How to Make a WiFi Antenna Out of Tin Foil

A do-it-yourself tin foil antenna can save you money.

If you're looking to build a WiFi antenna, or boost the signal to an existing antenna, you can do so using tin foil. Tin foil---often made from aluminum, and not tin---can act as a mirror that directs the wireless signal to the receiver. A do-it-yourself tin foil antenna can strengthen the signal to a computer in another room or on another floor far from your wireless router, saving you the money you'd spend buying a commercial booster.

Things You'll Need

• Aluminum or tin foil
• Glue stick
• Construction paper
• Scissors
• Tape

Instructions

1. Unroll a square of aluminum foil sized 1 foot by 1 foot. Keep the foil as smooth as possible so that it will be a better reflector for the signal once your antenna is constructed.

2. Cover the dull side of the foil with glue from the glue stick. Spread glue evenly out to the edges, and be sure not to tear or bend the foil as you go.

3. Glue the foil square to a piece of construction paper or other thick paper. Spread the foil out evenly to make sure it sticks well to the paper.

4. Cut the foil and paper into a long rectangle shape, approximately 6 inches wide by 9 inches high.

5. Bend the foil and paper into a concave parabolic shape with the shiny side on the inside. This will serve as the reflecting dish for your signal.

6. Cut two holes in the parabola about the width of a pencil and located halfway up and 2 inches from either edge on the sides.

7. Add structural stability to your parabola by creating a support beam for it. Roll a strip of construction paper into a tube slightly smaller than the width of a pencil and stick it through the two holes in the parabolic dish. Your parabola should now resemble a "D" shape with the roll of paper representing the long straight piece and the parabolic dish curving around. Use tape to secure the ends of the tube to the construction paper side of the dish.

8. Place the dish over the WiFi antenna on your existing router and direct it toward the computer you wish to send the signal to. Secure the dish by attaching the paper support beam to the existing antenna with tape. Your dish will yield up to 9 decibels of signal boost.

Tips & Warnings

• A bigger dish will give you a bigger signal boost. Increase the size of your homemade tin foil WiFi antenna as needed.

References

• Techtastic: How to: Make A Home Made Wi-Fi Antenna
• Wicked How-To's: How to Make a WiFi Antenna (signal booster)
• The Washington Post: Tin, Aluminum, Chromium