I was going to either buy a biquad antenna or a double biquad antenna, but then I came across a 25 dBi Yagi antenna. The literature says it's "For Router," but will this work to plug into a USB WiFi Adapter with a RP-SMA antenna connector on it? I've already bought the USB WiFi Adapter, an N To RP-SMA adapter, and a 3m M to F RP-SMA extension cord.
Networking – Will any 2.4GHz antenna work for WiFi card
wireless-networking
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It sound like you are using WPA-PSK, this is a known problem in Windows 7 with WPA-PSK. Please have a look at this.
OR Follows these steps (mentioned in URL): -
(A): -
Go into 'Power Options' (Control Panel - Power Options) Whichever plan you have chosen, click "Change plan settings" and the "Change advance power settings". Scroll down, if necessary, to "Wireless Adapter Settings" and click on the + to expand and see "Power Saving Mode". Click the + again to reveal the options for "On battery" and "Plugged in". For both "On battery" and "Plugged in", choose 'Maximum Performance'.
(B): -
Go to Control Panel -> Network and Sharing Center -> Manage wireless networks -> Right-click on the network you are trying to connect to which requires your login credentials -> Properties -> Security -> Advanced settings -> 802.1X settings -> Check 'Specify authentication mode' -> then select user authentication. Click 'ok' until you are back to the 'Manage Wireless Networks'.
Now try to reconnect to the wireless network. Windows should now ask you for login credentials and you should be able to successfully connect.
That product's marketing is deliberately deceptive. It's not just a 26dBi antenna, it's also (if its specs can be believed) a 2000mW (2 watt) single-stream 2.4GHz 802.11n USB Wi-Fi adaptor.
Let's deal with the 26dBi part first.
Please note that an antenna is just a chunk of metal in a shape that helps certain frequencies of electromagnetic energy radiate out in certain directions. "dBi" (deciBels relative to isotropic) is a measurement of directional gain; that is, how well the shape of the antenna focuses the energy in the desired direction, in comparison to a theoretical "isotropic" antenna, which is an antenna that radiates energy evenly in all directions in a complete sphere. "26dBi" means that your antenna's shape sends about 400x more energy in the desired direction than an isotropic antenna would.
Since an antenna's dBi measurement (its directional gain; its ability to focus energy in the desired direction) is based on its shape, you can't change its dBi with a Windows setting.
Now, about the 2000mW part. 2000mW (milliWatts) is about 33dBm (deciBels relative to 1mW). That's a measurement of power, and the power output of a Wi-Fi card is controlled by a Power Amplifier (PA), and Wi-Fi cards are generally designed so that their PAs' can be controlled with software.
HOWEVER, Microsoft has never made a standard Windows UI/API for adjusting a Wi-Fi card's transmit power. Instead, every vendor of Wi-Fi drivers for Windows that cares to let you adjust the transmit power of their card has to create an Advanced Driver Properties setting for this. So go into the Advanced Driver Properties settings for your Approx APPUSB26D USB Wi-Fi adapters's driver, and see if it lets you set a lower setting.
By the way, it seems to me that 2W of power is still not a lot. Cell phones can use up to 5W 2W (IIRC) depending on frequency band and local regulations. A traditional incandescent night light uses a 4W bulb. Even if your roommate's head was directly in line with the direction your 26dBi antenna + 2W Wi-Fi adapter was pointing, I wouldn't expect it to cause headaches. And if his head isn't in line (or nearly in line) with the antenna beam, then he should have nothing to worry about, because high-gain antennas focus all that energy in that one beam direction, so a lot less energy goes out in other directions. So as long as you're not in the beam or in some place that a lot of energy from the beam gets reflected/scattered, you're not getting as much energy as you would from, say, a typical omnidirectional (in a 2D plane) dipole stick antenna.
Best Answer
Yes, it will work but being a Yagi (design) aerial, it is very directional so you will have to aim at the 'other end' quite carefully as you'll get very little signal radiation or reception to the sides, above, below or behind that antenna. Mind you, that goes for quads and biquads too.