Extending 802.11b range?!?

Rob

Well, my Dell lappy came monday. So, I ran out, picked up a nice aluminum case, 802.11b card and router.

Problem?? Range... I have the router downstairs with the rest of the networking gear and my server storage. When I go to the family room (about 25 feet) the thing chunks packets like no tomorrow. I know, first thing would probaby get the router to a higher spot, but if it isn't working even inside the house, how the heck am I going to use this outside?? I live in a brick house, and if I cant even manage to go thru a level effieciently, then I'm concerned that I won't be able to use this gear for the biggest reason I got it, to sit outside in the sun and work

Anyone know of ways to effectivly and effiectently extend the range of the router?? I'm not going to walk around with a pringles can hooked up to my laptop, so you can forget that idea

Also, I use linux exclusivly, so that severly limits my choices of equipment. Mostly, any broadcom chipset (just about any g stuff) just doesnt work, yet. That also includes most newer b gear. I'm currently running on a SMC with a ADM chipset. They supplied the drivers, and it was a breaze to setup. Keep this in mind, as I just cant pick any hardware off the shelf and throw it in.

Thanks for any sugestions. I'm completely new to anything wireless

csimon

perhaps try the wsb 24 booster ...idunno I have the wmp11 and wap11 and my signals are awesome ...I can walk down the hallway about 100-150ft (I can measure if need be) and still get a good signal even thru the cmu brick walls and steel door shut.

How is your signal from 10ft away?

edit/ the wap is an access point not a router. Not sure what the difference is.

Straight_Man

I would, if had an easy way to do it, put a booster just inside the wall nearest your deck or patio. A hard link (wired) from a router to an access point might be best. And no pringles can, just use the reject rate to tell you when you need a booster-- I use 25% loss as a good basic boundary as the loss is not straight line.

One class of things: electrical lines and metal pipes and metal heating ducts can dampen signals like you would not believe and also flourescent fixtures with ballasts in them (these last gen a radical FM interference and an AM interference field, as the hardware store chain I worked for found out-- folks had to be told they could bring clock radios back if they were not happier at home than with the demos as we could only get the closest stations inside the store (at home, with many fewer flourescent fixtures) those GEs worked like champs.

So, if feasible, the wireless gear should also be away from a flourescent fixture of older kind for much better range. The Pringles can cobbled induction coil antenna booster might be used at the WAP or wireless router end, instead, and help extend range also. Even mounting the router on a shelf close to lower level's ceiling should help a tib.

Red brick does not dampen as badly as metal, for the wavelengths we are talking about, either. Adn keep your wireless WAP or router 10-15 feet away from computer area if you have things in a corner, the computer gear in nice metal cases and generating fields itself can mess with signals.

A shielded (STP or Plenum) wire to computer gear from router or WAP will not act as much as an EFI antenna either. Shielding enhances both signal retention (less loss) AND erroneous field or signal noise exclusion-- in the latter case it keeps the signal from hitting the inner conductors better than unshielded cable.

Rob

Humm.. so basically that $20 wireless router is crap eh?? Who would have thought

I'll look into those access points. If there not an arm and a leg, I might try buying a better access point and see if thats enough.

As far as signal boosters, where would I find into on them?? What commercial products (reasonably priced) are there and would something like a pringles can on the access point help alot??

I'm currently using this gear (belkin some model i could look if I have to) as the router, but it really stinks. I can't use both dhcp and staticly define any systems. So, I might just make it a access point anyway and use my existing router.

Also, I do have a box full of plenum cables. I didn't think it would help that much, but I'll toss them on and see what it does.

primesuspect

Your range should be better than that, even without boosters. The linksys signal boosters are nice though, but of course they only work with the linksys WAPs.

Try moving the wap around. The wap should be above ground floor, that's for sure. But I have a client who has a similar situation, wap downstairs, and it works find throughout the entire house, even top floor. You've got other problems. Do you use 2.4ghz cordless phones? Try changing channels on your wap or your phones. Try changing the antenna diversity in the WAP control panel (use only one of the two antenna), try moving it four feet to the left, etc.

Wireless is very bitchy. It's a pain to get it working tight, but off the top of my head I would say you have a signal problem, not junky equipment.

Rob

Thats nice to hear.

I have noticed that if my cell phone is in my pocket, and the laptop on my lap, the signal drops.

I will definatly move it around some. I havent had any experience with them, so I really had no idea what im looking at. as far as I knew, this was normal for cheapo gear. I'll take some time today and move that thing around and see if I can get any decent range from it.

khan

if your AP has an external connector for antennas, you can build an omni (pringles cans are directional...thats probably not a good idea) antenna that should give you a little boost, if you feel like putting the time into it. the wireless signal booster isnt a cheap alternative, but itll certainly do the trick. i think it runs like 80 bucks just for the booster.

Thrax

Also remember that the RFEs broadcast from the sides of the atenna, not the top like everyone figures.

Rob

Well, I've moved it around. Right now, its on the main floor. Its about 5 feet off the floor, on a shelf. One antenna is pointed oposite of the other.

I found a applet to monitor signal strengh. It usually shows 100%, and dips to 75 now and then.

BUT, now and then, it completely loses connection. The signal monitor shows 100%, but it drops all packets. Also, the latency of everything, even wired machines, seems very high.

--- 192.168.2.1 ping statistics ---
142 packets transmitted, 111 received, 21% packet loss, time 142123ms
rtt min/avg/max/mdev = 2.622/4.473/200.536/18.694 ms

I'm also having problems configuring the device. If its configured as an access point, the management interface refuses all connections. In general, im getting a very very bad impression of the quality of this equipment.