Boost wi fi router signal strength using beverage can

International Journal of Computer Engineering and Technology (IJCET), ISSN 0976-

6367(Print), ISSN 0976 – 6375(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), © IAEME

122

BOOST Wi-Fi ROUTER SIGNAL STRENGTH USING BEVERAGE CAN

Prof.Darshan Chauhan

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Sitarambhai Naranji Patel Institute of Technology and Research Center, Umrakh, Gujarat, India

Prof.Dhaval Jadhav

Department of Computer Science & Engineering

Sitarambhai Naranji Patel Institute of Technology and Research Center, Umrakh, Gujarat, India

ABSTRACT

Today internet is the mostly used thing in the world most of the people used internet and

some of them have Wi-Fi connections in their home or office so they can use internet without any

wire it makes life easier but some have problem with their Wi-Fi wireless router networks so they

need wireless boosters ,Wi-Fi boosters so boost there Wi-Fi signal but for this you have to pay but

today i am present this paper for how to boost a Wi-Fi signal this is a simple do it yourself with this

you can boost Wi-Fi signal very easily boosting wireless signal is not very difficult.

Keywords: boost Wi-Fi, router signal, beverage can

I. INTRODUCTION

When your life is nothing but trolling and viral videos, having a bad Wi-Fi connection can be

incredibly irritating. Poor loading times, lost connections and more can put a strain on your time

browsing the internet. However, there are some ways to improve your Wi-Fi connection. However,

even in the bleakest situation, there are heroes, and in this case its beverage cans. If you’ve ever had

a TV with an antenna or a radio, you’ve probably heard of the trick of using tin foil to improve the

signal. Using a soda or beverage can to improve your Wi-Fi signal works in a very similar way. The

metal in the can and the shape of the can when cut open can focus the signal to and from your router.

The only things that you’ll need to achieve this are a beverage or soda can, a utility knife, a pair of

scissors and some form of adhesive that can easily be removed like tape or adhesive putty.

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TECHNOLOGY (IJCET)

ISSN 0976 – 6367(Print) ISSN 0976 – 6375(Online) Volume 4, Issue 4, July-August (2013), pp. 122-127 © IAEME: www.iaeme.com/ijcet.asp Journal Impact Factor (2013): 6.1302 (Calculated by GISI) www.jifactor.com

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II. SIX STEPS FOR CREATING BEVERAGE CAN DEVICE

A. Clean Out the Can Practically any substance that is found in cans like soda, beer, juice and more can create a

sticky residue on the inside of the can. Fig.[1] This can attract bugs and make your router sticky.

Before you start cutting apart the can, thoroughly rinse it out with soap and warm water. Dry the can

as thoroughly as possible.

Figure1. Clean the beverage can

B. Pull off the Tab

The tab for the soda Fig.[2] can really has no use for this project, so it’s best to remove it. To

remove the tab, simply bend the tab back and forth until you hear it snap.

Figure2. Remove of beverage tab

C. Cut off the Bottom of the Can

Grab a utility knife and carefully cut a straight, horizontal line around bottom of the can at the

point where the sides of the can start sloping to create the bottom Fig.[3]. Cut very slowly to ensure a

clean cut and to avoid accidentally cutting yourself. Once the bottom is completely removed, safely

dispose of it to avoid accidentally grabbing it or stepping on it.

Figure3. Cut the bottom of can



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D. Creating the Base

The base for your Wi-Fi extender will be the top of the can. To create the base, turn the can

upside down and use your utility knife to make a cut horizontal cut that is similar to the one you

made at the bottom of the can Fig.[4], but leaves an inch or so of metal to keep everything in one

piece.

Figure 4. Creating the base

E. Cut the Side of the Can

Position the can so that the leftover piece of metal used to keep the base attached is opposite

the location you intend to make a vertical incision in the can. Use the scissors to cut a straight line

from the bottom of the can to the top Fig.[5]. Then open the can up to create a shape similar to a

satellite dish. If the can is still wet at the point, thoroughly dry the can before placing it on top of

your router.Being careful, open up the middle piece of metal by bending it until it vaguely resembles

the shape of a radar dish.

Figure 5. Cut the side of the can

F. Attaching the Can to Your Router

Place the can over the antenna for your Wi-Fi connection through the hole in the base. Using

tape or another easily removable adhesive such as adhesive putty, secure the can to your router.

Adjust the can to maximize the signal Fig.[6].

Basically the can should be splayed out, creating something similar to a sail around the

router’s antenna. The antenna serves as a mast and the pop can helps the router function.

Figure 6. Attaching the Can to router



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Now at the final when we are creating the device the device is look like Fig.[7] this is the front view

of the device and the direction is set as per your usage.

Figure 7. Front view of device

II. EXPERIMENT AND RESULT

So this was done, but as I wanted to measure the Wi-Fi signal strength improvement or if

there was actually any improvement at all.

I chose 5 strategic locations in and around the house to measure signals Tab.[1]:

Location 1 aka the college campus.

Location 2 aka the bedroom.

Location 3 aka the friends’ office.

Location 4 aka the neighbour’s house.

Location 5 aka my “playroom”.

Table 1. Area of experiment

I did some measurement with “iwconfig” in “Ubuntu” before adding the beverage can to the router

with the command:

iwconfig | grep “Signal level”

Here are the initial measurements Tab.[2]:

Location 1: -50 dBm (Quality: 60/70)





Table 2. The Initial Mesurment

I did some measurements with the beverage can as shown above, but there were some

improvements in some locations but results were not that great Fig.[8], probably because the signal

of the middle antenna was blocked by the beverage cans, so I adjusted the middle antenna to be

horizontal and made the beer cans vertical so that it looks that way:



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Figure 8. After inline beverage can

The beverage cans make the signal directional so the signal would be likely to gain strength

where they can are pointed to and lose in the other direction. I pointed the left can (on the picture)

towards my friend’s office (location 3) and the right can towards my neighbour’s house (location 4)

since I’m such a lovely bloke. Location 5 is between the router and location 3 Tab.[3].

Here are the measurements with the beverage-can improved- Wi-Fi-router:

Location 1: -50 dBm (Quality: 60/70) – Difference: 0 dBm.

Location 2: -50dBm (Quality: 60/70) – Difference: -9 dBm.

Location 3: -53 dBm (Quality: 57/70) – Difference: +5 dBm.



Table 3. Result after device proper stick

So Wi-Fi signal strength can be improved with a beverage can. But this should only be used,

if you have specific areas (or directions) where the signal should be made stronger as other place will

lose signal strength.

IV. CONCLUSION

I ended up using an aluminum beverage can the sides of the can did not fan out, so I just let

them be. I also decided not to use adhesive, just in case it would do any possible damage to my

wireless router. Furthermore, my router does have antennas like the one in the article. That being

said, I wrote this entire post from inside of a room that had extremely poor Wi-Fi before I did what

the article said. The can worked extremely well! Websites do not load as fast as they would if I were

right next to the router, however, unlike before

V. REFERENCE

[1]. http://makezine.com/2013/03/26/how-to-improve-your-wifi-signal-using-a-soda-can-in-6-

steps/

[2]. http://howtix.blogspot.in/2012/10/how-to-make-wifi-booster-internet.html

[3]. http://www.bloodyshrubbery.com/2011/08/extend-your-wifi-with-aluminum-can.html



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[4]. http://www.cnx-software.com/2011/09/15/can-a-beer-can-really-boost-your-wifi-router-

signal/

[5]. http://www.tumblr.com/tagged/wifi%20booster

[6]. http://mauitechninja.com/2011/beer-can-wi-fi-booster/

[7]. http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2776993/posts

[8]. http://forum.manicgeek.com/lmessages.php?webtag=MG&msg=4986.1

[9]. http://www.broadbandchoices.co.uk/ask-our-expert/boosting-a-wifi-signal-ask-our-expert

[10]. http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/forums/16/speakers-corner/4076881/beercan-wifi-booster/

[11]. http://gijay.hubpages.com/hub/How-to-boost-your-wifi-router-signal

[12]. http://www.cybertechhelp.com/forums/showthread.php?threadid=221079

[13]. http://consumerist.com/2011/08/05/boost-your-wifi-signal-with-a-beer-can/

[14]. http://www.wikihow.com/Make-a-Wi-Fi-Booster-Using-Only-a-Beer-Can

[15]. http://techfeel.in/2013/06/wi-fi-booster-from-beer-can/

[16]. http://www.musingsoverapint.com/2011/09/beer-can-wireless-signal-booster.html

[17]. http://makezine.com/2013/03/26/how-to-improve-your-wifi-signal-using-a-soda-can-in-6-

steps/

[18] A. Elfasakhany, J. Marquez, E.Y. Rezola and J. Benitez, “Design and Development of an

Economic Autonomous Beverage Cans Crusher”, International Journal of Mechanical

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