DIY long-range WiFi antenna made from PVC pipe

Almost every city has free public WiFi networks; in addition, not all users set a password on their routers. This allows you to use free Internet if you are close to the distribution. By making a YAGI 2.4 GHz antenna and connecting it to a laptop or computer, you can pick up open networks that are hundreds of meters away, or even more.

Materials:

plexiglass;
self-adhesive copper tape;
copper wire;
sewer PVC pipe 70 mm;
sheet plastic;
SMA connector.

Template (download and print) - HERE

Antenna manufacturing process

A strip 65 mm wide and 640 mm long is cut out of plexiglass. Next you need to print out the antenna template on three sheets and glue them together. Then it is glued with a printout to the back of the glass. The edge of the plexiglass should begin 5 mm before the first strip of the template.

Using the template, strips of self-adhesive copper tape are glued onto the glass. You only need to leave the second stripe of the template.

Thin holes are drilled along the edges of the left strip.

Copper wire is then passed through them.By placing a block with a cross section of 10 mm under it, you need to bend a rectangular frame from it, protruding on both sides of the antenna. The edges of the frame should be trimmed so that there is a 3 mm gap between them.

A pipe plug is glued to the end of the plexiglass from the beginning of the antenna. It can be cut from sheet plastic. A hole is drilled in it and an SMA connector is glued into it. Its wire is soldered to the ends of the wire frame. First solder the braid, then the central core to complete the circuit.

Next, the antenna is inserted into a section of PVC sewer pipe, which will serve as a protective casing for it.

For convenience, you can glue a nut to the pipe to place the antenna on a tripod.

After this, the antenna is connected to a computer or laptop through an adapter. It is advisable not to use a long cable for this, since the signal passing through it is attenuated.