Stellenbosch Wireless User Group

What you will need to connect to StbWUG.

A router:

Since you need Line Of Sight (LOS) to the Access Point you often end up having to put your antenna on top of your roof. The nature of wireless waves prevents you from having a long cable from your antenna to your radio (the shorter the wire the better). Thus other than applications like television and radio, you can't run a long wire from your antenna to the receiving end.

That's where the router comes in. This is basically a computer that, together with the radio translates the wireless waves into digital signals that is easily sent across long distance cables using Ethernet (or "lan").

The router can be anything from an old Pentium-I computer to a specialized Routerboard. A computer can deliver all the performance and functionality of a Routerboard at the cost of taking up more space, power and possibly more effort to get it working.

Another alternative is the Linksys WRT54GL. This is an all-in-one wireless router. It is possibly the cheapest option for a client connection. Note however that these operate only in the 2.4GHz ISM band.

An antenna:

An antenna focuses the wireless signals to improve the signal strength. The further away from the Access Point you are, the weaker your signal will be. Consequently you will need an antenna with better gain to compromise for the loss in signal.

Antenna's come in all shapes and sizes: Omni's, Yagi's, flat panels, grids, parabolic antennae and sectors. The one you'll use depends on your budget and the link distance. For Stellenbosch a Yagi or flat panel will do in most cases. Speak to use for more specific information.

A wireless radio ("card"):

Preferably the R52 from Mikrotik or the CM9 from Wistron. These both support the 2.4GHz and 5.8GHz frequency range.

Note: The Linksys WRT54GL has a wireless radio built in so you don't need to buy a new one.

Cables:

A piece (1m or less) of LMR400 cable to connect the antenna with the radio. This is a special low loss cable with an impedance of 50 Ohms. There are other options both better and worse, but the LMR400 is a good trade-off between performance and price.

A Pigtail. The pigtail acts as a converter between the small connector of the wireless radio and the big connectors found on LMR400 wire.

Depending on your needs, a piece of CAT5 cable ("lan cable"). This is to connect your wireless router with your computer by Ethernet - make sure you get a long enough piece of this.

Note: Please before buying anything.