A "D" for the D-Link Antenna

My niece’s desktop computer was not receiving strong signal strength from the wireless router. So my brother, being the handy individual that he is, purchased a D-Link Antenna (model # ANT24-0700) to boost the signal strength from the router to the computer. Being the curious sort, who may someday encounter a similar problem, I wanted "in" on how to remedy the situation.


Description

This D-Link omnidirectional antenna is for indoor use only. Essentially, it resembles an upright stick attached to an optional triangular base. The packaging labels it as a 2.4 GHz (802.11 b/g) networking device with detachable SMA or TNC antenna connector.

The instruction guide mentions several important points:

1. Do not install this antenna near a 2.4 GHz cordless phone.
2. Do not place the antenna next to large appliances.
3. Do not place the antenna in an enclosed cabinet or closet.

Note: If you are using a 2.4 GHz cordless phone or X-10 wireless product (ex: home security system, ceiling fan or lights), the wireless connection may degrade or drop.


Package Contents

The package includes the following:

One D-Link ANT24-0700 2.4 GHz Omnidirectional Antenna
One Magnetic Base with 1.5m Extension Cable
One SMA to TNC Adapter
One Mounting Kit
Instruction Guide

The Instruction Guide is easy to read and follow. There are several illustrations to demonstrate how the antenna is installed. At the back of the guide is contact information for the United States and Canada, including toll-free telephone numbers.


The Situation

The D-Link router being used is model # DI-624 and is installed in the basement. Unfortunately, the router had to be installed near metal air ducts for the forced hot air, which has a negative affect on signal range. Since any obstacle reduces signal strength, this router had many obstacles to overcome ... being in the basement, near metal air ducts, and having to send the signal through not only a floor but through several walls, and the UPS unit is only two feet from the computer. (Note: All antennas should be placed 3 to 6 feet away from electrical devices that generate RF noise – ex: microwave oven, monitor, UPS.)

Going by direct line of sight, this computer is located about 30 feet from the router. Considering the floor and wall obstacles, this probably adds about another 70-plus feet to the distance, making the router technically over 100 feet away from the computer. The instruction manual states: “Each wall or ceiling can rob your D-Link wireless product of 3 - 90 feet of range.”

My brother built the computer, which is running Windows XP Pro and was initially using a wireless D-Link PCI network card (model # DWL-G520). However this PCI card consistently dropped the network connection or had low connectivity for signal strength. This new antenna was hooked up to the router to boost the signal strength to the computer.


Our Experiences

The antenna was simple to connect. No software was needed. Essentially this is a larger antenna that can connect to the router in place of the router’s existing smaller antenna. If you do not wish to directly attach the antenna to the router, the antenna also has a triangular magnetic base that adheres to a metal surface, or the base can sit flat on a table or counter. The antenna also comes with a mounting kit for a wall mount. Note that the instructions say to keep the magnetic base at least six inches away from electronic devices or tape media.

Since there is a suspended ceiling in the basement, the antenna was magnetically attached to one of the ceiling support brackets. Doing this moved the antenna farther from the PC to reduce RF conflict, and placing the antenna on the ceiling also segregated it from other obstacles that might cause inference.

However, using the antenna with this magnetic attachment did not solve the network connectivity problem. The signal strength was still poor or dropping connections. At that point, since higher signal strength was not forthcoming, a new PCI network card was purchased. A 108G Mimo PCI network card (model # DWL-G520M) is now installed in the computer. Mimo technology is supposed to help increase signal strength compared to a normal PCI network card. Mimo works best when used with a Mimo router, but it is backwards compatible. Using the D-Link router and the new Mimo network card, the signal strength was much better but on occasion dropped the network. The transmission rate on the old PCI card was 12 (or less) Mbps per second. The Mimo card transmission rate is 24-36 Mbps per second (usually closer to 36).

To try to improve the situation, the new antenna was removed from the magnetic base and attached directly to the router in place of the router’s existing antenna. We had hoped that attaching the antenna directly to the router would increase connectivity even more. The new antenna still had a transmission rate of 36 Mbps per second and did not drop the network.

For curiosity ... my brother removed the new antenna from the router and replaced the old antenna ... and had the same results of 24 - 36 Mbps per second. This means that purchasing the new Mimo network card solved the connectivity problem without needing the antenna.


Purchasing

This antenna was purchased from CompUSA for $44.99 with a $20 rebate, which made the final cost $22.99.

In case you are interested, the Mimo network card was also purchased at CompUSA for $99.99 with a $30.00 rebate, which made the final cost $69.99.


Summary

The D-Link Antenna (model # ANT24-0700) was a waste of money. No matter which way it was installed, it did not improve signal strength any better than the original antenna that came with the router. The real solution, in this case, was the new Mimo PCI network card. We cannot recommend this D-Link antenna based on our experiences.

I hope you have found this review useful.

Enjoy your day,
Dawn
http://dlstewart.com


Additional Information

Frequency Range: 2.4 GHz - 2.5 GHz
Gain: 7 dBi
Voltage Standing Wave Ratio: 1.92 : 1 Max
Polarization: Linear, Vertical
Impedance: 50 Ohms Nominal
Connector: Reverse SMA / RP-SMA to TNC Adapter
Cable: 1.5m RG-178 50 Ohms / just under 5-feet long
Half Power Beam Width: Horizontal 360 degrees / Vertical 24 degrees

Warranty: 1 Year


Please read my other reviews:

Logitech V200 Cordless Notebook Mouse

Logitech MouseMan Dual Optical Mouse

Logitech S510 Cordless Keyboard and Mouse

Logitech Harmony Universal Remote Control

SanDisk ImageMate 12-in-1 Card Reader with Docking Station

Dazzle 6-in-1 Card Reader

Belkin UPS Emergency Battery Backup – F6C-750AVR

Concord Eye-Q Digital Camera

Canon PowerShot A400 Digital Camera

Koss KTX-PRO1 Headphones

Toshiba Satellite Notebook Computer with 15.4" diagonal widescreen

Antec Notebook Cooler – to prolong computer life



Copyright 2006 Dawn L. Stewart