Super Cantenna Review -- Extend Your Wi-Fi Network Range (pics)

by Nik S.

Super Cantenna Review

I recently was given the opportunity to test the Super Cantenna Wireless Booster Antenna. The Cantenna name is appropriate given that the product is in the shape of the can, similar to a Pringle's can in size, and sits on a tripod. The seemingly simple design is advertised to stand apart from the homemade "Pringle's" type antennas due to its dimensions, shielding, and polarization, which have been engineered for maximum signal strength and distance. The product is advertised to extend the range of your wireless network, bridge gaps in your wireless network, or connect to other networks in the neighborhood.

For background, I live in a town home community in close proximity to many other residents with exactly eight town homes adjoined in one building. My town home is located in the middle of one of these units.

For testing the Cantenna, I used the following:

• Orinoco RG-1100 Access Point
• Orinoco Gold PCMCIA Card with antenna jack
• D-Link DWL-520 PCI Adapter (http://www.dlink.com.sg/products/?pid=42)
• D-Link 4dbi Omni-directional antenna (http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=325)
• NetStumbler Software v. 0.4.0 (http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/)

To begin testing, I connected the Cantenna to my Media Center PC downstairs using the D-Link PCI card. The access point was located upstairs on the opposite end of the town home. With the standard antenna, the D-Link adapter was barely able to receive a signal from the access point upstairs. To remedy this, I had previously been using a D-link 4dbi antenna just to keep a steady "poor" signal.

I was anxious to see how much the Cantenna would improve my connection. The setup was easy, as advertised, with a plug and play connection straight to the SMA connector on the PCI card. Signal strength is typically -63 dBm on my Media PC, but as you can see from the NetStumbler graph, at a steady -51dBm the Cantenna provided a 12dBm boost OVER the 4dBi omni-directional D-link antenna. I played with the Cantenna for a while, rotating it left and right to see if I could tweak the signal strength any further (note the dips in the Netstumbler graph), but a 12dBm boost was the end result either way. You can see the connectivity boost in the graph between the 4 dbi D-Link antenna and the Super Cantenna in the image below.

Netstumbler graph for D-Link antenna versus Cantenna signal strength (dip marks the spot whereD-Link antenna wasunplugged then Cantenna plugged in)(view large image)

For my next test, I wanted to test the Cantenna's ability to extend the wireless range outdoors. My town house is in front of a lake that measures approximately 2 miles across at its widest point.

Distance from town home where the author's wireless network is setup to the park across the lake where laptop is being used to connect to the home network -- about1.2 miles(view large image)

This time I hooked up the Cantenna to my Orinoco access point, and pointed it out of my office window across the lake. Directly on the other side of the lake (1.2 miles from my townhome) is Bill Frederick State Park. I was hoping the Cantenna would allow me to enjoy nature AND my network. Without the Cantenna hooked up, I was unable to pick up any signal at all. With the Cantenna attached to my access point, the story was quite different. Although the connection was "poor", with a -80 dBm signal I was able to maintain a steady connection and browse my home network with no issue. Again, note the dips in the graph as I had someone back at home rotate the Cantenna back and forth to find the optimal signal.

NetStumbler graph for reception 1.2 miles across lake using the Super Cantenna (view large image)

I then made a short trip home to retrieve the Cantenna. I wanted to see if I would obtain the same signal strength from the park with the Cantenna attached to the Orinoco Gold PCMCIA card in my laptop. To make this connection, I used the Wireless Garden notebook adapter I was provided with the Cantenna. Back at the park, I was quite impressed with what I saw as I fired up Netstumbler. Although the signal from my network was -2 dBm weaker than with the Cantenna on my access point, I was now seeing tons of access points. As I slowly swept the Cantenna along the lake shore (which is littered with one condo development after another), I picked up 15 networks!

When using the Super Cantenna from a park close to a condo development it would appear you're in an urban junglewith the amount of wireless networks theSuper Cantennahelps to pickup (view large image)

Conclusion

Pros:

• Boosts the signal as advertised
• Easy plug and play
• Much easier and more professional than building one yourself from a Pringle's can
• Great value for the money, this is the easy alternative to buying a second access point to use as a repeater
• Using two of these, pointed at each other, you could create an extremely long distance connection between two locations!

Cons:

• Size does matter --
• May not pass the "Wife Acceptance Factor" when perched atop your entertainment center
• Doesn't fit in your laptop bag so it would be hard to lug around on trips

Pricing and Availability for the Super Cantenna

The Cantenna Wireless Booster Antenna is available from a number of retailers starting at about $49.99

 

Wow, nice review. For $39.99 you can broadcast your home wi-fi signal for over a mile or just pickup a whole ton of weaker signals. Note that the author was doing this across a lake, it wouldn't work as well if there were a ton of buildings in the way. Also note, he did not connect to any other network other than his own as such a thing is not legal and we are not promoting doing that in this review. For personal network and boosting the signal around the home only.

Great product though, and Fun too!

 

Great product, great review!

 

Can't we just built this ourselves by using a pringles can?

 

yes you can, i've done alot of research on how to built one...but **** its harder than you think.... requires alot of time.

In theory i know how to make one...but i don't understand how to hook it up.. it just doesn't make sense to me

Well i don't even have Laptop, or use my wireless connection untill i get a laptop.

Awsome review tho, the Cantenna will do what it says, and thanks to the reviewer for pointing out that its not portable. (still don't know how to hook it up)

Maybe the future will entail smaller and more powerfull Cantennas using something like Magnets or something to enhance and boost signals ??

Interesting.


Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

You can, but as the reviewer states, the "dimensions, shielding, and polarization, have been engineered for maximum signal strength and distance" on the Cantenna. A Pringles can isn't exactly optimized by engineers for boosting wi-fi signals and it really is a royal pain to do, for $30 - $40, you can save yourself a weekend of pain trying to build one yourself that isn't as good.

 

Wow. And it really works !

Can I buy material at radioshack and make one of these myselft ?

 

Nice review on the Super Cantenna. I just showed my uncle this and he is very interested on purchasing this. I told him a while back but there werent many reviews to see if this actually worked.

If I needed a booster around my house, I would get one too.

 

i have a belkin pre n and i still need to extend my rabge further,
will it work? i mean the 3 attenas are not detachable

 

Then add this to the pc that needs to connect to the pre N

 

what if i want to use my laptop?
extend the coverage overall?

 

If you guys really want to extend the range. I found a how to guide to turn a DSS dish into an antenna looked easy to. they were pulling in signals 8 miles away.

 

link the guide plz

Thanks,

MysticGolem

 

that's so cool.

 

i been looking around and i found this...guide
http://www.wwc.edu/~frohro/Airport/Primestar/Primestar.html

 

The guide i had was alittle better no tin cans. im still looking for it ill find it.

 

yea i saw that but worked never the less...it just shows that it can be done

 

Do you have to connect this Super Cantenna directly to your laptop or can you also connect it to your wireless router, thus making the router into some sort of repeater of those far-away signals?

I'm asking because I saw a picture on the Super Cantenna web site showing two different setups, one where the Super Cantenna was connected to a laptop and the other where the Super Cantenna was connected to a wireless router...

 

Yes, this is what I did. I used an old Direct TV dish, modified the horn and feed. The feed is a biquad antenna (modified) and I do get signals miles away. A biquad antenna is a better feed as compared to a cantenna.

You cannot buy the material at Radio Shack. Buy it online and if you need a long cable, you need to switch to LMR-400 that has a low loss. An LMR-100 or 195 is a no no when cable is longer than 3-5'.

 

I tried to build one of these antennas (and some other designs to boot) and it was a lot tougher than it initially seemed. Not to mention the hanging out the window with a pringles can...

 

The Cantenna is just a reciever only or both direction (come and go)?
How can I connect it to my laptop without PCMCIA card with a hole to plug the pig tail in?

 

@clip: You're going to need a PCMCIA wireless card of either b or g standard to hook the cantenna up to your laptop. It stinks, I know: I got the most expensive integrated wireless I could purchase and now I rarely ever use it, as the cantenna is vastly superior. You get addicted.

Oh, on a side note, I can vouch for wireless garden's customer service (for their online store): it is excellent. Online businesses should use them as an example and this world would be a better place. It is worth the higher price for the cantenna, and it is the only place to get a new laptop adapter.

Mike

 

Revived.

This wasn't an AF joke?