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How to Build an Underground Antenna System

A wireless antenna is necessary in order to receive transmissions from a wireless home network that is connected to the Internet. Signals degrade as they travel across distances, which makes interacting with a wireless network from a backyard more prone to failure when the transmitter is inside the house. Build an underground antenna system to amplify and strengthen the wireless signal. Supplies from a hardware shop and an electronics store will be needed, as will tools commonly found in most homes.

Things You'll Need

Plastic tarp
Translucent PVC pipe, 8 feet long, 4-inch diameter
Shielded plastic hose, 1 foot long, 2-inch diameter
2 PVC caps
Antenna wire, 50 feet
Bonding glue
Portable drill, 1/2-inch metal drill bit
Pickaxe
Shovel
Silicone paste sealant
Wireless router

Instructions

- 1
  Place a plastic tarp on the floor in the basement or a work area that is away from residential activity. Place the PVC pipe on the tarp. Insert the shielded plastic hose into one of the ends of the pipe. Push the hose halfway into the pipe.
- 2
  Place one of the two PVC caps on the tarp. Drill a hole through the cap with the portable drill. Apply bonding glue around the rim of the cap. Run the end of the hose through the cap. Place the cap on the end of the pipe and hold it there for two minutes.
- 3
  Run the end of the antenna wire through the hole in the PVC cap and into the hose. Push the wire so that it moves down the length of the pipe until it exits on the other end. Apply bonding glue to the end of the wire. Press the glued end of the wire against the inside of the other PVC cap. Hold the wire against the inside of the cap for two minutes. Let the glue set overnight.
- 4
  Dig a 6-foot-long, 8-inch wide and 6-inch deep ditch in your backyard, using a pickaxe and shovel, that begins next to a back wall of the house. Place the pipe in the trench so that the hose is up against the wall. Cover the trench with the dirt that was removed from it earlier using the shovel. Pat the ground down with the flat side of the shovel.
- 5
  Drill a hole in the base of the wall near the hose with a power drill. Run the antenna wire through the hole. Run the hose through the hole. Seal the hole around the hose with a bead of silicone paste sealant. Repeat this procedure on the other side of the wall where the hose is.
- 6
  Run the antenna wire across the baseboard of the walls until you come to the router connected to the wireless home network. Plug the mini-plug at the end of the antenna wire into the input socket on the back of the router that is designated for use by an external antenna.

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