One of the problems I have with living off campus is that of internet access.. There is a wireless hotspot I can connect to but who want’s to pay for slow internet access when you can get slightly faster internet access for free. The only hitch: I live so far from campus, my received signal levels are just depressing.

That leaves me with three options:

• Forget about ever getting internet access ( not really much of a choice).
• Suscribe to the commercial hotspot.
• Find a way to improve my signal level

Now the first option is like asking me not to breathe. The second is not such a bad option, I make it a point not to pay for internet access if I can get it for free (umm…. legally of course. >:) ). So I guess it’s time to get out my toolkit and start voiding warranties. Now the best way to improve your wireless signal is to get a better antenna. I didn’t have much in the way of resources so I decided to opt of a ‘cantenna’, which basically is a waveguide antenna (if you need details, you won’t find them here. Ever heard of google?). Anyways, what I needed was a tin can, a bit of thick copper wire, an N-connector and a pigtail. Now anyone who lives in Ghana knows those last two items are virually impossible to find. So I had to improvise. I had these cables for an indoor antenna I got from a friend. One end has a magnetic base with a female SMA connector and the other end has a male SMA connector. There was also an SMA to RP-TNC connector included as well.

So I’ll it a try and see what happens. Updates coming soon.