"N" Routers - Looking for better WiFi signal
 

WE just added an addition to our home and I want to place my wireless computer in the new addition. However the new addition is in the back of the house where we knocked out a window and created an opening in the "BLOCK" wall. The router (Linksys "G" -- 2 antenna) is locted in the front bedroom and now I can barely get a 10% signal. IS there a booster or any other way to increase the signal.......that goes through a block wall?? Signal is good in the furthest bedroom from the router which is on the other side of the block wall.


I have heard the new "N" router should be something I should be looking at BUT how can I tell if its compatable with my laptop which is using an INTEL PRO/Wireless 3945ABG card? Anyone have any experience with the "N" router and can it help resolve my problem???

Hi Caroline,
We have a mid-range Linksys wireless "N" router and get excellent range, as our computers are about 2,000 feet and several walls apart. The "N" is a newer technology and offers more range and higher speed (possibly limited though by your ISP or modem). I don't know whether you would have compatibility issues with your existing equipment.

Here's a good article.

http://www.consumersearch.com/wirele...rtant-features

Good luck!

The Inter INTEL PRO/Wireless 3945ABG supports 802.11a/b/g but NOT N so even if you get a different router it will only go to G.

Not sure how old your existing router is but it should make it through the walls of a home with not probllem.

pturner, 2,000 feet apart WOW that's over 1/3 of a mile, that's one big house...gn

Oh dear, another "huge" mistake. Only 2,800 square feet. :what: This is not good. I'm starting to have overlapping senior moments.

p.s., I knew that emoticon was good for something.

I have terrible wireless reception in my house. I bought one of those linksys setup that plugs into the electric outlet. This works great and I think it is more reliable and faster than wireless.

Router
 

ChuckO what is a linksys that you use instead of a wireless. What does it allow you to do and can you move your computer around or are you stuck in one room? We are currently using an Apple Express but I was going to leave the dlink wireless down here for the renters. However I don't know how to hook it up and make it wireless. Your system sounds like it might be a good alternative. Any info would be appreciated.

LW888

I recently bought a wireless "N" router for my five year old desktop HP - works fine. Also added a gig of Ram to the existing 512 MB.


.

But I bet that you are connected at 10 or 100 and not 1000. Take a look at the specs for 802.11n. N lap tops (with their own internal nic card) have just been hitting the market place in about the last year or less. When I purchased my HP lap top last November there were only a few in the overall market that supported 802.11n.

I run have a D-link DIR-655 that supports 802.11n but I have turned off the wireless and run everything hard wired. Connected to this router I have three computers and my HP Windows Home Server. Everything except the lap top are running at 1 gigabit and the lap top is at 100.

Back to the original question and there should not be any problem ringing wireless over a distance of 200 feet even through walls even under the old 802.11 standards.

Metal Studs in your walls, wireless temperature sensors, (yours and your neighbors), cell phone data downloads, wireless alarms systems and even your microwave oven can have a dramatic affect on the effectiveness of your wireless router. If you are using an external USB receiver for your wireless reception, where is the receiver located? Is it behind the computer, is it on top of the computer? Is it sitting on the desk next to the monitor. All of those are bad places.

JLK

Talk Host

Please explain what you mean by an external Wireless receiver....I am trying to use my 3 year old IBM T-40 laptop to receive a wireless signal from my Linksys Wireless-G 2.4 GHz router Model WRT54G Ver 2.

Do they make BOOSTERS to increase a router signal??

My guess is that you are having a problem with the internal wireless card in the lap top and not the router. The reason I say this is that I worked for a company and had my hands in supporting over 1000 IBM T-60 lap tops and had a lot of problems with the wireless cards in those units going bad. My thinking is that the T-40 and T-60 most likely used the same wireless card.
I would have to do some checking on the part numbers of the internal wireless to see if the same units were used in both models.

Here are a couple of things to try. Have a friend with a lap top come over and try connecting to your router and see the signal strengths. Move around the house and see how the signal varies. If your friends lap top works properly then the problem is most likely your internal wireless card. You and your firend could then try one of the WiFi connections within TV and see the differences and try to isolate the problem. Another thing to try would be to find someone that uses a USB wireless card and try that. Be sure to disable your internal card before using the USB wireless card.

Regarding your router it may have become overheated. When I was in the market for the router that I currently have I looked at the Linksys / Cisco and ran across some user comments that they were prone to overheating so I went with the D-link. Not sure if your model was one that was having those issues but it may be warm to the touch but not hot.

They do make booster antenna's for the Linksys routers. In the past, I have purchases booster antenna's at Best Buy. They were "marginally" better than the standard antenna.

Cheers....

Just a thought. If you don't find any hardware problem and it seems that it really is just a bad spot in your house then you could still use an access point. That is a device that looks kinda like a wireless router but is WIRED or PLUGGED into one of the ports on your router then placed close or closer to your problem area. It has an antenna on it and acts like a wireless extension of your router. It will become another wireless reception point for your devices. That is sort of the short story, might help in your case.

Another trick is to place the Wireless G Router you have in a higher position in the room--that is, higher off the floor, the philosophy is that the signal does not have to go through any furniture on the way to the addition, just through the walls. If you know how to configure the router you can also force the wireless signal to remain on "channel 11"...this can help in some cases (the basic idea here is to use your computer to see what channels the neighbors' wireless networks are using and then use a different channel).

Ok I had typed a long message an included a link to the device but I cannot include a link. Kinda silly but.....

I thought it was a lynksys but it is actually a NETGear device. POWERLINE HD ETHERNET ADAPTER ... HDX101

It works well you can hook a hub or even a wireless router to it and basically extend your network wireless or wired.

see if this gets through ...

http://www.netgear.com/Products/Powe...rs/HDX101.aspx

ChuckO

This product sounds interesting but what does this requirement mean ........ Outlets must be electrically connected in order for Powerline devices to provide a network connection between them??

Does this mean they have to be connected on the same circuit....or simply in the same electrical panel box. I have alot of circuits in my house and since my problem is in a new addiiton, this is definintley on a different circuit than the front bedroom. If thats the case Im afraid this is not the answer.

Belkin N router will do the trick
 

I had the same problem. I could not use my laptop in the next room or downstairs. Bought a Belkin "N" router and now I can use my laptop all over the house and outside. I even have some Televisions connected to the internet wirelessly now.

It is not so much the N technology but rather the MIMO antenna technology which uses multiple antennas at both the transmitter and receiver. My wife uses N and I use G and reception has improved drastically. I believe that my Belkin has two external antennas and a few more internal ones. We now watch streaming movies with no problems at all from anywhere on my property.

I am not a computer professional and do not pretend to be one.... wait a minute, I am and have been doing this for over 40 years. :icon_wink:

I had a Linksys wireless router that had range AND operational problems. I called tech support and was told that help is available only for the first 90 days. After that, there is a charge. I had similar problems with another brand when I lived up north.
I now use the phone company's DSL service -- they offer rental of a wireless router for $5 a month, with tech support forever and free replacement if the router goes bad.
Now I know that $5 a month adds up over time, but IMHO it's well worth no hassle and no worries...a small price for the assurance.
As to range, I have no problems. It works throughout the house (even the garage!) and on the lanai and the front porch...5 bars inside, no less than 4 outside.

Another thing to throw into the mix is the position of the external antennas. This willl cause the signal to be horizontally or vertically polarized. You wil want to check your users manual or go online and review a manual so that you have the proper orientation for your installation.

This thing works on all my outlets. You cannot plug it into a surge protector but other than that it works in any outlet in my house. I have a 200 AMP service and it works in any circuit in that panel

I use an ActionTec 85 Mbps Ethernet Adapter to connect my TV to my network. I could use wifi, but this is really bullet proof. It carries the signal over the house wiring. I bought mine at buy.com or you could buy them at newegg.com or I think bestbuy might have them. You would need an ethernet jack on your computer and an ethernet cable from the adapter to your computer.

You might try the "N" router, but you should see if the modem in your computer is capable of 1000Kbs. If it is just a "G" modem it will still work, but you won't get the full benefit of the N router. I have a Trendnet 633GR that I bought from Newegg.com and it works fine.

Try this:
Rosewill RNX-N100 IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB2.0 Wireless-N 2.0 Dongle (1T2R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates/ WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key authentication) Cisco CCS V1.0, V2.0 and V3.0 compliant/ Vista/ MAC 1.3/10.4/10.5/10.6 Ready
Available at Newegg for $20. Will replace your internal modem. I have one to trouble shoot computers without a network card. Check it out online at Newegg.com :a040:

Do all routers have the same frequency?
 

I had Century Link DSL and just had COMCAST internet installed . One COMCAST tech told me that my Links about 10 years old was not strong enough and to get a NetGear 300. I went out and purchased a NetGear 600
A second COMCAST tech guy said that all routers have the same frequency and I would not need the NetGear

1. Who is correct?

You might want to check out these 2 links:

• How to improve your wireless network and boost its signal
• Linksys by Cisco - WRE54G Support