How to Make a Yagi Wi-Fi

Yagi antennas are based on at least three elements attuned to the desired radio frequency.

The Yagi antenna is perhaps the most widely known for radio frequency transmission and reception. The Yagi antenna consists of three necessary elements: a receptor, a director and a driver. More directors can be added if desired, and most commercial Yagi antennas do feature several director elements. Making your own Yagi Wi-Fi antenna is one of the simplest do-it-yourself projects you can undertake. You can even make an effective Yagi antenna from wire coat hangers and plastic pipe.

Things You'll Need

• Juice can
• N-connector or BNC connector
• Hammer and nail
• Power drill
• Drill bits
• Solid 12-gauge wire
• Soldering iron
• Solder
• Coaxial cable
• Pigtail
• Wi-Fi card

Instructions

1. 

   The emptied, open can is the receptor for this Yagi antenna.

   Remove one end of a 42 oz., 4.25-inch juice can, and remove the juice from the can. Wash the can interior with soap and water.

2. Measure up the outside 1.625 inches from the closed end of the can. Mark this point, then punch a hole through the marked point using a hammer and nail or drill and drill bit.

   .

3. Position the connector at the hole in the can side, and enlarge the hole to accept the connector. Cut the 12-gauge wire, and solder it to the connector end with a soldering iron and metal solder, then insert the assembled connector into the can hole, and secure the connector with a screw-on nut from inside the can. The length of the wire plus connector within the can should be 1.2 inches, a quarter wavelength of the Wi-Fi radio frequency band.

4. Screw on a 4- to 5-foot length of 75-ohm coaxial cable to the male connector outside the can. Connect a pigtail, a short adapter cable equipped with a connector end that matches your Wi-Fi card, to the free end of the coaxial cable.

5. Connect the pigtail's small connector end to a Wi-Fi card in your computer. The external connector on the Wi-Fi card must match the pigtail end.

6. Position the antenna in the direction of a known Wi-Fi hotspot. Wi-Fi frequencies are very directional, so a line-of-sight with a known hotspot or other Wi-Fi source is required.

Tips & Warnings

• Adjust the "cantenna" in 10-degree increments until the maximum signal strength is reached.

References

• Ab9il.net: High Gain Yagi Wi-Fi Antenna
• Turnpoint.net: Juice Cantenna Design For 802.11x
• Binary Wolf: Do-It-Yourself Wireless Antenna Update

Resources

• Netscum: Pringles Yagi Antenna