I found a way to add a third antenna without disassembling the unit...it takes a bit of time to make it though (but good thing is..you don't have to disassemble the unit)...I will post photos later for reference...

MarkS wrote:
On the JH model it's a half-height mini card and very easy to replace, and I'm assuming the JW is the same. Pop off your access panel on the bottom and you'll see. Two screws for the access panel, pop the two antenna wires off the card, two screws release the card which pops up at a 45 degree angle for removal. Installation is reverse of removal.

The Intel Centrino Advanced-N 6200 is a popular replacement...dual band, two antenna wires, 300Mbps capable, etc. There's also the Intel 6300 which I believe is 450Mbps capable but has posts for three antennas - some people have installed a third antenna while others have used the card with just the existing two antennas. Your mileage may vary...

I have the Intel 6200 and it works great paired with a Linksys WRT610N router.

Here it is:



Things you need:
1. PCB (Printed Circuit board) - you can buy at a local electronics hobby shop - I chose this because it is known to be heat resistant but I guess thermoplastics can be used instead, also one reason for using this is so that it would look seamless with the unit itself.
2. Ferric Chloride - to etch the copper side of the PCB (to prevent short circuiting any part of the laptop)..though I left a part for the screw to act as a washer.
3. hacksaw and sandpaper...to cut the PCB to shape and smoothen the edges.
5. antenna with radiating element, I used tyco, you could easily get one off Ebay, usually comes in pairs...but I separated the two because I just need one.
6. glue - to mount the antenna wire in place.
7. double-adhesive tape - to mount the radiating element of the antenna in place.
8. hightemp paint...to mask the wires so that it would look as if factory made (but I had poorly done this I think)

Maybe no need for steps...just by looking at the pictures it could be self-explanatory.

Looks neat doesn't it? 🙂

mf051404 wrote:
I found a way to add a third antenna without disassembling the unit...it takes a bit of time to make it though (but good thing is..you don't have to disassemble the unit)...I will post photos later for reference...

That's pretty cool actually. Homebrewing antennas doesn't always seem to work as expected but if your connection quality has increased then it sounds like you nailed it.

Works well I suppose...improved reception with my old router...on the same location I used to get only around 70% (using system monitor gadget) with the old wifi card, got 90% with two antenna, and now 99% with three...maybe not so scientific. I will still have to test it though with the Linksys E4200 (I think this is the only one that supports up to 450MBPS) for the transmission speed, but I believe the antenna itself is working. My new router will be arriving soon. Could you suggest how to benchmark and what tool to use?

I have now proven that it works...I got linksys E4200...
transmission rate with 3 antenna is 5-6 times compared to that with just 2 antenna...very simple test though just transferred a large file over the network.

mf051404 wrote:
Works well I suppose...improved reception with my old router...on the same location I used to get only around 70% (using system monitor gadget) with the old wifi card, got 90% with two antenna, and now 99% with three...maybe not so scientific. I will still have to test it though with the Linksys E4200 (I think this is the only one that supports up to 450MBPS) for the transmission speed, but I believe the antenna itself is working. My new router will be arriving soon. Could you suggest how to benchmark and what tool to use?

Oh, I'll try to squeeze time for that...I can't promise you yet though 😉

Chastity wrote:
I don't suppose you can make me one? 🙂