trade off is that you would need to be pointing the antenna at your quad-copter at all times.