DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF GSM/ WIFI

SIGNAL BOOSTER
(CASE STUDY: FPI ENGINEERING COMPLEX)

OBASAN KEHINDE OLUSEGUN

H/EE/17/0998

THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING,

SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY
THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC ILARO, OGUN STATE.

AUGUST 2019
DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION OF GSM/ WIFI SIGNAL BOOSTER
(CASE STUDY: FPI ENGINEERING COMPLEX)

BY:

OBASAN KEHINDE OLUSEGUN

H/EE/17/0998

A PROJECT REPORT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF

THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF HIGHER NATIONAL
DIPLOMA (HND) IN THE DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL
ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING, SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
TECHNOLOGY, THE FEDERAL POLYTECHNIC ILARO, OGUN
STATE.

AUGUST 2019
 CERTIFICATION

This is to certify that this project was carried out by Obasan Kehinde Olusegun under

the supervision of Engr. O.P. Aiyelabowo PhD. in the department of Electrical

Electronics Engineering.

…………………………………

Supervisor’s Signature and Date

Engr O.P Aiyelabowo PhD.

…………………………………………

Head of Department’s Signature and Date

Engr O.P Aiyelabowo PhD.

ii
 DEDICATION

This project is dedicated to Almighty GOD, the Alpha and Omega, the Author and

Finisher of every good things for seeing me through the duration of my program, it’s

been all by His Grace.

iii
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

All glory and adoration ascribed to Almighty God who has made it possible for me to

accomplish this program.

Special thanks to my parents; Engr Wale OBASAN and especially my mother

(Evang. (Mrs) OBASAN Grace Abimbola) who singlehandedly shouldered me

through sacrifice and perseverance since childhood, I am forever indebted to your

courage and endurance, more fruits to enjoy in joy. To my siblings; (Sis

Aanuoluwapo, Bro Tosin, Bro Biola, Sis Adeola and Revd Adebowale) and most

importantly my twin brother (OBASAN Taiwo James_Yakub) I appreciate you for

your unquantifiable unceasing supports, prayers and financial assistance. May the

Almighty keep and sustain us.

My thanks to my admirable, indefatigable pastor and adviser (Evang. & Mrs Oludare

Oluwaloga), great thanks for your support, encouragement and prayers.

Great and sincere appreciation goes to my Supervisor and Head of Department,

Electrical Electronics Engineering; Engr O.P Aiyelabowo PhD, may the Lord bless

you for your care, favor and assistance shown unto me throughout my stay here for

my HND program especially, during this project. Your impacts formed a great

monument in my career.

My profound appreciation to Engr Franklin A. Ajibodu for his constant care, advice

and support during the project design and implementation, may the Almighty bless

and increase all that is yours. You are a great motivation, I cherish you.

I will sincerely acknowledge the fatherly hand of my lecturer turned father, Pastor

Ephesus A. Fatunmbi PhD., may your children receive support wherever they go.

iv
To my household of faith, Methodist Campus Fellowship (both in Ilaro and

nationwide), MCF FPI Overcomers’ Generation (both executives and workers), I’m

delighted that we met. May we continue to enjoy abundant Life in CHRIST.

I will not underestimate the support received from the staff of Weights & Measures

Department, Federal Ministry of Industry, Trade & Investment led by Engr M.S Sidi,

and the other members of staff (Engr Qahar Gbolahan Adamoh, Mr Salim Muktar, Mr

Friday Eneche, Mr Musa, Mr Abba, Madam Tina, Mrs Nwachukwu Mrs Chinyere,

Mr John Enabulu (an adviser and confidant), Mr Timothy, Mr Mike, Mr Ayodele, Mr

Sam) and others. Your communal supports and encouragements helped me a long

way.

I want to also appreciate my partner and friend; Kareem Victoria Idowu, thanks for

standing with me through times, your intercession is remarkable.

Peace be unto everyone at Hephzibah Lodge, The Boys’ Brigade Cadet (FPI) and my

friends in Ilaro (especially Agbeyangi Nathaniel Ayooluwa), my colleagues “Elect set

19”. We’ll meet at the top.

To all that partook in this success story that the space couldn’t contain, I appreciate

you all, let’s do more together. Thank you all.

v
 ABSTRACT

There is a great need by GSM and Wi-Fi users in and around the Engineering
complex in Federal Polytechnic Ilaro for an optimization of signal reception. In the
course of the little research and observations carried out, it was observed that signal
reception at this point is ironic to its neighboring building (i.e. Engineering
departmental blocks) as signal reception have been boosted in the aforementioned
place, leaving the complex (especially, the block of offices and laboratories) a blind
spot because the building is made up of reinforced concrete with solid metal
framework. From the understanding of telecommunication signal propagation, it will
be recalled that such high-rise buildings and metal or reinforced concrete creates a
divergence to the travelling waves from the nearby transmitting antennas. This
project is meant to solve the problem of poor or weak signal reception in the building
by creating an uprising receiving antenna for the building which will transmit
through a coaxial cable to a transmitting antenna situated in the middle of the
building thereby working on the principle of a signal repeater.

vi
 Table of Contents

Title page . i

CERTIFICATION.........................................................................................................ii

DEDICATION..............................................................................................................iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT............................................................................................iv

ABSTRACT..................................................................................................................vi

Table of Contents.........................................................................................................vii

List of Tables..................................................................................................................x

List of Figures...............................................................................................................xi

CHAPTER 1...................................................................................................................1

INTRODUCTION..........................................................................................................1

1.1 Background Information of study...................................................................1

1.2 Statement of the Problem................................................................................2

1.3 Significance/ Justification of Project...............................................................2

1.4 Objective of the Project...................................................................................3

1.5 Scope of the project.........................................................................................3

1.6 Limitation of the Project..................................................................................3

1.7 Definition of Terms.........................................................................................3

Network antenna:...................................................................................................4

Coaxial Cable:........................................................................................................4

Cable Connectors:..................................................................................................4

vii
 LM386 IC:..............................................................................................................5

The boosting / amplifying circuit:..........................................................................5

The Power circuit:..................................................................................................5

CHAPTER 2...................................................................................................................6

LITERATURE REVIEW...............................................................................................6

2.0 Introduction to Signal Boosting.......................................................................6

2.1 Classification of Antenna Boosters.................................................................7

2.1.1 Mobile Phone/ GSM Booster...................................................................7

2.1.2 UHF/VHF Signal Boosting......................................................................8

2.1.3 Wi-Fi Antenna Boosters...........................................................................9

2.2 Antenna theory..............................................................................................10

2.2.1 Antenna radiation pattern.......................................................................11

2.2.2 Antenna Advantages and Disadvantages...............................................11

2.3 Historical Development.................................................................................13

2.4 Related Works..............................................................................................17

CHAPTER 3.................................................................................................................21

METHODOLOGY.......................................................................................................21

3.1 Design Analysis.............................................................................................21

3.1.1 Site Survey.............................................................................................21

3.1.2 Signal Booster System Layout...............................................................24

3.1.3 Designing the schematic and layout diagram of System Units..............24

viii
 3.1.3.1 Antenna Design.................................................................................24

3.1.3.2 The boosting circuit design................................................................26

3.2 Selection of Materials....................................................................................30

3.2.1 Antenna Material selection.....................................................................30

3.2.2 Other Materials and Components Used.................................................31

3.3 Construction Procedure.................................................................................32

3.3.1 Antenna Construction Procedure...........................................................32

3.3.2 Signal booster circuit construction.........................................................33

`3.3.3 Soldering of Components to the Vero Board.........................................33

3.4 Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation........................................34

CHAPTER FOUR........................................................................................................35

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION..................................................................................35

4.1 Performance Testing......................................................................................35

4.1.1 Antenna Testing.....................................................................................35

4.1.2 Signal Testing.........................................................................................36

4.2 Presentation of Results..................................................................................37

4.3 Problems Encountered...................................................................................38

CHAPTER FIVE..........................................................................................................39

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS.........................................................39

5.1 Conclusion.....................................................................................................39

5.3 Recommendations.........................................................................................39

ix
References....................................................................................................................40

x
 List of Tables

Table 1: different frequency range in practise.........................................................10

Table 2: Antenna types advantages and disadvantages............................................13

Table 3: Bill of Engineering Measurement & Evaluation (BEME).........................34

xi
 List of Figures

Figure 1:(a-d) Signal strength around the laboratory in the Engineering Complex

using RF Signal Speed Detector Application Software.:....................22

Figure 2:(a-c) Signal received at the top of Engineering Complex building using RF

Signal Speed Detector Application Software.....................................23

Figure 3: Block diagram of a signal booster.............................................................24

Figure 4: Circuit diagram of LM386 IC....................................................................28

Figure 5: Schematic diagram of LM386 IC.................................................................27

Figure 6: Pin layout and functions of LM386 IC......................................................27

Figure 7: Electrical characteristics of LM386...........................................................28

Figure 8:(a-b) Boosting circuit construction layout...............................................29

Figure 9: power supply unit (enclosed with heat sink to remove heat).....................29

Figure 10: Installed Booster Circuit showing coaxial cable fed into/ from it..............33

Figure 11: antenna mounted on a pole at the roof of the building...............................35

Figure 12: Receiving antenna in front of the walkway................................................36

Figure 13:(a-d) measured values of signal strength after construction....................37

xii
 CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background Information of study

Wireless signals are susceptible to a lot of data loss, causing the necessities for

boosters in locations affected. This is because wireless signals can be affected by

topography; tall trees, tall buildings, weather, etc. Also, the wireless network cards

that come inbuilt in computer systems and other wireless devices have limited power

and range.[CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

Furthermore, the built-in antenna for television sets and cell phones have limited

power and range. Even the transmitters of some television, network operators or

internet service providers may not be strong enough in a rural area.

Therefore, if it happens that you find yourself in such a place (usually called a black

spot) and require a good reception, then an antenna booster would be the right choice.

The fact being that no broadcast station, network provider or internet service provider

would want to waste funds and infrastructure on an area in which it would not stand to

benefit much from financially. Hence the only option left for a person in such a

situation will be to use an antenna booster.[CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

Also, a work situation in which one cannot access an access point (this is simply a

device that provides internet access to wireless users) since the position of the router

is far from one’s reach or obstructed by walls, a Wi-Fi antenna booster can be a

solution in such a situation.

Good telecommunication signal reception offers great advantages and ease in doing

business to its users ranging from surfing the internet to efficient phone calls and

other GSM usage. Various conditions affect signal receptions in different areas due to

1
their different environmental and climatic conditions ranging from topography,

weather, humidity, vegetation, uprising buildings etc.

Radio frequency radiations from GSM base transceiver stations (BTS) and Wi-Fi (e.g.

NITDA or NCC Wi-Fi) experience certain amount of loss around concrete reinforced

buildings. These losses can be attributed to two principal factors; the height of the

building and the penetrating material of buildings. In this work, measurements were

carried out to determine the signal loss in multi-partitioned buildings and classrooms

around foliage areas in Engineering building complex of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro.

The study was carried out using radio frequency speed detector (RF Signal Tracker)

application software installed in an android smart phone.

1.2 Statement of the Problem

Many have become accustomed to weak signal receptions due to lack of adequate

boosters and bad environmental conditions like foliage weather conditions, trees and

high-rise buildings. To access the internet, such available signals are confined to a

certain location or cramped space in this condition, so there is a need to boost signal

in such area. In the past few years, the growing popularity of wireless communication

usage has caused overcrowding and weak signals. In the case study (Engineering

Complex Building), this experience has been adapted to and the essence of this

project is to solve this age-long problem.

1.3 Significance/ Justification of Project

The project (signal booster) will increase the use of telecommunication among

citizens of the polytechnic located around the engineering complex and its environs

by improving the GSM and Wi-Fi usage in the area. This signal booster can improve

the signal of cell phone signal inside the building from 1 bar to full and Wi-Fi from

0.20KHz to 2.46GHz.

2
1.4 Objective of the Project

The aim of this project is to design and construct a wireless signal booster for the

Engineering building complex which will aid optimal use and ease of internet and

GSM coverage. It is to solve the problem of weak or no signal in this building and its

immediate environment using an antenna designed with a LM386 Integrated Circuit

for amplifying signal from the antenna and transmitting it over a length of coaxial

cable to different blocks of the building.

1.5 Scope of the project

This project is aimed at providing effective and efficient network access to users

around the Engineering Complex building using a series of interconnected antennas

and a signal booster circuit with LM386 IC as the main component for the amplifying

process.

1.6 Limitation of the Project

This project is limited to operate between 2GHz and 4GHz frequency due to its band

pass. The limitation of this project is that it can only function when there is a power

supply to power the Integrated Circuit, the metals used for the antenna are made of a

conductive material which implies that they are subjected to rusting or corrosion due

to aging and weather factors.

1.7 Definition of Terms

The construction of this great masterpiece consists of a lot of components joined

together to accomplish the given goal of boosting the signal reception in the

Engineering building complex at the west campus of Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro. The

components are highlighted below;

3
Network antenna:

The antenna is a very important component of communication systems. It is an

electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. In

another words, an antenna is a device that is used to transform an RF signal, travelling

on a conductor, into an electromagnetic wave in free space (transmit mode), and to

transform an RF electromagnetic wave into an electrical signal (receive mode). It is

usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver. In transmission, a radio

transmitter supplies an electric current oscillating at radio frequency (i.e. high

frequency AC) to the antenna's terminals, and the antenna radiates the energy from

the current as electromagnetic waves (radio waves). In reception, an antenna

intercepts some of the power of an electromagnetic wave in order to produce a tiny

voltage at its terminals that is applied to a receiver to be amplified. An antenna can be

used for both transmitting and receiving.

The choice of antenna is very important for a transmitting - receiving communication

system. The antenna must be able to radiate or receive efficiently so the power

supplied is not wasted.[ CITATION Vita12 \l 1033 ].

Coaxial Cable:

This is the means of transporting the signal from the receiving antenna to the

transmitting antenna.

Cable Connectors:

It is used for linking the cables together with the antenna, it also joins two cables

together.

4
LM386 IC:

This is the major component in the amplifying circuit which does the signal

processing. It is a power amplifier designed for use in low voltage consumer

applications, having a gain of 20 for internal settings and with the addition of an

external capacitor and resistor between pins 1 and 8 will increase the gain to any

value from 20 to 200. [CITATION Tex17 \l 1033 ]

The boosting / amplifying circuit:

This circuit comprises of various components which includes resistors, LM386 IC and

capacitors soldered on a Vero board.

The Power circuit:

This is the circuit or section of the design that is responsible for supplying the

necessary power (voltage and current) to the boosting / amplifying circuit. It supplies

15V – 18V and 3.5A power to the circuit.

5
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.0 Introduction to Signal Boosting

The necessity for mobile and wireless infrastructures in this modern society cannot be

overstated, statistics has shown that in many countries, the use of mobile phone is

higher than the fixed one. They are used everywhere, not only outdoor, but also

indoor. In these environments, customers demand a good coverage and quality of

service. Though, there are many existing models, none of them have been able to

efficiently describe signal penetration loss in buildings. The signal loss due to

building materials constitutes about 31% of the total GSM signal loss. This is because

signal penetration loss is associated with the indoor environment [CITATION

PEl15 \t \l 1033 ].

It is a common fact that end users of GSM are usually faced with quality network

challenges when indoor due to signals obstructions caused by building materials. This

is because when a GSM signal passes through a non-transparent medium to a free

zone electromagnetic wave, it experiences a loss known as penetration loss. Among

these losses, the most important is building material penetration loss, as they affect

the signal strength received inside the building. (outdoor-to-indoor reception)

[CITATION Ele15 \l 1033 ].

Penetration loss contributes to the overall loss of a communication link. Building

penetration loss accounts for the increase in attenuation of the received signal

observed when the mobile is moved from outside to inside a building. The Radio

Frequency (RF) signal strength received inside a building due to an external

transmitter are affected by various factors. These factors according to [CITATION

Ele15 \l 1033 ] are as follows:

6
Frequency of Transmission: Penetration loss decrease slightly with an increase in

transmission frequency.

Height: Generally, penetration loss decreases with height, because the interference

caused by adjacent structures reduces with an increasing height and the signal strength

becomes stronger because Line-of-sight (LOS) path is likely to exist above the urban

clutter. [ CITATION AMD91 \l 1033 ]

Building Structure and Internal Layout: Propagation into buildings are said to have

more complex multipath structure than that of the terrestrial mobile radio channel.

Propagation of RF waves inside buildings are characterized by fluctuations over short

travel distances (a few wavelengths) or short time duration (on the order of seconds)

[CITATION PEl \l 1033 ]

It is due to the building structures type of construction materials, layout of rooms, and

the furniture. Hence the signal loss inside a factory building is quite different from the

loss inside a residential building due to the differences in the structure and the

materials used in the construction. [CITATION Promise17 \l 1033 ]

2.1 Classification of Antenna Boosters

Antenna boosters can be classified by the frequency spectrum in which they operate.

i. Mobile phone/ GSM booster

ii. UHF/VHF antenna booster

iii. Wi-Fi antenna boosters

[CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

2.1.1 Mobile Phone/ GSM Booster

One of the most popular applications of the antenna booster is in mobile phones. A

mobile phone booster is also known as a cell phone booster or a cell phone amplifier

and is an electronic device that has been designed to increase the signal strength for a
7
cell phone. In areas with poor coverage, such as rural areas and buildings with thick

walls which block signals, antenna boosters are used to help people avoid dropping

calls. They are also useful for those people who live or work outside the range of cell

phone tower, or for people who travel a lot. The difference lies in the size of the

antenna and the strength of the signal boosting power. There are cell phone antennas

available to connect directly to a cell phone. A physical connection of some sort,

typically coaxial cable, is then used to connect each antenna to a signal booster.

Together, the components that make up a cellular repeater are known as a bi-

directional amplifier (BDA). A good cell phone booster needs to have a high

frequency level to ensure that

the user to capture even the weakest of signals. The most common frequencies are

824 – 849MHz and 1850 – 1910MHz, which is the standard for most boosters on the

market. The average gain for a good mobile phone booster is no less than 25dB to

ensure that the antenna captures the incoming radio waves and turn them into a

stronger signal. The ideal boosters on the market are wireless and provide signal

boosting to everyone within range of the antenna. These boosters are used by many

network carriers in the US (AT&T, Verizon and Sprint) and in Nigeria by all network

carriers.

2.1.2 UHF/VHF Signal Boosting

A UHF/VHF booster is a device that is designed to boost the quality and clarity of

both UHF and VHF signals. The amplifier helps to buffer signals so they can be

easily identified and selected, while also helping to increase the stability of the

signals for transmission or reception. One of the most common applications of this

type of technology is with the use of radio and television antennas that make it

possible to receive over the air broadcasts that are both stable and clear.

Antennas for the Very High Frequency (VHF) and Ultra High Frequency (UHF)
8
bands are similar in many ways to High Frequency (HF) antennas. The main

differences are the use of smaller antennas for VHF/UHF, and the losses are caused

by poor feed lines and elevated SWRs (or both) are more critical.

The main function of any UHF/VHF booster is to enhance the signal frequencies

that are within the range of the audio or visual equipment in use. Usually installed

either internally in the communication equipment or configured as an external

device that serves as an intermediary between an antenna and the equipment

itself, a solid state booster will make it possible to lock onto signals that may be weak,

increase the gain on that signal, and then deliver the clarified

signal to the receiving equipment. The result is that the audio and visual

components of the transmission are enhanced, making it easier for the recipient

to make use of that transmission.[CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

One of the easiest ways to understand how a UHF/VHF booster functions is to

consider the use of the device to pick up over the air television broadcasts. In

order to accomplish this task, the end user will attach an antenna with the

capability of picking up television broadcast signals originating within a certain

geographical range. By attaching the antenna to the UHF/VHF booster then

connecting the booster to the television set, it is possible to boost the strength of

the signals. The result is that the images and sound received from the

broadcast are more stable and of greater quality than would be possible to

achieve otherwise. In fact, the booster may be able to strengthen weak signals

that would not be picked up if the booster were not in use.

Note: UHF ranges from 300MHz to 3GHz, VHF ranges from 30 to 300 MHz.

9
 2.1.3 Wi-Fi Antenna Boosters

This is the type of antenna booster operates at the 2.4GHz and 5GHz band of the

frequency spectrum. The term Wi-Fi booster can refer to a replacement antenna that

produces a significant signal gain. Antenna based boosters are typically designed to

replace stock antennas on wireless routers. These boosters typically require an

external power source to boost the signal although some could use the power from a

USB port. Wi-Fi boosters can also act as repeater devices that can be placed at the

edge of a wireless signal to rebroadcast it into a dead zone. Passive antenna

modifications often take the form of parabolic dishes. [CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

With these numerous uses of wireless network, this project will focus on making the

students and staff of the Institution around Engineering building complex to be able to

use internet facilities provided by the school management optimally just like the case

of Muritala International Airport, Lagos which has free wireless internet access for

passenger travelling. But still, many users find it difficult to use thus services

optimally due to various factors as highlighted in section 1.2 Statement of the

Problem).

Below is the table showing various frequency bandwidth operational information;

Table 1: different frequency range in practise.

Source:[ CITATION Google19 \l 1033 ]

IEEE Release Date Operating Throughput Effective Range

Wireless Frequency Speeds (indoor
Throughput
Specification Range (maximum) distance
Speeds
in
meters)
802.11a 1999 5.15 GHz - 5.47 54 Mbps 23 Mbps 25 meters
GHz
802.11b 1999 2.4 GHz – 2.5 11 Mbps 5 Mbps 35 meters
GHz

10
802.11g 2003 2.4 GHz – 2.5 54 Mbps 23 Mbps 25 meters
GHz
802.11n 2007 2.4 GHz or 540 Mbps 100 Mbps 50 meters
(inappropriate) 5GHz
2.2 Antenna theory

Antenna is a wide terminology used for any wire or combinations of wires that is used

for the purpose of radio wave radiation, either for transmitting or receiving. It is a

means of communication.

2.2.1 Antenna radiation pattern

An antenna radiation pattern is defined in the IEEE standard as “the spatial

distribution of a quantity which characterizes the electromagnetic field generated by

an antenna”. In other words, an antenna radiation pattern or antenna pattern is defined

as a mathematical function or a graphical representation of the radiation properties of

the antenna as a function of space coordinates. Radiation properties include power

flux density, radiation intensity, field strength, and directivity phase or polarization.

An isotropic radiator is defined as a “hypothetical” lossless antenna having equal

radiation in all directions. Although it is ideal and not physically realizable, it is taken

as a reference for expressing the directive properties of actual antennas.

A directional antenna is one having the property of radiating or receiving

electromagnetic waves more effectively in some directions than in others.

An omnidirectional antenna is defined as one having an essentially non-directional

pattern in a given plane and a directional pattern in any orthogonal plane. An

omnidirectional pattern is a special type of directional pattern.[ CITATION STM12 \l

1033 ]

11
2.2.2 Antenna Advantages and Disadvantages

After the antenna theory, the description of the main types of antennas that can be

used in the sub-GHz bandwidth, a description of the main advantages and

disadvantages of each antenna is shown here.

i. Dipole antenna: this antenna is a very simple chip and presents a good gain.

The main disadvantage is the large size at low frequency.

ii. Whip antenna: this antenna presents good performance with a size lower than

a dipole antenna. A good ground plane is necessary to achieve good

performance.

iii. Loop antenna: loop antennas are cheap and not easily detuned by nearby hand

movements. They have the disadvantage of having poor gain, to be very

narrow band and are difficult to tune.

iv. Spiral antenna: spiral antennas have a size lower than a whip antenna and are

wide band. On the negative side, these types of antennas are difficult to feed.

v. Helical antenna: helical antennas are very directive and have good gain.

However, they have a bulky size and are easily detuned by nearby objects.

vi. Microstrip antenna: microstrip antennas have the advantage of being very

cheap and have a simple and thin structure. As a negative, they are very large

at low frequency.

vii. Ceramic antenna: ceramic antennas have the advantage of being separate

components, have a small size and are less affected by environmental factors.

The main disadvantages are the high cost, the medium performance and the

matching function of the PCB size and shape of the ground plane.

viii. Slot antenna: slot antennas have the advantage of size, design simplicity,

robustness and convenient adaption to mass production. The main

12
 disadvantage is the big dimension for low frequency that makes the slot

antenna difficult to manage for frequencies lower than 433 MHz

Various antenna type advantages and disadvantages are summarized in the table

below:

13
 Antenna types Advantages Disadvantages

Dipole antenna a. Very cheap. a. Difficult to design for frequencies

b. Good gain lower than 433MHz.
b. Large size at low frequency
Whip antenna a. Good performance a. High cost

Loop antenna a. Cheap a. Poor gain

b. Not easily detuned by b. Very narrowband
hand movements c. Difficult to tune
Spiral antenna a. Lower size than whip a. Difficult to feed
b. Wide band

Helical a. Very directive a. Bulky size

antenna b. Good gain b. Easily detuned by nearby objects
c. Mechanical construction
Microstrip a. Low manufacturing a. Difficult to design for
antenna cost frequencies lower than 433MHz
b. Simple and very thin b. Large size at low frequency
structure c. Antenna performance and
tuning affected by the PCB
design
Ceramic a. Separate component a. High cost
antenna b. Small size b. Medium performance
c. Less affected by c. Matching function of PCB size
environmental factors and shape of the ground plane
d. Difficult to design for
frequencies lower than
433MHz
Slot antenna a. Design simplicity a. Difficult to design for
b. Robustness frequencies lower than 433MHz
c. Size b. Large size at low frequency

Table 2: Antenna types advantages and disadvantages

Source:[ CITATION STM12 \l 1033 ]

2.3 Historical Development

The history of antenna boosters can be traced back to the 19th century when the term

"repeater" originated with telegraphy and referred to an electromechanical device

used to regenerate telegraph signals [ CITATION Lor78 \l 1033 ]. Use of the term has

continued in telephony and data communications. In telecommunication, the term

14
repeater is defined as an analog device that amplifies an input signal regardless of its

nature (analog or digital), a digital device that amplifies, reshapes, retimes, or

performs a combination of any of these functions on a digital input signal for

retransmission. [ CITATION Fed96 \l 1033 ]. From the definitions above, we see the

synonymous of an antenna booster to a repeater, they basically perform the same

functions. In computer networking, because repeaters work with the actual physical

signal, and do not attempt to interpret the data being transmitted, they operate on the

physical layer which is the first layer of the OSI model. Before the invention of

electronic amplifiers, mechanically coupled carbon microphones were used as

amplifiers in telephone repeaters. After the turn of the century it was found that

negative resistance mercury lamps could amplify, and they were used [CITATION

Sun01 \l 1033 ]

In 1916, the Audion tube repeater was invented and this made transcontinental

telephony practical. In the 1930s, vacuum tube repeaters using hybrid coils became

common, allowing the use of thinner wires.

In the 1950s negative impedance gain devices were more popular, and a transistorized

version called the E6 repeater was the final major type used in the Bell System before

the low cost of digital transmission made all voice band repeaters obsolete. Frequency

frogging repeaters were commonplace in frequency-division multiplexing systems

from the middle to late 20th century.

In 1985, the IEEE 802.11 technology originated, this was as a result of a ruling by the

US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that released the Industrial

Scientific and Medical (ISM) band for unlicensed use [ CITATION Enc14 \l 1033 ].

In 1991, NCR, a computer company that had become a subsidiary of AT&T (former

American Telephone and Telegraph Company) invented the precursor to 802.11

15
intended for use in cashier systems. The first wireless products were under the name

WaveLAN.

Vic Hayes is known as the "father of Wi-Fi", he was involved in designing the initial

standards within the IEEE. [ CITATION Cha14 \l 1033 ]. In 1999, the Wi-Fi Alliance

was formed as a trade association to hold the Wi-Fi trademark under which most

products are sold. [ CITATION WiF14 \l 1033 ]

The term “Wi-Fi” was first used commercially in August 1999, [CITATION USP1 \l

1033 ] and was coined by a brand-consulting firm called Interbrand Corporation.

Wi-Fi for the home began in earnest in 1999 with the release of routers, or wireless

access points, that used technology based on the first two commercial

wireless standards: 802.11a and 802.11b. Computer networking by wire was already

standardized under the code IEEE 802, so Wi-Fi as a subset of computer

networking became IEEE 802.11.

Deciding to start at the beginning of the alphabet for naming the first Wi-Fi protocol,

the IEEE called the first commercial Wi-Fi protocol 802.11a. There were two

frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum that stood out as having the most

promise: the part of the electromagnetic spectrum around 2.4 GHz (2.412 GHz to

2.484 GHz) and the part around 5GHz (5.18 GHz to 5.825 GHz, with gaps in between

several Wi-Fi “channels”). These spectrum ranges are commonly referred to as

2.4GHz and 5GHz frequency bands.

802.11a (created in 1999) uses the 5GHz frequency spectrum. It can operate at

up to 54Mbps, which is more than enough for most high-speed internet, which

typically operates at up to 25Mbps today. However, unless you have line

of sight (LOS) to your 802.11a router, it probably won’t come anywhere near that

speed. 5GHz waves don’t travel nearly as far as 2.4GHz ones do and have bigger

16
issues with going through walls than 2.4 GHz waves do. It was found that 802.11a

devices worked great from a short distance to the wireless router, but at larger

distances or in a large home or office, it would lose the signal, or even if the signal

reached the speed would be greatly diminished. As the range limitations of

802.11a became an issue for the widespread adoption of Wi-Fi devices that

necessitated a second Wi-Fi protocol, 802.11b. [CITATION NDO12 \l 1033 ]

802.11b (created in year 2000) supported only a maximum data transfer rate of

11 Megabits per second (Mbps), though in practice it could achieve about 7Mbps.

Importantly, Wi-Fi 802.11b operates in the 2.4 GHz frequency spectrum, and it

retained its signal much better over longer distances and through walls than 5 GHz

did. Also, back in 2000, the slower speed of 802.11b wasn’t that big of an issue

because “high speed” internet at the time was often running at a more modest 4 to 6

Mbps. If you wanted to transfer large files from within a network, say at an office, it

was much faster to plug into the network using an Ethernet cable. But for Wi-Fi’s

primary purpose (connecting to the internet and transferring small bits of data)

802.11b was more

than enough for most people when it was released.

In 2003, a new wireless standard became operative, it combines some of the

algorithms used in 802.11a to achieve faster data speeds but built upon the

existing 2.4 GHz 802.11b standard, Wi-Fi 802.11g was able to achieve up to the

same 54Mbps speed as 802.11a but travel the same distances as 802.11b. It was,

essentially, the best of both worlds. Router manufacturers made routers that were

802.11b/g capable, so older devices that didn’t support the new Wi-Fi standard could

still work on new routers. At this point Wi-Fi antenna boosters started emerging too.

17
Although not clearly or significantly noted, in 2004 when Wi-Fi became popular,

Wi-Fi antenna boosters began to be used. This was when Mysore became India's

first Wi-Fi-enabled city and second in the world after Jerusalem. A company called

Wi-FiyNet has set up hotspots in Mysore, covering the complete city and a few

nearby villages [CITATION Tec14 \l 1033 ], it is believed that routers, wireless

repeaters and Wi-Fi antenna boosters were in use. Manufacturers, till date have

continued to improve on antenna booster products; including Wi-Fi antenna boosters,

Antenna amplifiers, Mobile phone boosters, UHF/VHF antenna boosters.

“Antenna booster products” is a term used to refer both to antennas themselves as

well as to accessory devices that are essential, important, or useful in operating an

antenna.

2.4 Related Works

There are divers means of improving the network of a geographical area in which

signal boosting is one of it. Numerous research studies of (GSM) signal penetration

losses due to different composite materials which acts as obstructions such as building

materials, woods and constructional structures have been carried out by different

scholars in the past.

[CITATION AMD91 \l 1033 ] investigated propagation into and within buildings at

1800MHz. This was carried out using buildings in the university of Liverpool.

Measurements of the mean signal level were made in rooms and corridors of four

different buildings and were compared with measurements at street level outside.

They successfully used the composite Rayleigh plus log-normal distribution to model

the measured cumulative distributions of all data. The findings were that the average

measured penetration loss at the ground floor level was 13dB and the rate of change

18
of penetration loss with height was 1.4dB per floor and for floor level higher than the

sixth floor, was 0.4dB per floor.

The rate of change of the mean signal level for signals travelling within buildings was

on average of 8.3dB per floor and that the best coverage was obtained by locating the

transmitter in a large room at the center of the building. Though, there was a model to

predict signal attenuation, but their emphasis was on building floor losses and not

penetration loss associated with the building partitions.[CITATION Promise17 \l

1033 ]

[CITATION JBH64 \l 1033 ] measured data and empirical models for 5.85GHz radio

propagation path loss in and around residential areas. In their report, three homes and

two stands of trees were studied for outdoor path loss, tree loss, and house penetration

loss in a narrowband measurement campaign that included 270 local area path loss

measurements and over 276,000 instantaneous power measurements. Their results

could be useful in future wireless planning but there was no evidence that the building

pattern contributed to either signal loss or gain.

[CITATION OOm09 \l 1033 ] studied the investigation of propagation path loss

characteristics of GSM signals at 1.8GHz in Benin City, Nigeria. Their investigation

was done using fifteen different environments which reflect an exhaustive

measurement and good representation of the city. Consequently, the received power

was measured from a distance from the base station for various environments. They

analyzed the data to determine the propagation path loss exponent and path loss

characteristics and they concluded that the path loss of Benin City ranged from 2.8 dB

to 3.7 dB with an average range determined to be 3.8 dB. Though they worked on

path loss, but the results did not show the impact of building loss as well as

penetration loss.

19
[CITATION JHo86 \l 1033 ] studied the variations of signal strength in terms of

shadow or multi path fading using Log Normal and Rayleigh distribution. They

conducted measurements at the center of a football pitch of Adamawa state

University, Mubi in two weeks from 10/01/2010 - 24/01/2010, total of 700

observations were made altogether for two GSM operators namely Glo and Zain, their

investigation revealed that GSM signal strength was attenuated at the chosen location

(where the signal is received) due to the fading phenomenon and the overall result

established that the GSM signal strength received at Adamawa State University was

fairly adequate but not sufficient enough to meet up with customer’s demand. Their

results did not show the impact of building loss as well as penetration loss.

[CITATION VSA03 \l 1033 ], conducted a study of the extra signal attenuation due to

building penetration in conjunction to path loss from the Base Stations to Mobile

Terminals, for different types of buildings and rooms for the (GSM, 900MHz and

1800 MHz) and Universal Mobile Telecommunication Systems (UMTS). In their

study, a statistical model for the signal attenuation through building penetration was

developed using the Log-Normal Distribution.

The dissimilarity of the attenuation per floor, room and building type were critically

examined. The results showed an average attenuation of 5.7 dB for GSM 900 MHz

with a standard deviation of 11.1dB. Though, there was a model to predict signal

attenuation, but their emphasis was on building floor losses and nothing was said

about penetration loss associated with the building wall and partitions. Also, their

work was basically on the comparison of GSM 900MHz and GSM 1800MHz signal

strengths.

[CITATION Promise17 \l 1033 ]

20
[CITATION JOA10 \l 1033 ] conducted measurements to prove the outages that GSM

signals experience at some indoor locations even when there are strong outdoor

receptions. What they said is often traced to the building penetration loss, which

accounts for increased attenuation of received GSM signal level when a mobile signal

device is moved indoor from outdoor.

Measurements of two existing GSM Operators’ signals level were made outside and

inside two selected buildings- concrete and block, which represent the prevalent

building types in Orhuwhorun, Delta State, Nigeria. An android mobile phone with

RF signal tracker software installed in it was used and the results shows an average

loss of 10.62dBm and 4.25dBm for the concrete and block buildings, respectively.

Even though their measurements considered only concrete and block walls, their

results did not account for penetration loss through different wall pattern and

partitions in building.

[CITATION PEl15 \t \l 1033 ]

[ CITATION Att13 \l 1033 ], worked on the Outdoor-to-Indoor Propagation

Characteristics of 850 MHz and 1900 MHz bands in Macro-Cellular Environments.

Four buildings were studied aiming to provide first order statistics of the signal

coverage inside buildings. The results showed that the mean building penetration loss

for the ground floor was about 15 dB, with standard deviation of 3.5 dB. Additionally,

the average rate of the change of penetration loss with height was 0.58 dB per meter.

The results show also that building penetration loss may or may not depend on the

operating frequency in different environments and propagation conditions. In 2015,

further work by [ CITATION Att13 \l 1033 ], showed propagation characteristics of

1900 MHz for both GSM and UMTS Systems. Analysis showed that the mean

building penetration loss for all measured signals at the ground floor was about 16 dB.

21
 CHAPTER 3

METHODOLOGY

3.1 Design Analysis

Every project design comes from an identification of a problem that requires a

solution, there is need to provide a design idea and consider the feasibility of the idea

to solve such problems. All considerations must be critically analyzed with

sustainable solutions, to produce a realistic implementation of the idea not minding

maybe such idea involves minute or complex process and construction. Solving the

identified problem is paramount. In this project the process might be seen by some as

minute or complex by others, the driving force is to eliminate the case study (Federal

Polytechnic Ilaro Engineering Complex Building) from being a signal dead zone and

improving the signal strength received.

3.1.1 Site Survey

i. The layout structure of the Engineering building was observed and considered.

ii. Access points to provide signal boosting to the desired coverage area were

noted.

iii. The physical access points placement (i.e. antenna placement) were marked.

iv. Signal trouble areas, physical construction, environmental challenges and

foliage was observed.

v. Booster network device location was marked in the installation.

vi. The cabling distance was measured.

The figures below depict or shows the signal strength measured at different locations

during the site survey:

22
Figure 1:(a-d) Signal strength around the laboratory in the Engineering Complex
using RF Signal Speed Detector Application Software.:

23
(a) (b)

24

(c) (d)
Figure 2:(a-c) Signal received at the top of Engineering Complex building using RF
Signal Speed Detector Application Software.

(a) (b)

(c)

25
3.1.2 Signal Booster System Layout

The design of the GSM/Wi-Fi signal booster comprises of antennas, the signal

boosting circuit and the splitters.

RECEIVING ANTENNA
(Donor)

SIGNAL BOOSTER
SIGNAL SPLITTER CIRCUITS
(using LM386)

TRANSMITTING POWER SUPPLY UNIT

ANTENNAS

Figure 3: Block diagram of a signal booster

3.1.3 Designing the schematic and layout diagram of System Units

The design analysis of this project is divided into three:

i. Antenna Design

ii. Signal booster circuit design

iii. Transmitting medium design/ survey

3.1.3.1 Antenna Design

In this design, the antennas used are omni-directional antennas to compensate for the

needed efficiency of receiving signals from differs directions. An omnidirectional

antenna is a wireless transmitting or receiving antenna that radiates or intercepts

radio-frequency (RF) electromagnetic fields equally well in all horizontal directions in

a flat, two-dimensional (2D) geometric plane. Omnidirectional antennas are used in

26
most consumer RF wireless devices, including cellular telephone sets and wireless

routers.[ CITATION Mar18 \l 1033 ]

In theory, a vertically oriented, straight conductor such as a dipole antenna measuring

no more than 1/2 wavelength from end-to-end always exhibits omnidirectional

properties in a horizontal (azimuth) plane. Multiple collinear (in-line) vertical dipoles

also exhibit omnidirectional behavior in the azimuth plane; they can offer improved

performance over a single dipole in some applications. If the conductor axis is not

oriented vertically, then the antenna radiates and receives equally well in all directions

in the plane through which the conductor passes at a right angle. However, this ideal

exists only in the absence of obstructions or other nearby conducting objects. In

practice, surrounding objects (such as the user of a cell phone set or a computer next

to a wireless router) distort the radiation and reception pattern.[CITATION Cap14 \l

1033 ]

The donut-shaped elevation pattern shows that a dipole antenna is best used to

transmit and receive from the broadside of the antenna and is very sensitive to

matching horizontal positioning and any movement away from a perfectly vertical

position. At about 45 degrees from perfect verticality, the omni’s signals, both

received and transmitted, will degrade to more than half, antenna gain is the same

during receive and transmit modes.

Physically, dipole antennas are cylindrical and are usually limited in power gain due

to their widespread coverage. They are most commonly used in mobility applications.

The dipole antenna is not a directive antenna, since its power is radiated 360 degrees

around the antenna (one of the reasons for FCC power gain limitations). Dipole

antennas are also the most common culprits in interference issues, due to their

widespread radiated pattern. A mobility device requires a dipole antenna, since there

27
is no way of telling where the next AP will be for connectivity. If a mobile unit

discovers an AP north of its current position, the antenna continues to radiate 360

degrees in all directions, creating noise and/or interference for any other AP in the

area attempting to use the same frequencies and channels.[ CITATION DrP07 \l

1033 ]

With the above affirmations from cooperate authors on omni-directional antenna, it

was concluded that it is best for use in a signal booster system for it to radiate more in

all directions.

The antennas used comprises of omni-directional antennas serving as the input and

output to the circuit. The first functions as a repeater; thereby receiving signals from

the environment at the top of the building and transmitting it through the coaxial cable

serving as the transmitting medium to the boosting circuit. The other serves as the

radiator which radiates the boosted signal to its immediate environment.

3.1.3.2 The boosting circuit design

In this circuit, an amplifying IC was chosen based on the amplification function

needed in the boosting circuit to improve the signal fed into it.

The LM386 IC is a power amplifier designed for use in low voltage consumer

applications. The gain is internally set to 20 to keep external part count low, but the

addition of an external resistor between pins 2 and 3 and capacitor between pins 1 and

8 will increase the gain to any value from 20 to 200. For this course, a 4.7k resistor

and 10uF capacity were considered for this purpose after going through the internal

schematic diagram of the circuit and its manufacturer’s manual. The inputs are ground

referenced while the output automatically biases to one-half the supply voltage, the

capacitor to compensate for its needed voltage supply is 4700uF, 25V capacitor since

the operating voltage of LM386 is just 5V to 18V. The quiescent power drain is only

28
24 mW when operating from a 6-V supply, making the LM386M-1 and LM386MX-1

ideal for battery operation. Below is the schematic diagram of the IC and pin layout

diagram;

Figure 4: Schematic diagram of LM386 IC

Figure 5: Pin layout and functions of LM386 IC

The pin layout and functions as seen in its datasheet are shown in figures 3.6 above:

Below, in figure 3.7 is the electrical characteristics of LM386 IC, these characteristics

were considered before choosing the power supply unit to the circuit.

29
 Figure 6: Electrical characteristics of LM386

As shown in above, the boosting circuit contains LM386 IC, capacitors, resistors and
antenna sockets. The IC is the main operating component in thus circuit, functioning
as an amplifier, so its datasheet is the determinant of all other component connected to
it. The capacitor and resistor values are as shown in the LM386 manufacturer’s
manual. The circuit diagram used was deigned according to the datasheet
specifications considering the aforementioned characteristics, see [ CITATION Tex17
\l 1033 ].

Figure 7: Circuit diagram of LM386 IC

30
The resistor (4.7k) was connected between the pin 2 and 3 to improve the gain of the

input signal been fed from pin 3, an additional capacitor was added to the output of

the circuit (pin 5) so that the signal sent will be filtered.

The construction layout of the boosting circuit with all components mounted

according to the circuit diagram in figure 3.4 is shown below in figure 3.8

(a)

(b)
Figure 8:(a-b) Boosting circuit construction layout
Power Supply unit: this is the unit responsible for powering the boosting circuit

since it runs on supplied voltage (AC). It gives the circuit 18Volts supply since

LM386 works on 12V or 18V supply.[CITATION OSe16 \l 1033 ]

Figure 9: the power supply unit (enclosed with heat sink to remove heat)

31
 Signal splitter: this component works as a multichannel system and is responsible for

feeding the received signal from the boosting circuit into different channels or

outputs.

3.1.3.3 Transmitting Medium design

this comprises of coaxial cable of good quality, the type of coaxial cable used in this

project is RJ6, having an ohmic resistance of 70 ohms. A cable path design and

survey were carried out by considering the distance to be covered, reception of signal

for the antenna and the positioning of the signal booster circuit, the edge of the

roofing of Engineering building Complex was chosen and the cable path span across

the paths allocated for cables as it was laid beside several other cables.

3.2 Selection of Materials

3.2.1 Antenna Material selection

The wireless signal booster is a home-brew booster which uses common household

items. This antenna can improve the signal of cell phone signal inside the house, from

1 bar to full. There is need to build 2 or more units, one indoor (donor), others as

outdoor, both units are similar and simple to build.

This project was built using few industrial materials, when the antennas construction

is completed, it will have 80% efficiency. Primary objective is GSM 900, 2G signal

reception. One need to have at least cell phone/ Wi-Fi signal coverage outside the

domain for this antenna to function and work, (1 bar signal strength or come and go).

The antenna can be constructed using the following;

i. Iron wire, 2-4 mm iron wire (without paint coating to improve efficiency).

ii. Two pieces of extended electric cable connector block, 20A

iii. Good quality RJ69 satellite TV coaxial cable, 40 meters long.

32
 3.2.2 Other Materials and Components Used

i. Multipurpose Plier

ii. Soldering Iron

iii. Soldering lead

iv. Cutting Plier

v. De-soldering pump

vi. Splitter unit

vii. Power supply unit

viii. Coaxial Cable

ix. 1mm2 Wiring Cable

x. Switch

xi. 20A cable connector

xii. Capacitors

xiii. Resistors

xiv. LED

xv. LM386 IC

xvi. Iron wire

xvii. Sealing tape

xviii. Coaxial Cable connectors (male and female)

xix. Network Cell info Lite software application for Android smartphones

xx. Vero board

xxi. RF speed detector software application for Android smartphones

i.

33
3.3 Construction Procedure

3.3.1 Antenna Construction Procedure

First to build is the antenna framework using the iron wire, the wire was straitened

and bent at 4cm at the corner about 45 degrees. Then, we measure 8cm from the bend

and bend inwards at 90 degrees. Then measure 9cm from the bend and bend inwards

at 90 degrees. Then measure 9cm from the bend and bend inwards at 90 degrees.

Then measure 8cm from the bend and bend inwards at 90 degrees.

Last bending is same as the first bend 4cm about 45 degree where install extend

electric cable connector block, insert the connector block to the both ends of the wire

and tighten it. All wire is connected inside the connector block. Three (3) units were

built.

Next step is the wireless antenna,

Good quality RJ69 satellite TV coaxial cable was used, the plastic jacket was cut

about 15-20 cm length, (the center core round / turns, about 20cm) depending on the

center core round / turns diameter. The metallic shield was twisted down the metallic

shield and becomes a wire without cutting and fit into the connector block at the red

line and tighten. Then the cable the dielectric insulator was cut carefully, because we

need the center core for building the wireless antenna.

About 5cm from the edge of the center core (at plastic jacket edge depend on the

length of center core), we made 5 round / turns clockwise using screw driver, the

center core was bent round and round / turns on the rod. Then straighten the center

core, now we need to mount this wireless antenna to the 3G antenna.

After some testing, it was discovered that for 4G, the turns must be center core 7

round /turns at outdoor unit, and center core 5 round / turns at indoor unit. Signal

strength testing application software on Android smartphone was used to search for
34
the location that have strong 4G signal to detect the placement of the antenna unit on

top of the building.

If the signal strength still too weak, you can trial and error increase the outdoor unit

the center core round / turn, both edges of the cable are to be connected to the wireless

antenna.

3.3.2 Signal booster circuit construction

The construction was done using step by step approach in order to achieve the

specified results. Some of these steps are listed and explained below;

i. Designing the schematic and layout diagram

ii. Soldering components to the circuit board

`3.3.3 Soldering of Components to the Vero Board

The frst step here is to prepare the board for soldering. Afer the scrubbing, the PCB

is cleaned with a sof cloth and dried under mild sunlight. It is then ready to be

populated with components. The completed circuit is placed in a casing for

mechanical protecton.

The signal booster circuit was constructed on a line type Vero board, following the

circuit diagram drawn.

Figure 10: Installed Booster Circuit showing coaxial cable fed into/ from it.

35
3.4 Bill of Engineering Measurement and Evaluation

Table 3: Bill of Engineering Measurement & Evaluation (BEME)

S/N ITEM UNIT COST REMARKS

PRICE PRICE
(N) (N)

i. Components ------ 10,000 including excess

in case of burnt

ii. Coaxial Cable 200 6,000

iii. Cable connectors 100 2,400 including excess

in case of burnt

iv. Iron for antenna 500 1,500

framework

v. Splitter 1,500 1,500

vi. Sealing Tape 400 400

vii. Satellite Finder 1,500 1,500 disposed due to

incompatibility

viii. Vero board 100 400 including excess

in case of burnt

ix. Cutting Pliers 1,000 1,000 1 piece

x. Cable Clip 500 500 1 pack

xi. Electrical Cable ------ 1,500 ½ coil

xii. Booster circuit 300 600

Casing
xiii. Miscellaneous ------- 6,000

xiv. Transportation ------ 8,000

xv. Soldering Lead 700 700

xvi. Trunking Pipe 120 480

xvii. Casing for booster 500 500

circuit

TOTAL 42, 980

36
 CHAPTER FOUR

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

4.1 Performance Testing

Before making use of the booster system it is necessary to check the booster output

voltage if it is consistent with the desired output. The input voltage is 5v from the

USB port this also is tested by plugging the device to a computer system then the

multimeter is set to DC voltage and the multimeter cables placed on the USB port to

read its output voltage.

4.1.1 Antenna Testing

For antenna testing, we will attempt to illuminate the test antenna (often called an

antenna-under-test) with a plane wave. This will be done by using a source

(transmitting) antenna with known radiation pattern and characteristics, in such a way

that the fields incident upon the test antenna are approximately plane waves. The

setup for the antenna testing process include:

A source antenna- it receives the signal from neighboring network providers, it was

mounted on the top of the building (a five storey building) attached to a pole for

mounting.

Figure 11: antenna mounted on a pole at the roof of the building.

37
Receiver antennas- This system determines how much power is received by the test

antenna. The antenna under test was placed about some meters away and RF speed

detector Android application software was used to check for the signal strength,

throughput and gain. Several repeatable results were gotten and recorded in Fig. 4.2

Figure 12: Receiving antenna in front of the walkway

4.1.2 Signal Testing

Measurement of GSM signal strength was conducted to determine

GSM signal strength in the Engineering Complex building, in the

faculty of Engineering building and Orita street Ilaro. The

measurements were carried out in diferent buildings and at

diferent times and weather conditions around the case study and

outside. The measurements were carried out between 13 th to 20th of

August on two GSM service providers in Nigeria (MTN, and

Globacom) and Wi-Fi signal (NITDA and Students), to determine

their signal penetration using Radio Frequency Speed Detector

(RFSD) and Network Cell Info (NCI) Lite application software.

During measurement, the frequency of the Wi-Fi, Arbitrary Strength

Unit (ASU), and reception transmission level were constant while the

reception level in dBm, transmitting power and reception quality

were varying. Measurements were frst conducted outside the

38
building known as the outdoor signal strength and then indoors in

each foor of the building known as the indoor signal strength.

4.2 Presentation of Results

The figures in Fig. 4.3 (a-d) shows the measured values of signal strength in the

building after the construction.

(a) (b)
s

39
 (c) (d)
Figure 13:(a-d) measured values of signal strength after construction

4.3 Problems Encountered

There were numerous problems encountered in this project work. Firstly, it was to

ascertain the kind of design to use, after much research and consultation with my

project supervisor and other experts in the field, the idea was initiated and followed

through till the end of this project work. Other challenges include crimping the

coaxial cable to its connector, soldering the coaxial cable to the boosting circuit and

unavailability of test equipment like spectrum analyzer, simple bolometer (a device

for measuring the energy of incident electromagnetic waves), signal generator.

40
 CHAPTER FIVE

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

5.1 Conclusion

The aim of this project is to construct a GSM/Wi-Fi signal booster which enhances

the signal strength using relatively cheap components was achieved. This booster

design is new and made from local components which are affordable. If it is

developed upon and mass production made, there will be affordable GSM/Wi-Fi

signal boosters in Nigeria, and it can even be exported. There is also room for further

work and improvement on the design especially considering that this booster can be

designed to broadcast wirelessly thereby acting as a repeater to many devices and to

cover wider area.

In conclusion, with this device users can now enjoy a seamless, uninterrupted and

reliable data communication and phone calls. As seen in the results shown in Figure

4.1, the increased strength is just a few percentages, this is because the antenna used is

low cost and as stated in the selection of materials used and to increase its coverage

area, more antennas could be added to different sections of the building, a 1-4 splitter

was installed for this cause.

5.3 Recommendations

This project write-up should serve as an aid to any subsequent project work on design

and construction of a signal booster. With this project work improved upon, a device

that will be very useful can be created which will rival other available boosters in the

market, especially with its affordability.

I will also recommend this project to be executed massively in all buildings with low

or weak signals in the school (Federal Polytechnic, Ilaro) and for mass production by

41
companies and Investors should take it up from here so that we can enjoy a seamless,

uninterrupted and reliable data communication across long ranges without dead zones.

42
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