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Resolved Question

Best Wireless N PCI Card

Nov 22, 2011 6:19AM PST

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman">
</font><span style="font-size: 11pt;">have: 3' outside antenna 20' high
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">need: wireless N PCI card for desktop
<span style="font-size: 11pt;">questions: who makes the best long range
wireless N PCI card? please provide a review link(s). thank you <?xml:namespace prefix =" o" ns =" "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"" /><oSilly></oSilly>
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desertpatriot has chosen the best answer to their question. View answer

Best Answer

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Need more criteria for best.
Nov 22, 2011 8:00AM PST

While I'd buy a name brand card from the store and be done since we know that with power limited by regulation that almost all cards work about the same, what is causing the search for best? Is there a distance issue?
Bob

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Best Wireless N PCI Card cont.
Nov 22, 2011 9:19AM PST

i was hoping perhaps to find a wireless card:
-that was designed to work specifically with an outside antenna vs. indoor
-that has a better range than others
-review on CNET, Tom's Hardware, Consumer Reports etc. So far, no luck

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There are outdoor access points and clients.
Nov 22, 2011 9:23AM PST

But you are right. Now PCI card I know of is built for use as specific as this. The reason is very simple. Such a system would need heavy lightning protection and your average consumer gear will not do.

Again, range should be nearly constant among the good gear. Some don't understand why but the short version is the FCC (or your local version) limits output power in any specific direction.

Too bad you can't tell more.
Bob

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costs
Nov 22, 2011 2:47PM PST

Although you can find pci cards that will attach to outside antenna your big issue is the cost of the cable to connect the antenna to your card. The amount of signal loss is huge at these frequencies and you soon get cable that is $10/FT and is more than a inch around.

Just a few years back I would be recommending outdoor USB sticks or placing routers in waterproof enclosures.

Now they sell antenna with a AP built into it or small waterproof AP designed to run outdoors. You can then use ethernet cable to connect them.

This also gives you optimum range since you are not losing your signal over antenna cable but the range is still limited by government power regulation

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Best Wireless N PCI Card cont.
Nov 23, 2011 12:18AM PST

<font size="3" face="Times New Roman">
</font><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">Bill012, thank you for sharing alternative wireless info. let me first point out i'm using a TRENDnet
SMA to N-type 8 meter cable (TEW-L20Cool. set me back $25 at Fry's Electronics.
cable is connected to a WIFI-Link Omni antenna 2.4G 12dBiWLO-2450-12 which stands 25' high. seems to
do the trick -am able to pull in signals from over a mile away. my current wireless N PCI card is a D-Link DWA-525 which has questionable performance
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">questions:
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">-can i get improved range using an antenna w/integrated AP compared to current setup?
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">-i've never heard of an outside antenna w/integrated AP w/Ethernet cable connection -could you please provide a source i.e. URL?
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">thank you!

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Best Wireless N PCI Card cont.
Nov 23, 2011 12:20AM PST

<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">Bill012, thank you for sharing alternative wireless info. let me first point out i'm using a TRENDnet SMA to N-type 8 meter cable (TEW-L20Cool. set me back $25 at Fry's Electronics. cable is connected to a WIFI-Link Omni antenna 2.4G 12dBiWLO-2450-12 which stands 25' high. seems to do the trick -am able to pull in signals from over a mile away. my current wireless N PCI card is a D-Link DWA-525 which has questionable performance
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">questions:
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">-can i get improved range using an antenna w/integrated AP compared to current setup?
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">-i've never heard of an outside antenna w/integrated AP w/Ethernet cable connection -could you please provide a source i.e. URL?
<span style="line-height: 115%; font-size: 11pt;">thank you!

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lmr200
Nov 23, 2011 2:02AM PST

You are using what is called lmr200 cable it has a lose rate of .16db/ft so you so you are losing around 4db for your cable plus some more for the connectors. If you could not lose this you would gain 2.5 times your signal strength.

Hawkins technology has a couple outdoor AP and can be obtained at places like frys.
This site has some interesting options. It should give you a idea what you can do.

http://www.wlanparts.com/category/wlan.access_points/

The older way to do it was to buy the enclosure antenna and place a indoor PoE AP in the antenna. Now they sell these prebuilt or you can use the things they call bullets that attach directly to the antenna. Pretty much depends how advanced you want you AP to be. I suspect if you want a advanced device that does more than a simple AP it will still be cheaper to buy a cheap router that can run on PoE and take the case off and put it in the waterproof antenna enclosure. Just be aware that consumer electronics even if you keep it dry does not like extreme heat.

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Best Wireless N PCI Card cont
Nov 23, 2011 2:43AM PST

thank you. i'll do some research with info provided. all the best