Many laptop owners are less than pleased with the range of their laptop WIFI signal. There are a few options laptop owners have in order to increase the range on their laptops internal WIFI adapter card. One option is to increase the WIFI range by adding an external antenna. Please note this modification may void your laptop manufacturers warranty and should be performed at your own risk.

For this you will need:

1. Access to your laptops internal WIFI adapter card.
2. One IPX to RP-SMA bulkhead jack pigtail from RFmall.com (length depends on laptop)
3. Ability to drill a hole in the laptop case to match the size of the RP-SMA connector.
4. An external 2.4GHz antenna with an RP-SMA plug connector.
5. A WIFI signal

STEP ONE:

Locate your laptops internal WIFI adapter card. You will need a small screwdriver to open the hatch to get to it. Once you have located the adapter card, you will see two tiny connectors. One is labeled “main” the other “auxillery”. These connectors are IPX connectors. You will be using the connector labeled “main”.

STEP TWO:

Measure the length from the “main” IPX connector to the inside of the laptop case where you have available space to drill your port hole. Add a couple of inches for good measure. This is the length of IPX to RP-SMA bulkhead jack pigtail you will need to purchase. Drill a hole in your laptop case. This hole will serve as the port where the RP-SMA bulkhead jack connector will connect through the laptop case.

STEP THREE:

Connect your pigtail to the “main” connector on the WIFI internal adapter card and port the RP-SMA bulkhead connector out of the laptop case and tighten gently with a hex wrench.

STEP FOUR:

Connect your 2.4GHz antenna and test!