Testing the Antenna

To test the antenna, I used a program called netstumbler
and Window's own strength meter. Netstumbler measures the power
of the wireless signal in dbm's. Windows just gives you a rating
from no signal to excellent. With the standard antenna installed,
I took my laptop running netstumbler and proceeded to leave my apartment
and walk across the street. I walked approximately 400 ft.
and recorded the signal strength the whole way. At maximum distance,
the standard antenna had a signal power of about -80dbm;
and windows showed that I had low signal strength. I then installed
the coffee can antenna and followed the same procedure. At maximum distance,
the can antenna had a signal strength approaching -60dbm
and windows showed a very good signal strength. That is almost a 20dbm gain,
which is fairly respectable considering I only spent about $12 on parts
and only took 20 minutes for construction.

I did find, however, that the signal of the can antenna is very narrow.
One has to aim the antenna very accurately to take advantage
of the full strength of the signal. This is expected though,
since this antenna is specifically for a point to point connection.

In conclusion, it is quite possible for a complete novice
to build an effective antenna. There are many
different antenna designs available to fit a specific application.
One just has to experiment until they find the right antenna.
Anyway, the building and experimenting is the fun part.
If you don't think it is fun, then you are better off buying an antenna
and paying someone to install it.