If you fabricate and install such a mount, keep a few things in mind:
Make sure that your antenna is free to rotate through a full 360 degrees
without any interference and without being blocked by any obstructions.
Once the antenna has been aimed toward the signal source, you need a
way to secure the antenna in that position. There are several ways to do
the job, ranging from a friction clamp to wedges made from Popsicle
sticks to duct tape.
You can use thick-walled (at least 1/16th inch) PVC pipe for both por-
tions of your fancy homemade antenna-mounting device.
Once you've fabricated your mounting device, you need to run antenna
cable. For the most part, you can follow the guidelines set out in the previous
section -- with the understanding that you have to be able to connect and
disconnect your antenna quickly and easily from the main antenna cable.
I recommend attaching a short length of LMR-400 cable to your antenna that
has a male type-N connector on the dangling end. That way, with a female
type-N connector on the main portion of the antenna cable, you can easily
connect or disconnect your antenna without disturbing the more perma-
nently installed main antenna cable.
Setting up an indoor antenna
I could seriously impress myself if I could come up with some tantalizing high-
tech secrets for setting up an indoor antenna -- but there's just not much to
it. You attach it to your adapter card and it works. There are only three things
you need to consider, and I know, given the chance, that you (and possibly
Fritz, my stuffed frog) would figure them out with no input from me.
Now that Fritz has heard his name mentioned, he's listening, so I have to be
careful when I tell you (I don't want him getting a swelled head), that he is
smarter than the average frog, stuffed or otherwise. For example, I know for
sure that, after very little deliberation, Fritz would
Place the antenna as high as possible: Yep, it doesn't matter whether
it's an outdoor or indoor antenna; you want to get it up in the air.
Avoid obstructions: Since wood and metal obstruct Wi-Fi radio signals
and glass is almost interference-free, it makes sense to place the antenna
as close to a window, or windows, as is practical.
Chapter 4: Putting Your Gear Together
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