• The site migration is complete! Hopefully everything transferred properly from the multiple decades old software we were using before. If you notice any issues please let me know, thanks! Also, I'm still working on things like chatbox, etc so hopefully those will be working in the next week or two.

Laptop wifi booster mod:

BackInBlack

BackInBlack

New member
Takes around 30 minutes, plus the epoxy cure time. Gained me about 22db @ 25 feet... :)

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No cost, other than the original purchase of the donor wifi card that crapped...
 


All depends on the model. My Inspiron 5150 (and all of the 1100-5160 models) have the antennas in the base, behind plastic and metal shielding in some places. Most Toshiba laptops have flex cable antennas behind the LCD screen, shielded on one side. Internal antennas are not the greatest, and I wanted to get the most out of mine. My external antenna is attached to the main plug on the card, and the aux plug goes to the main internal antenna which is on the LH side, above my audio jacks.
 
I have a Toshiba Tecra A8. Best WiFi capability in a laptop I've owned yet. I remember reading that the antenna was in the lid, and I thought they were all that way.

Anyway, nice mod. :)
 


So you just epoxied a connector to the laptop in order to bring the signal inside the case for better reception by the internal antenna?
 
That wouldn't be very efficient, in my mind. He probably soldered the contacts for the antenna to the same contacts for the internal antenna.
 
Good going man, I bet it works well. The only thing I could see you having a problem with is the connector and/or antenna catching on something and messin up what you've done.

But hey if it works:th_thumbsup-wink:
 
Sabrewings said:
That wouldn't be very efficient, in my mind. He probably soldered the contacts for the antenna to the same contacts for the internal antenna.
Click to expand...

I'm going to guess that you don't know me very well. ;) I'm hardly a novice here...

I disconnected the secondary antenna lead from the mini-pci card and taped it to the side. I then used another antenna connector from another dead laptop to bring the signal out to the external connector, to which I screw on the external antenna. The original aux antenna and wiring is all intact and un-modified. The only alteration to the chassis was to drill the 1/4" hole in the secondary fan grill (which isn't there anyway, and leaves a lot of room to install a fitting). I have a half-dozen spare 5100 series chassis here, anyway.

Not that destroying this laptop would be a huge loss, but I have spent a LOT of time making this one out of a lot of other dead ones. Currently, it's a 3.06GHz /HT/1MB/533FSB, upgraded cooling, 2GB PC2700, 7200rpm 80GB, Nvidia 5200XT w/128 RAM. I fix computers on the side, and I have a LOT of spare parts lying around from dead laptops.
 


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