When Is a Baked-Bean Can a Wi-Fi Network Antenna?
YOU CAN MAKE HIGH TECHNOLOGY FROM ANYTHING WHEN YOU'RE COMPETING IN INTEL'S INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING FAIR.
Is using an empty baked-bean can to grab a Wi-Fi signal from a mile away high technology? The answer is yes if you're an entrant in Intel's International Science and Engineering Fair being held this week in Phoenix.
Steven Buss, an 18-year-old Wi-Fi buff from Palm City, Florida, built three different types of antennas to see which provided the greatest range for his wireless network. The best performer, made from a "biquad" antenna and a used DirectTV satellite dish bought on EBay, picked up the wireless signal 1.3 miles away.
But the cheapest and easiest, the one he calls a "cantenna," made from an empty baked-bean can, let him connect to his 802.11b wireless network from almost as far--a mile away.
Buss ran his experiments using an IBM ThinkPad on a long, straight Florida road to avoid obstacles that can block a wireless signal.
[Published here under the Fair Use provision for educational purposes only.