WIFI satellite dish assistance

[Donnyten]

I have a Dish Network 500 dish I found laying around. Been doing some Googling regarding DIY projects for expanding ones WiFi reach using parabolic materials. Not too sure how I would go about measuring the dimensions and focal point of the dish to determine placement of my wireless adapter. Should make for a neat experiment if anything.

Advice welcome

 

[primestar31]

I have a Dish Network 500 dish I found laying around. Been doing some Googling regarding DIY projects for expanding ones WiFi reach using parabolic materials. Not too sure how I would go about measuring the dimensions and focal point of the dish to determine placement of my wireless adapter. Should make for a neat experiment if anything.

Advice welcome

It's far simpler than you think. Simply glue your wireless adapter right on the middle face of the present LNB cover.

That's where the focal point is going to be no matter what you do to a dish.

 

[Donnyten]

Seriously? Just glue it to the middle?

I thought the set up would be something like this.

How to Get WIFI Signal From 1/4 Mile Away [or More] for Less Than $60

 

[primestar31]

Seriously? Just glue it to the middle?

I thought the set up would be something like this.

How to Get WIFI Signal From 1/4 Mile Away [or More] for Less Than $60

Yep.

If it's a usb wifi adapter, gluing or taping it to the middle face of the lnb cover is all you need to do. You can get fancy if you want to, but it won't gain you anything of a better signal.

If you want to go further than that, look into building a biquad antenna. You can make that fairly simply and mount it at the same point IF you have a wireless adapter that can take the input of an external antenna.

By the way, don't forget that a Dish 500 offset dish looks UP about 25 degrees or so. That means if you point the dish flat towards something, it actually looks ABOVE it by that many degrees. So, you need to point the TOP of the dish towards the ground by 25~ degrees, to get it aimed at a signal dead ahead. wireless signal \ < Imagine this is the dish tilted down

 

[Donnyten]

Read your post a little wrong. I no longer have the lnb for the dish. And yes it's a wifi adapter

 

[primestar31]

Read your post a little wrong. I no longer have the lnb for the dish. And yes it's a wifi adapter

Borrow an lnb, so you can mark the middle where your wifi adapter needs to sit, and then make something with a piece of wood or better yet, plexiglass.

I see these dishes on the curb frequently, so you should be able to find another one. Or ask your friends, as I'll bet they have some stashed away.

 

[Donnyten]

Is there a difference between fixing the wifi adapter to the middle (taping it or by other means) vs attaching it to the arm pointed toward the focal point?

 

[primestar31]

Is there a difference between fixing the wifi adapter to the middle (taping it or by other means) vs attaching it to the arm pointed toward the focal point?

Yes. the Dish 500 lnb holds itself up and above the actual arm where the actual focus point is. So the focus point is nowhere near the end of the arm.

If you can find a dish 500 that still has an lnb installed, you can make some measurements, or a cardboard template to pinpoint that position. Then use a block of wood or plexiglass (better, so it doesn't swell if it gets wet) as a holder for the wifi adapter.

 

[Donnyten]

I managed to get the factory lnb for it. At this point would it be best to attach it to where the lnb is pointed at (on dish itself) or by means if making a template if the lnb and attaching it to the arm using the template? That's what I'm confused on

 

[Jim5506]

Your wifi antenna is omni-directional, it doesn't matter where it is pointed, as long as it is at the focal point of the reflector.

The advantage of this type of setup is that it reflects the radiation hitting circle of the dish back to the focal point, tremendously increasing gain both receiving and transmitting.

 

[primestar31]

I managed to get the factory lnb for it. At this point would it be best to attach it to where the lnb is pointed at (on dish itself) or by means if making a template if the lnb and attaching it to the arm using the template? That's what I'm confused on

Mount the lnb to the arm. The plastic face of the lnb now faces the dish surface. Glue or tape your wifi antenna to the FACE/cover of the LNB throat. So the signals bounce off the dish, and to the lnb, except now they'll be intercepted by your wifi fob/antenna.

Think of your wifi fob as an lnb, it must be in the focal point of the signal reflected from the dish. That never changes.

You are WAY over thinking this!

 

[Donnyten]

....to put it on the front of the lnb cover. like this?

Edit.

Yes. the Dish 500 lnb holds itself up and above the actual arm where the actual focus point is. So the focus point is nowhere near the end of the arm.

If you can find a dish 500 that still has an lnb installed, you can make some measurements, or a cardboard template to pinpoint that position. Then use a block of wood or plexiglass (better, so it doesn't swell if it gets wet) as a holder for the wifi adapter.

 

[primestar31]

....to put it on the front of the lnb cover. like this?

can the Dish Pro digital lnbf be disassembled?View attachment 127664

The first one I had a busted it up trying to get it open then came to a conclusion that it couldn't be taken apart

Yes, that will work nicely. You can open up the lnb's, but you won't gain anything doing so. Just try it mounted where you have it, and see if it works for you. If so, you can make a mount out of wood or plexiglass to mimic the lnb, then remove that.

 

[Donnyten]

awesum.

if it were up to you, jhow would you mount the usb on there? and what kind of weatherproofing would you recommend?

 

[Cham]

Kust for kicks one day I mounted a panel antenna and ubiquiti bullet to a 10' reflector and pointed it at the nearest town. Found about 10 A/Ps, some of them private and unencrypted. Just had to do some long-range printing...

 

[primestar31]

awesum.

if it were up to you, jhow would you mount the usb on there? and what kind of weatherproofing would you recommend?

Silicone bathtub caulking, and use it like glue. It's rubbery once it dries, so if you ever want to remove it, you can just peel it off.

I'm partial to cutting off the bottom of 2 liter pop bottles, and using those as covers. Real cheap, and work real well. They are also easy to remove if need be. You cut them as high as needed to make a good cover to slip over whatever you are covering. You can just use a scissors, and cut out notches for the wire. You can caulk all around the new rim, and stick it right over the wifi dongle.

 

[Donnyten]

Thanks primestar.

 

[NYDutch]

Keep in mind the actual focal point is a couple of inches farther back in the throat of each LNB.

 

[primestar31]

Keep in mind the actual focal point is a couple of inches farther back in the throat of each LNB.

That might be so for sat signals, but with the lower band wifi signals it doesn't make enough difference to matter that much. It's all playing/experimenting anyway, and IF it works ok just doing it this easy way, he can always spend some extra time and money later to do some tweaks if needed.

 

[rcpandr]