Extending Wifi Coverage

[loanrangie]

I recently bought a wifi pci card for my spare linux pc so i didnt havt to run any lan cable, but even though they are only 10m apart (slate floor and 1 wall between) i can only get a very week signal which will barely load a web page. Just been cheking out antenna's on ebay but not sure what will work the best, larger antenna on the wifi router or put it on the pci card ? saw some with extension leads and a base station type antenna which could be the go.
Any comments or idea's appreciated. I'm using netgear modem/router and pci card.

thanks,
Nick.

[abaddonxi]

Is the pc card power turned up to 11? There should be a power setting in the properties for the card, some default set to low power mode which gives you low quality connection. You can have the same thing on router - this time as a security measure, broadcast at lower power to limit access to only nearby computers.

The power settings on the laptop wireless card can also be affected by whether you're running on batteries or ac.

It's probably just as cheap to buy yourself another access point as get an antenna.

As a test turn off all security that you have setup on your wireless connection and see if it improves the connection.

Also check if you have anything nearby that would be blocking the signal - walls as you mentioned, but also microwave (sometimes), cordless phone, etc.

What flavour wireless are you running? 802.11A,B,G?

Does the router have a turbo mode? This usually only works on same brand equipment, and may make the connection slower or faster. Slower if it is trying to push more authentication data through a bad connection.

Move router to a better spot.

Cheers
Simon

[jik22]

I recently bought a wifi pci card for my spare linux pc so i didnt havt to run any lan cable, but even though they are only 10m apart (slate floor and 1 wall between) i can only get a very week signal which will barely load a web page. Just been cheking out antenna's on ebay but not sure what will work the best, larger antenna on the wifi router or put it on the pci card ? saw some with extension leads and a base station type antenna which could be the go.
Any comments or idea's appreciated. I'm using netgear modem/router and pci card.

thanks,
Nick.

A bigger, higher gain aerial on the AP, coupled to maybe a directional aerial on a lead hanging off the pci card would be your best bet. (If this is the only wireless client, or they are all in the same rough direction from the AP, two directional aerials would give even better results)

But...I'd buy from a shop and try first, as wireless is very fickle, and you may find nothing helps and you're stuck with nice expensive aerials you don't need...

Only other thing to add, which may or may not be relevent, is whether anything else is nearby affecting the signal (From AV sender, cordless phones, or other WiFi users)? If so, you need 3 channels worth of seperation between any signals in the same area...

[abaddonxi]

Another thing you could do is get something like this:
http://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=357

Or you could just stick another computer with a wireless card directly above the router and use it in ad-hoc mode.

Have you tried moving the router mounting point? Mount it up near the roof?

Have you twiddled the aerials about?

Cheers
Simon

Edit.

Scratch all that, read this:
http://www.dansdata.com/io070.htm

Dan says omni antenna sounds like the cheap way to do it.

[p38arover]

This topic has arisen at an opportune time for me.

My laptop used to receive all over the house. Nothing has changed except that now it's marginal even in the next room next.

I shall check power settings, etc.

Ron

[loanrangie]

Funny thing is i originally had my main pc and wifi router downstairs where the spare pc is now and i had good signal strength using my laptop ?
I will check the power settings first then try the others cheapest first.

[abaddonxi]

Or you could roll your own.

http://wireless.gumph.org/articles/homemadeomni.html

Clear as mud to me, but doesn't seem too hard.

I can just imagine the monkeys at Dick Smith finding the parts for this one.
:D

Cheers
Simon

[awabbit6]

You could look at a WiFry solution!!

These guys are getting great results using Chinese cookware as parabolic reflectors!

http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

It may be difficult to explain the cookware around the house to visitors though :blink:

[grumpybastard]

Ive found channel 11 always works best with wi-fi.

Also watch out for cordless phones which can be around the same frequency as well.

[loanrangie]

I checked the power setting and its 100% and using channel 11 on 802.11g, cant move it closer as there is no where to move it to. Cant move the router as its on top of my pc just above the phone socket connected to the pc. I havent fiddled with the router yet so will do that and may just get an antenna and lead and see how that goes. My laptop works great outside twice as far away as the 2 pc's are now ?

[jik22]

My laptop works great outside twice as far away as the 2 pc's are now ?

That's pointing to the PC with the wireless card being the "weak link" then if the router is known to work well with another device at greater distance.

What do you get signal-wise if you put the laptop where the PC is?

[scrambler]

That's pointing to the PC with the wireless card being the "weak link" then if the router is known to work well with another device at greater distance.

What do you get signal-wise if you put the laptop where the PC is?
My question, too.

It could also be the slate.

And does the PC have to beam through the case to get to the access point?

[EchiDna]

or... you can roll your own cantenna...

I use one at the pool area in my condo where my flat is on the 14th floor - improves the wifi signal there from very weak to average (distance is well over 100 metres from the antenna sitting on the window sill)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cantenna

it's a ripper :)

[loanrangie]

That's pointing to the PC with the wireless card being the "weak link" then if the router is known to work well with another device at greater distance.

What do you get signal-wise if you put the laptop where the PC is?

I have my laptop sitting on the pc tower where the pci card is and i'm getting full signal strength @ 54 mbps ?

[jik22]

I have my laptop sitting on the pc tower where the pci card is and i'm getting full signal strength @ 54 mbps ?

Well, short of the card in the PC being magically in a dead zone while only a few cm away, I'd say that's pointing to either a very broken card or screwed drivers/install. Have you got another one you can try?

[abaddonxi]

Don't know if this will make a difference or not, but have you tried switching the router, etc. to broadcast/receive on 802.11b only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/802.11


The maximum range of 802.11g devices is slightly greater than that of 802.11b devices, but the range in which a client can achieve the full 54 Mbit/s data rate is much shorter than that of which a 802.11b client can reach 11 Mbit/s.

Cheers
Simon