Hacking Upgrading the NDS wifi range

[topgunroofm]

Portable NDS Wifi Range Expander

Here is an easy way to expand the range of your DS. This method is very cheap and effiecently. All you need is a piece of alumium foil and tape.

NOTE: The alumium will go under the ds!!

Step 1: Get your DS

Step 2: Get some alumium foil

Step 3: Cut some alumium foil so it's twice as big as the bottom of the ds

Step 4: Fold the piece so it's half its size. About 6*13 cm

Step 5: Tape the alumium foil to the bottom of the ds. Tape the edges.

Now, you should be able to see a difference in the range of your ds.



ENJOY!!!!!

 

[DeltaBurnt]

Uhhh...ok...how much better is it expanded. And I don't see how simply taping aluminum foil would make a difference.

 

[Brian117]

I've always wanted a way to expand the range.

And also, taping it on the bottom of the DS is reallllllllly pointless,

Because the WiFi antenna thingy is actually in the top half of the DS. So I don't know...

 

[Goli]

I'm guessing the aluminium foil around the DS makes the Wi-Fi waves bounce from the air to the DS, thus making it faster or expanding it's range...
Or something like that, right?

 

[topgunroofm]

Look at this photo:

http://www.modd3d.com/articles/media/2/200...-Connectors.jpg

I don't know whick is the antenna, but the nds antenna is basically a wire and a little alumium foil.

Here is a YouTube video that kinda shows what i mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saQzE8qBjdA

 

[Santee]

Cool but won't expanding the range of the modem make it better not just for the ds but for everything else if there is a way to do that?

 

[Brian117]

Look at this photo:

http://www.modd3d.com/articles/media/2/200...-Connectors.jpg

I don't know whick is the antenna, but the nds antenna is basically a wire and a little alumium foil.

Here is a YouTube video that kinda shows what i mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saQzE8qBjdA

The black wire is the Antenna, and the white one is the Microphone.

And that video is so sad it's not even funny. Would you walk around having a taped on tower of foil on your DS? Hm.

 

[topgunroofm]

I do. I only put a flat sheet a alumium foil on the bottom so it does the same thing. The video was only an example of what I mean by that. I know the video was bad, but it shows that the wifi range of yout ds is expanded. Not only this good at home, it's also good for when you're at a cafe with free wifi or your neighbor has an open wireless network and you have just dial-up. The alumium makes a difference.

 

[topgunroofm]

IchigoSJ, to answer your question, Yes you could do that. But, if you are in an area where there's open wifi, you can't adjust the router. Just use the foil.

Just try it. I did and it works.

 

[JoyConG]

Then you can doodle 8-bit Mario stuff on the foil and it'll look like a cosmetic thing?

I think thats kinda cool, I'll try this on my DSi soon for some lulz.

 

[DeMoN]

Look at this photo:

http://www.modd3d.com/articles/media/2/200...-Connectors.jpg

I don't know whick is the antenna, but the nds antenna is basically a wire and a little alumium foil.

Here is a YouTube video that kinda shows what i mean.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=saQzE8qBjdA

The black wire is the Antenna, and the white one is the Microphone.

And that video is so sad it's not even funny. Would you walk around having a taped on tower of foil on your DS? Hm.

You wouldn't walk around with it like that. It's mainly for playing it at home, where you're leeching your neighbor's WiFi (which I assume is the point of this modification).

 

[camintmier]

Excuse me while I get geeky.

Wifi frequencies range from Ch 1: 2.412GHz to Ch 11: 2.462GHz (or Ch 14: 2.484GHz if you're in the UK and other countries). For a quarter wave antenna (which I believe is in the DS), the length of the antenna should be roughly 1.15 inches (calculated from Ch 6's center frequency. The antenna itself is only the breadboard that's connected to the wire, which is tuned to approximately that length. The wire itself is shielded (1 wire wrapped around another) to reduce interference to itself and outside objects, so no radio waves leak from the wire itself, only the tuned breadboard antenna.

While the video linked in topgunroofm's post has the right idea, that much aluminum foil is, in my opinion, overkill. If you wanted to amplify the antenna, theoretically you could put a piece of aluminum foil above the left speaker (which will be right over top of the antenna), on the display side. This would act as a reflector for the RF (radio frequencies). You'd have to aim the back of your DS's top screen towards the wifi base station to get the most benefit from this though.

If you REALLY have to amplify your DS, you could buy a 25 Watt 2.4 GHz Amplifiers with Active Power Control. That's what the big boys (large companies, ISP's, hospitals, stuff like that) use. It would probably make your DS see every wifi hotspot for a mile around... And probably get you in trouble with the FCC in the US for your WIFI broadcasting into cordless phones and microwaves because it's so powerful.

Note: The amp I linked to is EXTREME overkill, and would probably end up blowing out your DS's wifi module from receiving too much power. Think of it like listening to heavy metal music with a set of headphones that have stadium speakers, turned up to 11!

 

[topgunroofm]

interesting

 

[Maz7006]

You wouldn't walk around with it like that. It's mainly for playing it at home, where you're leeching your neighbor's WiFi (which I assume is the point of this modification).

+1, definitely the reason behind this mod.

 

[topgunroofm]

Though having the mod is useful anywhere (ex. cafe w/ wifi) just cover it up

 

[Tokiopop]

Foil - smooth and shiney. That's going to relfect the WiFi radio waves, not imrpove them. You will see a worse signal.

 

[Esoth]

Foil - smooth and shiney. That's going to relfect the WiFi radio waves, not imrpove them. You will see a worse signal.

You're not being serious, are you? So you think that, because the foil is smooth and shiny, it'll "reflect" the signals? .....

 

[swimmeringer]

Foil - smooth and shiney. That's going to relfect the WiFi radio waves, not imrpove them. You will see a worse signal.

You're not being serious, are you? So you think that, because the foil is smooth and shiny, it'll "reflect" the signals? .....

WiFi does not like things with a smooth and shiny attitude, so, clearly, it will avoid it. WiFi is attracted to rough, dangerous, and edgy foil.






(Joke, i wasn't sure how to word it)

 

[Tokiopop]

Hey, I know! Let's just put the DS into a big giant box of lead. It's metal, so surley it'll make the signal better!!

There's absolutely no point having it external. Think about it, you want to get the best signal, so why would adding more crap to the outside make it better? Wrapping it up wont help. Why do you think the iPod Touch has a small plastic bit on the exterier where the WiFi is, and not metal like the rest of the back? Oh, SNAP!

Here's what I mean.

 

[Martiin]

thats like me making a youtube video of me cutting a hole in the middle of a satellite dish and molding it onto my DS and then going out into public, or staying in my room with a huge-ass satellite stuck on my DS