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Signal strength meter for 802.11 wireless?

I'd like to have a signal strength meter to use when aiming high-gain antennas for use with 2.4 GHz wireless network signals. This is similar in function to the "satellite finder" tools that TV dish antenna installers use.

This would be just a raw antenna; 802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna, that I've ever seen.

I'd like to make it as simple as possible, either with a meter element alone, or with an audible beat frequency to indicate maximum strength when aiming.

Sure a laptop with "stumbler" software will work, but putting my laptop at risk (holding it in one hand while aiming with the other, on the roof, no less), and the lame daylight performance if most tft displays makes looking for an alternative very desirable.

Circuit suggestions?

Thanks,

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DaveC
me@privacy.net
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Reply to
DaveC
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use.

alone,

aiming.

looking

Buy a yellowjacket, mine works really well.

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Reply to
Mjolinor

use.

alone,

aiming.

looking

Specifically, this

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is the one I use.

Reply to
Mjolinor

There exists a version of netstumbler for pocket PC:

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If this has the right features it may work for you. They claim it is suitable anyway...

Thomas

Reply to
Zak

If you are looking for a do it yourself project, I believe that Circut Cellar had an article on a microcontroller-based 'sniffer' using a PCMCIA 802.11 card. About a year ago, I think.

--
Paul Hovnanian     mailto:Paul@Hovnanian.com
note to spammers:  a Washington State resident
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Bureaucrat, n.: A person who cuts red tape sideways. -- J. McCabe
Reply to
Paul Hovnanian P.E.

802.11 doesn't use amps at the antenna, but the antenna signal usually doesn't have far to go before it runs into the amp, either.

I'm not familiar with satellite systems, but I think they operate in exclusive narrow bands, don't they? If that's the case, then to locate a satellite, all I have to do is move the receiver around until I detect a signal.

On the other hand, I think the 2.4GHz band used by 802.11 is used by various different services, all of which avoid stepping on each other by use of various orthogonal (or mostly so) modulation schemes. The result is that you need the full 802.11 receiver, which needs to acquire the signal you're interested in before it can measure the signal strength.

-- Mike --

Reply to
Mike

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