Customer Reviews

Hawking HiGain Directional Antenna, mini indoor, 7dBi - HAI7MD

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This mini indoor antenna does provide a boost over the standard 2dbi antenna that you receive from any typical router however this device is smaller than I had expected (seems to be only about 5-6 inches high). Further, upon installing the antenna on the back of my D-Link router, the connector on this Hawking antenna snapped off apparently due to a poor soldering job by Hawking. Luckily, the damage doesn't seem to be permanent and the antenna seems to be working despite the poor soldering.

Signal-wise, I was able to obtain about a 10% signal increase with a router on the second floor and a computer on the first floor with numerous walls in between. Not too shabby but for my purposes, I had to utilize a Hawking signal booster Hawking HiGain Signal Booster version 2 - HSB2 and a carefully-placed Trendnet antenna TRENDnet 14 dBi Outdoor High Gain Directional Antenna to achieve 100% signal (for comparison: without any enhancements, my D-Link DIR655 N Router can typically provide about 60% signal).

This antenna took my connection from 45% to 81% at a distance of 60 feet and through one wall. It also substantially improved my connection reliability. It is small and the wire is just long enough to go from the bottom slot of my PC below the desk to a good position on top of the desk. The base is a heavy metal and it is just 6" tall by 2" wide. I would recommend trying this antenna before spending much more on a Linksys omnidirectional antenna (HGA7S).

I hooked this little directional antenna to a Buffalo Technology wireless bridge/switch combo unit in my kitchen/dining area downstairs and hooked a Hawking omni directional to my Netgear KWGR614 wireless G router upstairs, and voila. What was once a dead zone is now getting 24Mbps or higher data transfers. I also run cat5 from the bridge to my PS3 and DVR and am now getting great results in my entertainment center. The key to getting desired results from high gain antennas is to boost both locations.

I got this along with a Hawking USB Wireless G adapter. The pair is perfect for traveling oversea. While in Europe, I was able to pull in weak signals from free WiFi hotspot, and avoid expensive roaming charges.

The directional aspect of the antenna works great. You can actually see the signal strength changes when you turn the antenna around in 360 degree, until you get a good signal. In many cases, I was able to get 1-2 bar increases in signal.

I have the Comcast Economy Internet so "supposedly" the download is up to 1 Mbps and upload is up to 384 Kbps. Without the antenna, using the SpeakEasy Speed Test (I live in MN and I pick Chicago as the testing site), the avg download is about 750kbps, the upload about 250. With it, the download is about 960kbps (20% improvement), upload 370. The WIFI signal on the Windows taskbar goes up from 3 to 4 bars (max=5). I took out the base and connected the antenna directly to my D-link router (this way the signal is stronger). It sits on the livingroom floor. It's important it faces toward where your pcs are. My laptop in the kitchen (direct sight from the antenna about 30 feet) has an excellent 5-bar signal on the taskbar. My kids' pcs on the 2nd floor (about 20 feet away) are getting 4 bars (was 3 bars w/o it; with some doors and walls in between). My other desktop pc in the basement (directly underneath the antenna about 10 feet) is getting 4 bars. For the price, I think it's a good deal to get the most of my cheesy internet connection. The packaging could be smaller to cut cost but nothing is perfect. Good luck, have fun, and take it easy!

It only slightly improved my signal no matter where I positioned the antenna. But in all fairness I am using it inside a police station where there are rampant rf signals. However, these rf signals are on a 800 mhz. frequency band and should not cause any interference with wireless broadband signals.

I bought this to increase the signal strength to my living room for my TiVo and laptop computers. My Linksys WRT54G wireless router is about 50 feet away behind a couple of walls. I found that there was no change in signal strength, and maybe even a slight decrease. TiVo usually registers between 45-50% signal, and with the Directional Antenna, it was the same. I'm sending it back.