what happens when you put 7db - 9db antenna on a router ?

[BKKdreaming]

Hi , I would like my WiFi to have a little more range and power ,

If I switch to a 7db or a 9db antenna will it help much ?

Any negatives it I do this ?

Thanks for your thoughts

[Pib]

Very little as I've tried. You best bet would be to make one a home made antenna "parabolic reflector" and slip it behind the antenna like shown in these images: Link

Keep in mind that positioning of the reflector at just the right distance behind the antenna and the shape of the reflector makes a big difference....there are some web sites that will give you the exact dimensions/shape for maximum gain...some of the images in above link were "not" made with specs in mind and probably fall short of providing much of any gain.

I made one out of cardboard, aluminum foil, and tape and it gave a very nice performance boost by focusing the power towards the portion of the house I use. My Wifi router is located on the 2nd story in the corner of the master bedroom which is on one end of the house versus being in the middle.

Positioning of the router and focusing the signal can make all the difference. Each person's residence and router location is different, like number of stories, thickness and material type of walls and floors, etc....so everybody's results will vary. Sometimes just repositioning the router can make a big difference. Good luck.

[lopburi3]

As said antenna is not directional so improvement is slight in any fixed direction until made directive. Perhaps a better investment is to obtain another WiFi that you can place near the usage area and connect by lan cable (if old router) or if WiFi extender just place at a location you can connect with main unit and usage units. I have an unused modem/router with WiFi being used in living room connected by wire to my main unit in bedroom which works great and if main unit fails have immediate replacement I can grab to keep internet access.

You are using N type signals? Found that to be a big improvement over G for coverage area.

[Pib]

My personal experience between N vs G signal coverage is it's mostly hype unless you have a high end N router and computer N receiver. In fact with the N and G routers I own the G router actually did a little better by a few db for house-wide coverage. On the Thomson G router which was provided by True for my cable internet I made the tin foil parabolic reflector and it helped a lot to focus more signal through my six inch concrete walls and floors towards the portion of the house where all my devices were located, however, that concrete was still knocking down the signal too much for strong coverage all over the first floor. So, I bought an ASUS Wifi router/access point, ran an ethernet cable from upstairs (the G router) to my ASUS router which I set up as an Access Point), and now I have great signal strength on the 1st and 2nd stories by using the two routers/access points. I can connect to either within the house, but if on the 1st story I use the ASUS and if on the 2nd story I use the Thomson.

[lopburi3]

In my experience found the N to be much better - but that was not a test and could be just because newer - so could have been better luck and unit - but from reports and the fact it is the current standard believe that it is likely better. Plus newer units seem to come with better antennas.

I also had an ASUS unit (which died a hot/black death - although I did like the software). Currently using two TP-Link models.

[RichCor]

PC diagnosis & repair post#29

Link to a previous post I made regarding antennas and dBi ratings that may be of interest