"John Smith" wrote in message
...
DaveC wrote:
Looking for outdoor omni "whip" antenna for 2.4 GHz.

Is there any reason to not go for the greatest gain antenna, given that
cost
is not too important (within reason)?

There are scads of these on the 'net. I'm looking for someone who has
experience with one or more of them and can make a recommendation for
one.

Thanks,

There are 1/2 wave antennas on the market which do a decent job. I have
found their biggest problem is the coax the manufacturer ships with
them--too low of quality and too short.

Here is an article on one you can homebrew yourself, from ANY USB wifi
card:
http://tinyurl.com/6xdfav

-- or --

How about one of these?:

http://tinyurl.com/5ocovb

used with a 25 ft. USB extension cable, I use it when traveling. Plus,
you bypass the need for expensive/lossy SHF coax ...

Regards,
JS

I concur. I like the Huntgate solution but prefer to use Ethernet for the
run. However, there is a problem with using a high gain omni antenna in an
urban area where there is a lot of channel loading. Your throughput drops
because you are spending a lot of time with collision avoidance. This might
work at night, but not if everyone leaves their wireless up all the time.

WiFi was meant to be short range. When you improve your range, you compound
your interference problem exponentially. If you use a Pringles can you have
a big advantage because it is as if you moved your low gain antenna closer
to the AP but you still have the problem of the connections the AP hears but
you don't hear and can't avoid colliding with. At least you aren't being
bombarded with broadcasts.

Simply put, there are limitations to performance when you put yourself in a
crowded situation.