Directional antenna and step-down converter for powering the modem with your own hands

What to do when the provider cannot solve the problem of accessing the network with your favorite granny? But the older generation also wants to be in touch and comprehend the world without leaving home. Our recipe shared his recipe . Under the cut, a short story about how to assemble a wi-fi transmitter from improvised means.

I have a DSL Internet connection at my home, and my grandmother, who lives within a kilometer of line of sight from me, has no way to connect it. The provider simply does not have free resources. Therefore, it was decided to assemble a wi-fi transmitter with our own efforts, fixing it on a fake house.

An electric shield was used as a case. A TP Link DSL modem and a Wi-Fi D-Link dwl-2100ap access point were installed in it.





Power was increased to 1 W using the engineering menu. He built a directional antenna using an ordinary beer can. The main problem arose with power supply, since it is dangerous to drive a cable with a voltage of 220V directly through the roof. In winter it is humid, and besides this, wires can bite the mouse. It's not far from circuit and fire.

As a result, it was decided to extend 12 V to the roof from a reliable uninterruptible power supply of 8 amperes, which can save from short circuits. It was installed inside the system unit. But the modem and access point require 5 volts, and the total current is 1.5 amperes. I tried to make DVRs from standard charging, where 2 amps are indicated, but it terribly overheated.

The solution was found on the Internet. Thanks to this scheme:



From the elements of the computer unit, we managed to assemble this:







The circuit has been operating reliably for several years and has not been heated. And the granny has a stable signal.