Welcome to the MacNN Forums.

donny31 · Mar 27, 2003, 08:43 AM

I have an omni antenna and I see no difference in reception with or without it hooked up --I have heard nothing but negative opinions on here about the antenna --Does anyone see an increase in reception at all?

ghporter · Mar 28, 2003, 10:31 AM

What, exactly, are you connecting (or disconnecting) this omni antenna to? It makes a difference...

You should also note that in most equipment that has an external antenna port, there is an internal antenna that is switched out of the path when the external antenna is connected, and is restored when the external antenna is removed. The alignment, angle, and height above the floor of the antenna can all make big differences-maybe your box is just in a position that keeps it from being effective, and putting it somewhere else, perhaps upright rather than flat, etc., could help.

donny31 · Mar 28, 2003, 04:19 PM

Originally posted by donny31:
I have an omni antenna and I see no difference in reception with or without it hooked up --I have heard nothing but negative opinions on here about the antenna --Does anyone see an increase in reception at all?

I Talked with dr. bott and they said that they are having problems with almost 99% of the omni antennas --none are working correctly --thats why we havent seen any response to my post. they are trying to fix the problem, but until then Im stuck with it because I bought it from apple and Im over the 10 day return date --I hope they fix it --I need about 30 feet more of reception --thats it --I have tried to move the antenna and the base==nothing works --even changed the channels on at a time@!

krove · Mar 31, 2003, 12:47 AM

That sucks. I was thinking about getting one of these to boost the 802.11g range, which is only a measly 50 feet according to the Airport Extreme Basestation box (802.11b range is 150 feet).

Did they mention the directional antenna as having problems too?

dansroka · Apr 1, 2003, 12:33 PM

Originally posted by donny31:
I have an omni antenna and I see no difference in reception with or without it hooked up --I have heard nothing but negative opinions on here about the antenna --Does anyone see an increase in reception at all?

Hi. A few of us have been discussing this on Apple's message board.

We did discover one thing. Many of us who had no improvement with the Bott antenna had been only restarting the ABS via the Admin Utility. However, if you actually (1) unplug the power from the ABS, (2) connect the antenna, and (3) repower the ABS -- you will get better reception.

I am not getting great reception with the antenna, but definitely better than before, and slightly better than the ABS alone. Is it a $100 boost in range? Well..... I don't know yet.

ehurley · Apr 8, 2003, 08:34 PM

Originally posted by donny31:
I have an omni antenna and I see no difference in reception with or without it hooked up --I have heard nothing but negative opinions on here about the antenna --Does anyone see an increase in reception at all?

I just bought the omni. It sucks...range actually decreases. Cube in kitchen shows 2 bars w/o antenna...shows no bars w/ the antenna. I know I'm initializing properly. BTW, in case you're wondering, if done properly it will show up in the Admin Utility as external antenna.

It's going back. Shame...all I want is a touch more range. Wife will give up cube when they pry it from cold, etc..

ghporter · Apr 8, 2003, 09:04 PM

The problem may not even be the antenna-it may be that the cable isn't up to the task. Regular antenna cable that could do fine in some other job (at a much lower frequency) leaks so badly at 2.4GHz that you can't guarantee that much signal gets to the antenna. Either way, the product should show you noticable improvement, or you haven't gotten your money's worth. Send the thing back for a refund.