“Hawking Technology [HAI7SIP] Hi-Gain 7dBi Omni-Directional Antenna - User Review”

By Ron Stultz

15 April 2007

Summary: Expensive rip. Did not noticeably improve stinking, worthless, Wi-Fi

I have a Linksys WRT54G wireless Internet router and a 3 story house. Although I do get wireless signal on the 3^rd floor, I bought the HAI7SIP hoping to improve the overall link quality (with 2 Tivo’s and 2 wireless laptops, I have a lot of wireless traffic and do not need packet retransmissions if I can help it).

Perhaps it is my specific house or multiple floors with router in the basement, but adding the HAI7SIP  did not improve the link quality for me.

Now although I am not an expert on antenna’s and radio propagation, I do have a extra class amateur radio license and have hassled a wireless security system for years, so, although I have not done specific signal measurements, the signal I get at my Tivo on the 3^rd floor has not improved.

Additionally, before I installed a HAI7SIP in my home, I sent one home with my daughter who lives in Richmond and who ties onto a Wi-Fi hotspot there in the neighborhood.  Recently I had call to visit her and check out the Hawking antenna and in her case, were the computer and embedded wireless card are on the second story of a house, the Hawking antenna did not improve the signal strength of wireless nets she could see by doing a scan over the small rubber-duck antenna which came with the wireless card.

Could be that I bought 2 bum antenna’s somehow or I expected more from the antenna than it could deliver but either way, I would not buy a Hawking HAI7SIP again. Want to buy one from me?

Finally, I did contact Hawking about this and was told that the HAI7SIP improved the horizontal signal path but not the vertical one, meaning that the Hawking might improve line-of-sight distance (although my daughter's experience says otherwise), it would not improve a signal to a floor above.

I wonder if all 7dBi antenna's are a joke, rip off?