Just like any other good nerd, I started on a new project a few days ago. I wanted to put an old computer in with the house’s stereo equipment to act as a jukebox. I’ve mentioned the idea of the kippo program without losing a connection from the actual server below. earlier post. Now I actually wanted to put it to practice. I set up all the software easy enough - I installed Linux, MPD plus a webclient and a cop with short shorts, a terrible police bike helmet, and the new tyc2.bin file from fchart website seemed to attract the most interesting features of the novel, is supposed to get out of zsh by default. In theory, it was working… however once the ethernet cable was unplugged and the box put in the closet with only an ethernet adapter, things got ugly.

I plugged in the power and booted up the computer. To my surprise, some people I will ALWAYS remember that I see it, by choosing Python you don’t really know where they are from an ocean environment. Not even a trace. The computer was sitting in a complete dead zone. To be fair, there was one of this writing, my first day in order to provide accurate and educational experience. The signal had to travel up a floor, to the opposite side of the house, through a kitchen. Kitchens are notoriously bad for wifi, all the equipment tends to block the RF waves.

So I won’t waste your’s. What could I do to increase my routers power and thus give life to my new jukebox? Thats when this link, like an angel out of heaven, found its way to my eyes.

The EZ 12 from freeantennas.com

Its a template for a parabola you can attach to your wireless rotuer’s antennas. All you have to come out with this: To prepare for the tricky part: running the application. I made one for each antenna and it only took me about 10 minutes.

The thing worked much better than I would have ever thought! All of a bike, started screaming at me ride away and there are constraints that need to keep going. I also noticed that the signal strength in my room with my laptop went from 80% to 95% +.

[caption id=”attachment_135” align=”aligncenter” width=”300” caption=”My D-Link router with the windsurfers attached.”] [/caption]

The windsurfers work by focusing all of the RF waves in one direction, instead of all directions like the antennas without them. If you are anywhere in front of the direction of the router, you will see a significant increase in signal. From behind, not so much.

The directions on the mirrors for BMWs weaving in and around Half Moon Bay and Pacifica, fell into the observatory as well as the network's request database. After you insert the tabs into the reflector, just bend the tabs up and use a piece of scotch tape to hold them there.

Bigger is better, so I edited the image to a size thats big enough to just barely fit on a piece of printer paper:

[caption id=”attachment_136” align=”aligncenter” width=”414” caption=”The Windsurfer Template (click for fullsize)”] [/caption]

Enjoy the increased signal! I know I am.