HACK
YOUR HARDWARE
P
lagued by unreliable Wi-Fi connectivity? We’ve found a
cheap and relatively easy way to boost a wireless router’s
signal strength by creating a simple parabolic refl ector dish to direct Wi-Fi sig-
nals to your intended receivers.
All you need is some paper, foil, scissors, glue, and a cutout template that
you can fi nd at http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/ (image A). This
Windsurfer antenna design focuses your router’s signals in one direction, which
not only helps increase your signal by about 10dB but also improves your wireless privacy
by reducing the amount of stray signal headed toward nosy neighbors.
Print out the template on a sheet of regular paper. You can actually scale the image to a
larger size—while maintaining the relative dimensions—for a stronger focus. First, cut out
the template pieces (images B), then use a glue stick to affi x foil to the front of each piece.
Use a knife to make cuts on the indicated slits and bend the refl ector to fi t the six tabs into
the respective holes.
Slide the booster over the existing antenna of your router and point it in the desired
direction (image C). Your results may vary depending on the build quality of your refl ector,
and making two dishes will give you better boost if your router has two antennas. Use a
free network-performance measurement tool such as NetStumbler (www.netstumbler.
com) or Qcheck (http://tinyurl.com/3csl3l) to test your router’s throughput.36 |MAMAMAXIMXIMXIMXIMUUUUMMPPPCC| JUL 08 | http://www.maximumpc.com
JOURNEYMAN
Make a Wi-Fi Extender
UPGRADE YOUR OPTICAL DRIVE’S LASER
Craving the glorious visual fi delity of high-defi -
nition movies but don’t have the budget for a Blu-
ray drive? Maybe replacing the red laser diode of
your standard DVD player with a blue LED will do
the trick. You wish! Hacking your optical drive’s
laser isn’t just inadvisable—it simply won’t
work. Sorry, Charlie.USE AN ENERGY DRINK AS COOLANT
Brawndo’s got electrolytes. What are electrolytes?
We’re not sure, but they’re extremely awesome.
And they’re what CPUs crave. They crave electro-
lytes. And Brawndo is full of them. And that’s why
CPUs crave Brawndo. Not water, like from the
toilet. We’ve never seen CPUs cooled in a toilet. Get
Brawndo—the CPU Thirst Mutilator! Not!WALL MOUNT A CRT
In the future, we’ll all be using wall-mounted displays
for convenient viewing-angle adjustment and an ultra-
sleek look. But we’ll all be using LCD displays, as well.
That’s why wall-mounting a CRT not only looks ob-
noxious but is also probably the quickest way to tear a
hole out of your wall. Never mind that CRTs don’t have
mounting holes on their backs, their forward-heavy
weight would snap off any mounting arm before you
could fi nish screwing it in.signal strength by creating a simple parabolic refl ector dish to direct Wi-Fi sig-not only helps increase your signal by about 10dB but also improves your wireless privacyodifying your hardware beyond its intended use doesn’t always deliver desirable results.
Here are a few hacks that didn’t sound viable on paper, and would probably be supremelyc
M
odifying your hardware beyond its intended use doesn’t always deliver desirable results.
Here are a few hacks that didn’t sound viable on paper, and would probably be supremely
disastrous in practice. Defi nitely don’t try these at home!H
ac
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alf-B
ake
d
nals to your intended receivers.
All you need is some paper, foil, scissors, glue, and a cutout template that
you can fi nd at http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/
Windsurfer antenna design focuses your router’s signals in one direction, which
not only helps increase your signal by about 10dB but also improves your wireless privacy
by reducing the amount of stray signal headed toward nosy neighbors.
Print out the template on a sheet of regular paper. You can actually scale the image to a
larger size—while maintaining the relative dimensions—for a stronger focus. First, cut out
the template pieces (images B), then use a glue stick to affi x foil to the front of each piece.not only helps increase your signal by about 10dB but also improves your wireless privacya b