Having bad Wi-Fi can be quite a headache…
Are you often experiencing problems with your Wi-Fi? Has your Wi-Fi been slow, and not available for you in every corner of your house? Well, there might be a great solution heading your way! These IdeaWorks Long-distance Wi-Fi antennas might be able to solve all of your Wi-Fi problems and make your life way easier!
Having a good Wi-Fi reception is super important, especially since we are all under a lockdown, and many of us are working from home or going to an online school. These IdeaWorks antennas will manage to give you, and your whole family a good Wi-FI reception that will not have any kind of breaks! It is great for travel too since it will enable you to catch hotspots up to a half-mile away!
Are you interested in finding out more information about these wonderful antennas? Well, let’s start that right ahead then!
What is the Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna? IdeaWorks Wi-Fi antennas are powerful Wi-Fi antennas that can easily cover up your whole house with good internet. These antennas have the ability to provide you with the best quality performance available since they follow all of the latest trends and work on the latest technology.
Our Top Pick 02 Ideaworks Long Distance Wi-Fi Antennas
- Ideaworks 83-7183 Long Range Wi-Fi USB Tower Antenna
- Ideaworks 72-6612 Long Distance USB-Powered Wi-Fi Antenna
These antennas are also ideal for trips where you need to have internet access at all times. Let’s present you with the two models of these IdeaWorks antennas that will blow your mind.
1. Ideaworks 83-7183 Long Range Wi-Fi USB Tower Antenna
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What we liked about this antenna
- The fact that this antenna can catch and be connected to a hot spot up to half a mile away from it
- It has a sleek design
- It is easy to install
This Wi-Fi antenna is truly different from the previous antennas that we have tested. Namely, this antenna is a very powerful long-range Wi-Fi and USB tower antenna that we have not seen so far. Let’s see what it can do, and how powerful it is actually.
The design and the performance
Let’s first start off with the design and the dimensions of this antenna. This antenna is around 2.25 inches wide and around 12 ounces heavy. It is only available in black color, and it has been released for the first time back in 2008. The slim design of this antenna makes it perfect for everyday use. Because of this design, you can easily attach it to a window with the powerful suctions cups that are a part of the antenna.
You can easily connect this antenna to hot spots even if they are half a mile away, this is a pretty impressive feature that not many antennas possess. As you can see, due to the size and the design of this antenna, we can easily say that it is perfect for travel and for everyday use as well since it can extend and strengthen your Wi-Fi reception.
Besides that, this antenna also includes a removable stand and a 10ft USB cable as well. Namely, the installation is also a piece of cake. Alongside the antenna in the box, you will be also receiving a software installation CD which you can install into your computer. Have in mind that this antenna supports both Mac and Windows operative systems.
We are glad that we got to test out this antenna because the Wi-Fi strength that we received all thanks to it was out of this world. The Wi-Fi was super fast as well, and we could even download large movies in just a couple of minutes instead of the hours that would take us with our old Wi-Fi antenna. You will be able to enjoy your wireless internet anywhere in your home, and even in your backyard!
Highlight Features
- This antenna is able to connect to hop spots up to half a mile away
- It is ideal for travel and everyday use
- You will receive a 10-foot USB cable alongside the antenna
- This antenna also has a removable stand
- This antenna supports and is compatible with Windows and Mac software
- It is a long-range Wi-Fi antenna
- It has a slim, modern design
- This antenna can also be quickly attached to any window with the powerful suction cups
[Sample buyer review… “My Highest Recommended Product For Wireless Dead Zones. This product meets all of the expectations that I had written down. It connects my laptop and desktop to surrounding wifi and hotspot locations. My laptop was not reaching a signal network from the basement but got a 5-bar signal once I attached this. Do make sure to disable other wireless adapters that may be programmed into your computer as I find that did interfere with installation and usage at first. They recommend that in the instructions as well. I love the 10-foot cord as this provides flexibility in deciding where to place it. The suction cups were very reliable when I decided I wanted to stick them underneath a table, facing them horizontally. I bought two and found that both found internet connections on all 4 computers that I used them on. Both reached out about 1/2 mile as advertised.”]
2. Ideaworks 72-6612 Long Distance USB-Powered Wi-Fi Antenna
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What we liked about this antenna
- The fact that it is super strong
- The signal was amazing
- We have had stable Wi-Fi all the time which did not have any kind of disconnections
Now, this IdeaWorks Wi-Fi antenna might be an even better one than the previous antenna. It is truly something magnificent, and you can just carry it around wherever you want to. Yes, it is a bit bigger than the previous one, but, if you want to have Wi-Fi anywhere you go, this antenna is probably the perfect choice for you! It certainly made our lives easier.
The design and the performance
Let’s see and talk about the design of this antenna for a bit, and then we’ll go straight into the specifications. So, this antenna weighs around 1.5 pounds and is around ten inches wide. It is a somewhat big antenna, as you can see, but, it is pretty lightweight which makes it easier to carry it around with you. It is available only in white color, and the whole design is actually really practical.
When it comes to the packaging in which this antenna arrives, it contains everything that you will need in order to set it up properly. The 25 inches long USB cable is there, the detachable desktop stand is also included, and, most importantly, the CD with the installation must be in the box as well as the user manual. The user manual should be able to help you by making the whole installation process a lot easier for you.
This antenna is simply perfect because it allows you to tap into hot spots almost anywhere. Since it has a range of nearly 3000 ft, or, half a mile if you want, it can easily enable you to connect to any kind of public Wi-Fi. You will be covered with it, and it will be as strong as if you were standing right next to a Wi-Fi router.
This antenna can work indoors, as well as outdoors. So, if you are, perhaps, going camping, and you want to watch a movie with your friends on your laptop net to the campfire; well, all that you need to do is to set up this bad boy of an antenna, connect it to your laptop and find the nearest hotspot. You will be able to enjoy your evening watching your favorite movies while having strong WiFi.
As you can see, this antenna is perfect for travel, as well as your home. It does not matter where you are, you will always have good Wi-FI. Having one of these around can truly make your life way easier, and simpler. Even when your home Wi-Fi is acting out, you can take this antenna, connect it to your computer, and even have a stronger connection than your original Wi-Fi. These antennas are truly remarkable things that everyone should have in their homes.
Highlight Features
- The 25-inch USB cable comes with the antenna in the box
- The CD installation comes with the antenna in the box
- This antenna is perfect for older homes, big homes, and even for trips or traveling
- It is compatible with Windows operating systems only.
- This antenna cannot work on other operating systems such as Mac.
- This is a long-distance Wi-FI antenna
- It has a range of nearly 3000 feet (half a mile)
- You can even access distant public Wi-Fi networks with this antenna
- It can work indoors and outdoors
- You will also receive a desktop stand in the box alongside the antenna
For the technically inclined:
This is a Ralink-based card capable of working out of the box with Kali and the like a driver CD is included but the driver can also be found freely online under the brand MediaTek Drivers allow for a duel Client/AP mode”]
Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna setup
And, this is the whole process of setting up your IdeaWorks long-distance WiFi antenna. It is pretty simple, and anyone can do it in just a couple of minutes!
- The first thing that you need to do is to take all of the items out of the box.
- Next, simply place your Wi-Fi antenna onto a flat surface. The detachable desktop stand should be included in the box with the antenna, if you want, connect the stand with it.
- The USB cable that you have received in the box as well should be long enough to cover up the distance between your antenna and your computer. Take it and connect the antenna to your computer by plugging it in.
- Install the software that is needed. (check the next section of the article if you did not receive a CD with the software installation)
- Your computer will be able to connect to the hotspots up to a half-mile away!
Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna software download
If there is a chance that you do not receive a software installation CD in the box alongside of your Ideawoks Wi-FI antenna, you do not have to worry! There are other ways to get that software. For example, we have found a website that offers all of the IdeaWorks Wi-Fi antenna software for free, and all that you have to do is download it. Click HERE to visit the website.
Of course, you have to find your operative system, and then click the download button that should be located right next to that operative system’s name.
Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna windows
There is a chance that the installation CD that you have received alongside the antenna does not match to the Windows operative system that you have on your computer. Some of the users have had similar problems to this one, as they were receiving a CD installation drive for Windows 8, and they have had a different version on their PC.
We think that this was an honest mistake made while packing up the boxes with the antennas. Not to worry, this can be solved in the blink of an eye, there are several things that you can do.
Have in mind that the second antenna that we have presented you with today is only available and compatible with Windows 7, Vista, and XP versions of this operative system. You cannot connect this antenna to any other kind of operative system, or to newer versions of Windows. You might have to install a new drive on your computer if you want to connect it to Windows 10 perhaps.
The first thing that you might do is to contact the IdeaWorks customer service where they will give you all of the information that you might need, and assist you in any way possible. Or, you can go online and search for a download file from which you can install the drivers onto your computer. There are many websites that can offer you the right installation that is the right one for your operative system.
Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna manual
Of course, if you have any kind of trouble with installing the software of your antenna onto your computer, you can easily see a step-by-step guide in the user manual that you should have received in the box alongside the antenna. That user manual is also available in PDF format, and we have managed to find it.
So, just in case if your user manual is not where it is supposed to be, visit this page for a further installation guide.
Ideaworks Wi-Fi antenna driver
If you have plugged your IdeaWorks Wi-Fi antenna, and you see that it is not connecting the way that it is supposed to, the problem is probably the driver. You might have to update it to the latest version.
- In order to do so, if you have a Windows operating system, go to the Device Manager and find your antenna in the list of the connected devices.
- Once you have found your antenna, you will need to right-click on it so that you can open up a small menu. Find the Update Driver option from that drop-down menu and click on it.
- You will be probably taken to your browser where the computer itself is going to look for drivers, let it find one, and the installation process will begin shortly afterward.
This should solve your problem with an outdated driver.
Our take on the Ideaworks WiFi Antennas
And now, let’s talk for a bit about our experience with these wonderful antennas shall we?
Why do you need these antennas and why should you buy them?
The answer to this question is super simple you need these antennas in order to have good Wi-Fi access anywhere you go in your house. We of all people know how having bad WI-Fi can be such a headache, and not having Wi-Fi at all sucks even more, and we really appreciate the things that these antennas were able to do for us.
If you are one of those people that simply does not like the way their Wi-FI router works at home and would like to have a better, stronger router, or find an alternative for that problem, you should for sure consider one of these as your next purchase. We totally stand by all of the things that we have said, and we recommend these antennas to everyone that might have found themselves in this text.
How we picked and tested these antennas
These antennas were tested on the west coast, in Los Angeles to be precise. We live in a big house that really does need a strong antenna in order to be covered with wireless internet, and we got exactly that with these antennas.
Namely, both of these antennas were really strong, and they have managed to cover up our entire house with fast Wi-Fi. We have been craving this for years, and you cannot even imagine our happiness when we found out that we can freely walk around the house without the fear of losing the internet on our phones. These antennas have truly made our lives way easier and simpler!
We also decided to go on a small trip to the nearest nature resort in order to see how these antennas will act. They worked pretty much the same, and the fact that we were now in a rural area did not distract it from giving us good Wi-Fi and a hotspot.
Is there a better alternative?
We were able to find another brand of Wi/Fi antennas that might have a somewhat similar quality to these IdeaWorks ones. You can check out this Bearifi BearExtander Outdoor Wi/Fi antenna that is, as well, compatible with Windows, Mac, and also IOS, and Android operative systems.
This antenna is a long-range Wi/Fi antenna with amazing power that uses the BearExtender technology so that it can cover up your whole house with a good quality Wi/Fi.
Conclusion of the Ideaworks WiFi Antennas Reviews
Let’s say that we got the quality that we have expected from these antennas. They have been working perfectly well for us, and they have shown us a truly great performance. With one of these antennas, you will for sure always have a happy house covered with wireless WiFi.
These antennas can be very helpful especially if you have kids and somehow your home Wi-Fi router breaks, and it will take days before the handyman can come and check it out. Your impatient kids might go nuts without WI-FI for that long, but this antenna can save you a lot of trouble. You can just plug it into your kids’ computer and enable them free Wi-Fi until your own gets fixed!
As you could have seen from this IdeaWorks WiFI Long-distance antenna review, these antennas are super easy to set up, and they support both Mac and Windows operative systems.
We are sure that if you maybe decide to get one of these, that you will be as happy as we were when we tested them!
FAQs related to Ideaworks WiFi Antennas
1. How should Wi-Fi antennas be positioned?
Wi-Fi antennas should not be placed straight upward, they need to be positioned at a certain angle against the horizontal line. For example, we recommend you to position your antenna at 45-60 degrees following the horizontal line, of course.
2. Do high-gain Wi-Fi antennas work?
Yes, these antennas can work. But, it all depends on your application. A utility gain for an ideal antenna will be sent RF energy equally in all of the directions. If your antenna does not do that, there is a chance that it will not work the way it is supposed to. You need to check your application and installation again in that case.
3. Can I use a satellite dish as a Wi-Fi antenna?
Well, there is in fact a way to turn your old satellite dish into a new Wi-Fi antenna. You will need to add a wireless USB adapter and screw it to your satellite dish, use the USB cable to connect those two, and install a separate software that will help the adapter recognize the new WiFI network. You can try and look for the whole process online.
4. How far can Wi-Fi antennas reach?
It depends on the type of WiFi antenna. Some antennas have a wider, longer-range while, on the other hand, others do not. You should check with the manufacturer for the antenna’s specifications.
5. Can a TV antenna be used for Wi-Fi?
No, a regular TV antenna cannot be used as a WiFI router or source. You can use a rabbit ear TV antenna to pick up a Wi-Fi signal.
Photo: amazon.com