Boost wireless network for better reception in yard

[fmueller]

I have a wireless network at home based on a residential gateway provided by AT&T U-verse. Reception anywhere in the house is awesome. But my property is about 300' deep and at the back of it some large pine trees provide a lot of shade. In summer I like to sit there with a cool beer. It would be paradise if I could use my laptop there, but unfortunately the signal of the wireless network doesn't extend that far. Is there any cheap gadget that would allow me to boost the signal?

Many thanks

Frank

[Thrax]

Does it have external antennae?

[ardichoke]

If your wireless router has external antennas, you can use this booster to give you some more signal.

DIY WiFi Booster (http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-WIFI-Antenna-Reception-Booster/)

Chances are, the problem you will run into is that your laptop card won't be able to pump out a strong enough signal to make it back to the router though. Unless, of course, your laptop has an external antenna.

[Butters]

If your wireless gateway actually is the AT&T router I would doubt it has a BNC connector for external antennae. If you already have an old access point or wireless router lying around that supports bridging, you could just add an access point to bridge the connection. Not sure if its worth it to go out and buy anything though.