Signal strength meter for 802.11 wireless?

[DaveC]

I'd like to have a signal strength meter to use when aiming high-gain
antennas for use with 2.4 GHz wireless network signals. This is similar in
function to the "satellite finder" tools that TV dish antenna installers use.


This would be just a raw antenna; 802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna,
that I've ever seen.

I'd like to make it as simple as possible, either with a meter element alone,
or with an audible beat frequency to indicate maximum strength when aiming.

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes looking
for an alternative very desirable.

Circuit suggestions?

Thanks,
--
DaveC
me@privacy.net
This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group

 

[Mjolinor]

"DaveC" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:0001HW.BCE8054A0076AFC4F03055B0@news.individual.net...

I'd like to have a signal strength meter to use when aiming high-gain
antennas for use with 2.4 GHz wireless network signals. This is similar in
function to the "satellite finder" tools that TV dish antenna installers
use.


This would be just a raw antenna; 802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna,
that I've ever seen.

I'd like to make it as simple as possible, either with a meter element
alone,
or with an audible beat frequency to indicate maximum strength when
aiming.

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes
looking
for an alternative very desirable.

Circuit suggestions?

Thanks,
--
DaveC
me@privacy.net
This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group

Buy a yellowjacket, mine works really well.

http://www.bvsystems.com/Products/WLAN/WLAN.htm

 

[Mjolinor]

"DaveC" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:0001HW.BCE8054A0076AFC4F03055B0@news.individual.net...

I'd like to have a signal strength meter to use when aiming high-gain
antennas for use with 2.4 GHz wireless network signals. This is similar in
function to the "satellite finder" tools that TV dish antenna installers
use.


This would be just a raw antenna; 802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna,
that I've ever seen.

I'd like to make it as simple as possible, either with a meter element
alone,
or with an audible beat frequency to indicate maximum strength when
aiming.

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes
looking
for an alternative very desirable.

Circuit suggestions?

Thanks,
--
DaveC
me@privacy.net
This is an invalid return address
Please reply in the news group

Specifically, this
http://www.bvsystems.com/Products/WLAN/Cicada/cicada.htm
is the one I use.

 

[Zak]

DaveC wrote:

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes looking
for an alternative very desirable.

There exists a version of netstumbler for pocket PC:

http://www.stumbler.net/readme/readme_Mini_0_4_0.html

If this has the right features it may work for you. They claim it is
suitable anyway...


Thomas

 

[Paul Hovnanian P.E.]

Zak wrote:

DaveC wrote:

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes looking
for an alternative very desirable.

There exists a version of netstumbler for pocket PC:

http://www.stumbler.net/readme/readme_Mini_0_4_0.html

If this has the right features it may work for you. They claim it is
suitable anyway...

Thomas

If you are looking for a do it yourself project, I believe that Circut
Cellar had an article on a microcontroller-based 'sniffer' using a
PCMCIA 802.11 card. About a year ago, I think.

--
Paul Hovnanian mailtoaul@Hovnanian.com
note to spammers: a Washington State resident
------------------------------------------------------------------
Bureaucrat, n.: A person who cuts red tape sideways. -- J. McCabe

 

[Mike]

On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 23:18:34 -0700, DaveC wrote:

I'd like to have a signal strength meter to use when aiming high-gain
antennas for use with 2.4 GHz wireless network signals. This is similar in
function to the "satellite finder" tools that TV dish antenna installers use.


This would be just a raw antenna; 802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna,
that I've ever seen.

I'd like to make it as simple as possible, either with a meter element alone,
or with an audible beat frequency to indicate maximum strength when aiming.

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at
risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no
less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes looking
for an alternative very desirable.

Circuit suggestions?

802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna, but the antenna signal usually
doesn't have far to go before it runs into the amp, either.

I'm not familiar with satellite systems, but I think they operate in
exclusive narrow bands, don't they? If that's the case, then to locate a
satellite, all I have to do is move the receiver around until I detect a
signal.

On the other hand, I think the 2.4GHz band used by 802.11 is used by
various different services, all of which avoid stepping on each other by
use of various orthogonal (or mostly so) modulation schemes. The result is
that you need the full 802.11 receiver, which needs to acquire the signal
you're interested in before it can measure the signal strength.

-- Mike --