Best External Antenna for Truck Drivers: Boost Wi-Fi Range with USB 3.0 & TP-Link TL-WN722N Modem

Hello, I am a truck driver and I travel internationally most of the time. Therefore, in order to increase the effectiveness of the Wi-Fi card in my laptop, I want to buy an external antenna to easily download the Wi-Fi signal from free hotspots in parking lots, ports or from nearby restaurants. The Allegro is full of some Chinese inventions with descriptions of 10km ranges, etc., in which I do not believe.

What to buy to increase and improve the range in my laptop, I will add that I have USB 3.0 connectors in my laptop, if it was to be via a USB cable (if it is important) and possibly if it was to be the antenna for the modem itself, I have a modem that is not used by me tp link tl-wn722n (so in case of W)

Budget, about PLN 150-250 to make it fun, it is known that sometimes 200 or 500 meters is enough, but if it could do it sometimes with 2 or 3 km, it would be great. So I thought that if I only needed to amplify the signal that I already download with the flap, the antenna would be plugged in, but it was lying in the cabin and if there was a greater need, the antenna would go to the cabin through the sunroof.

I am waiting for specific hints on what to buy in my case.
Best wishes

Hello
Personally, I recommend TP-Link TL-WN822N, drivers often buy this model from me. They claim that the range is much better than that of the cards built into laptops.

Alternatively, you can try a new model in the ac TP-Link Archer T4UH standard. I have not had contact with the new model yet, but it should be even better than in the previous model

To obtain a range of several km, you would need to use a directional antenna, which unfortunately has a very small operating radius, which will probably preclude its use in such conditions.

Omnidirectional no chance, it won't give you even a fraction of that range.
A directional is a mill with aim, direction etc (and fully shows the claw when the other end is directional)

Cheap advice: take the antenna out of the cabin plate, it will do a little, you don't know how much.

by the way, beyond the Oder River, the state services are not so careless about violating radio regulations, various spells with extraordinary power, etc.

Panel antennas are directional "like binoculars" in order to catch something you have to look for it, once you point it, they give better effects / signal amplification.

Omni-directional antennas (stick) work around but in a limited beam, like a fast rotating lighthouse, you collect everything around, you do not need to turn / search, e.g. 12dbi gain is 1m height of the antenna, shorter range than the panel.

They are also parabolic / spherical, even more directional "like a telescope", it is even more difficult to find a signal, they give the greatest amplification.

bogiebog wrote:

Panel antennas are directional "like a telescope" to catch something you have to look for it, once you point it, they give better effects / signal amplification.

Omni-directional antennas (stick) work around but in a limited beam, like a fast rotating lighthouse, you collect everything around, you do not need to turn / search, e.g. 12dbi gain is 1m height of the antenna.

Add that many "panel" antennas on the market should be accused of fraud.

JacekCz wrote:

Add that many "panel" antennas on the market should be accused of fraud.

If they are made of old laminate flooring, it will be hard to find fault.

Ok, at the beginning, in order to avoid unnecessary polemics about regulations, etc., I will write that I do not go to kindergarten and that everything would be ok and for my and your conscience, we write here purely theoretically and only for educational purposes
Apart from the fact that what is in the descriptions and what in fact when it comes to parameters, powers are two different things.
An example of my friend, he bought a directional antenna there for about PLN 100 from the Allegro and says that the improvement is mega, he just connects it often, but it is in the cabin and it's cool, and if he needs more then on the roof. A colleague is pleased with the improved coverage. And taking shortcuts, I could ask him what exactly he bought and that's it, but I prefer to ask you what is the best for my budget.
So I would be interested in a panel with a relatively large viewing angle (if there are such parameters at all) of decent quality with quite a lot of power (if it exceeds the standards, see the beginning of the post I know that then I will have to play and look for the right setting so that the result is satisfactory.
Any specific suggestions?

It would be best if you ask your friend what he has and you can choose something based on it. It's not an art to spend money on something that may not work for you.

2Ghz or dual band (2 and 5 GHz) should it be?
I do not see CPE dual band devices too much, a single device is only 2.4Ghz, most hotspots on this band.

And I could ask about the advantages and disadvantages of such solutions, because I have little knowledge about it. By peasant reason in dual I will catch more hot spots, although there are more at 2.4, but what are the disadvantages if you do not see it in my case?

kiko80 wrote:

It would be best if you ask your friend what he has and you can choose something based on that

Find it out first

For two 2/5 bands, two devices would be needed, separate for each band.

So yes, my friend has a pannel with Allegro, some wifi sky, with nonsense on the box 2000mW +36 dbi
Żegocinie, what I was looking at now on the allegro is below 50, so I can't do madness
Well, I talked a bit with my friend and he says it's not perfect but it does the job. Virtually all the time it does not leave it behind the cabin because it has not yet made any handle and places it on the windshield. He sets his eye once at a gas station and where his range was negligible or almost always full.
And I would like something like that, but maybe a little better quality. I have already learned that it boils better, sometimes more expensive and desire.
If two devices were to be in dual, it should be for the 2.4.

ps fota

TL-WA7210N
Ubiquiti locoM2

With a predominance of one of them, doesn't it matter?

krzychsolt wrote:

I would be interested in a panel with a relatively large viewing angle (if there are such parameters at all) of decent quality with quite a lot of power

A colleague thinks that if he puts on a "bull" in his cabin, the wifi will "fly" 2 km away.

With wifi, it will work in one place, not in another - these are hotspots, so the range is not great (only within a given facility), it is enough for another truck to stand in front of your truck and you do not have any wifi anymore.

And please remember that the power radiated by the wifi antennas cannot exceed 100 mW.

It is true that I am quite green on this subject, although I know that for full happiness you also need a good transmitted signal, but it cannot be denied that compared to a standard antenna in a laptop the difference will be enormous.
If I cover the truck, the antenna will go above the roof.
I see that the antennas that were recommended to me need an external power supply, it's not a problem because I use converters anyway, but always additional cables. Thank you for all your help, unless someone else has something to add.

krzychsolt wrote:

If I cover the truck, the antenna will go above the roof.

But that won't make the signal from the wifi antenna transmitting stronger - it's still just a local hotspot.

Also remember that the speeds on hotspots are not in the order of 200/500 Mb - when it is 10/20 Mb, it is good, but it's for all users. And you will count the number of users and instead of wifi you will have "blood from your nose" (no antenna for any money will change anything here).
Unfortunately, this is how it looks real.

Hello after a long time. Due to the "abolition" of roaming, I abandoned the topic of buying an external Wi-Fi antenna. Unfortunately, the Fair Use Policy makes it less fun and again the problem with the Internet abroad.
Anyway, as instructed, I bought a similar TpLink product, exactly the CPE210 model.
Now I have a problem with how to configure this device to work as a wi-fi antenna.
Can anyone help?

https://www.tp-link.com/pl/faq-726.html