Wi-Fi / poor coverage
BAD
MA401 laptop pc card. Main use is to share our cable modem signal with my
laptop. The network works very well in about half of my ranch style house.
The router is in an office on one end of the house but I can't get a good
signal in the dinning room (about 50ft away) and kitchen (about 80ft away).
I'm not technical enough to build an antenna. But I was wondering if there
is a more powerful router I should try. Perhaps if I change brand to
Linksys and a booster or Ornoco??
I will appreciate any comments.
Garry Stonehouse
I cannot get a signal outside beyond 50ft, but the router is situated in the centre of my house.
Garry.
News Account
basement - all you need is power and a CAT-5 connection. I wouldn't use an
attic because of summertime heat.
Or try moving your router to the middle of the house
Don Woodward
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nhHR9.563305$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
Mike
> is a more powerful router I should try.
Actually, a wifi connection both recieves and sends, so if you just got a
much more powerful router it won't solve the problem of your laptop not
being able to communicate to router. I've had lots of surprisingly pleasant
results by switching to the Orinoco/Lucent-based cards in regards to range.
A couple other things you might want to try are moving the router to a more
central location or checking your home for other 2.4ghz devices that could
be interfering with wifi like a cordless phone, baby monitor, etc.
--
Mike
http://everythingisnt.com
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nhHR9.563305$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
Michael
I'm an American Network Specialist working for an American company under
a US Military computer support contract in Stuttgart, Germany.
You said the wireless Netgear MR814 router was at one end of the
house and it didn't give good coverage. Is the router being blocked
by say, a file cabinet made of metal, sitting at a lower position then
the rest of the computer system or possibly behind something that
may reduce or block the signal in the direction you wish it to go?
Remember, wireless is radiating at a frequency that is not like
you FM or AM clock, stereo or walkman is use to receiving.
The frequency at which these devices radiate and, of course the power level
to meet FCC regulations, is low so anything that is in the way,
especially metal objects of any kind, can and will affect the
radiation pattern of the wireless device thereby reducing the
effectiveness of the signal to the other side of the house.
Try the simple things FIRST "BEFORE" you invest any additional
money in another wireless device. Move the router to another location,
not necessarily to the middle of the house but higher such as atop of
a book shelf, if you have one. Making an antenna? That's a hugh
waste of time and money. I have wireless in my house, house has allot
of rebar in the walls (typical German house) and the wireless Bridge
in the basement, about 25 feet away, runs about 75% signal quality.
American homes, with wooden walls, should provide you, no matter
what the manufacture of the wireless device is, as good or better signal
than 75%, providing you are not trying to access it from the back 40 acres
of your property. Location is everything in 2.4g wireless devices. Having
said
that doesn't mean that you must relocate your entire wireless router/switch
to another room/location closer to the middle, although if you can't find
the
problem you may have to relocate it closer but I have my doubts you will
have to do that. Relocate it in it's present room.
Allot of folks may recommend you purchase another device, build an antenna
or what ever. Good for them if that's what they want to do. However, try
another location within the room, move furniture, file cabinets and even
bring the
laptop closer and work to find where the signal is being hindered BEFORE you
throw out the old and spend more money on something you might not have had
to do.
In closing, home wireless devices were not meant to provide high power
signal no matter where you are. There will be signal degradation because
2.4ghz is affected by the environment even your body being placed between
the router/switch and your laptop. I was initially receiving, in the
basement,
a signal quality of 47%. Moving the wireless bridge 2 feet in one direction
and
vertically a foot increased the signal quality to 75%. So simply moving the
device around
can change the coverage both good and bad. Don't waste your money
on something else until you have exhausted ALL possible avenues to correct
the problem. Afterall, you might NOT improve the coverage by simply buying
another
vendors wireless device. It's up to you my friend, just a few words of
experience that's
all.
Michael
CCNA
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nhHR9.563305$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nhHR9.563305$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
BAD
Thanks for the advise. I am going to try and move the router up higher on a
bookcase. In order to do that I have to buy a longer set of cable that
attaches the router to my computer. I assume that is available.
Across the hall from my office (location of PC and router) is a laundry
closet with a metal washer and dryer. Perhaps that is what is interfering
with my getting a signal in the far side of the house.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean when you refer to a bridge, but I'll
see if I can find out.
Thanks again. You comments are helpful.
BAD (Barbara)
"Michael" <mwal...@web.de> wrote in message
news:av94tq$ce6$07$1...@news.t-online.com...
BAD
When you refer to "cards" do you mean the card in the laptop?? Thanks for
you comments.
BAD
"Mike" <use...@xxxxx.hotmail.comxxxxx> wrote in message
news:yPKR9.565419$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
BAD
part of the house? Thanks.
BAD
"News Account" <no...@none.org> wrote in message
news:jFKR9.4305$T5.17...@news.alltel.net...
BAD
equipment problem, but an environmental one.
BAD
"Garry Stonehouse" <em...@spam.com> wrote in message
news:UwIR9.2854$Se1.3...@newsfep1-win.server.ntli.net...
News Account
ports on the back of your current wireless router and locate it somewhere
closer to the other computer you are trying to reach.
What I did at my sister-in-law's house was have them run a 50' CAT-5 cable
from the wireless router through a hole near a air vent down into the
basement and over closer to the other end of the house where there was power
available to plug in the new access point. Now, my niece's computer which is
3 floors up has wireless access, whereas with just the single wireless
router no mater where we moved their wireless router in its room, the
upstairs bedroom could not be reached. I personally recommended they first
move the their wireless router to a more central location, but they choose
not to.
I agree with the other poster who said to try moving the existing wireless
router before you purchase and add an additional access point.
Don Woodward
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:jTYR9.249575$qF3.20474@sccrnsc04...
BAD
existing router and running the cable to another part of the house. I may
be able to run the cable down
into the basement and to a more centrally located spot. But then I'm
unclear on what hardware makes up the "access point". Could you define the
hardware
that makes up the access point? Do I have to buy another router like the
one I installed next to my PC? I'm new to this Wi-Fi stuff and I'm still
unclear on all the definitions.
Many Thanks, BAD
"News Account" <no...@none.org> wrote in message
news:aD_R9.4352$T5.18...@news.alltel.net...
News Account
access point like you say you already have. An example of an access point is
http://www2.warehouse.com/product.asp?pf%5Fid=DEC4305&cat=pc&blind - there
are others which are much cheaper.
Don Woodward
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:F_0S9.252982$qF3.22928@sccrnsc04...
AlanR
that hard to build.
"BAD" <dald...@home.com> wrote in message
news:nhHR9.563305$%m4.1...@rwcrnsc52.ops.asp.att.net...
Michael Erskine
http://osiris.urbanna.net/antenna_designs/projects/template
You don't always need another AP.
-m-
Michael Erskine
Site is nice. I get a Java Script error on it in Netscape 4.7.
Also it won't let me use the back button. I am certain, having
communicated with you personally in the past, this is probably due to
the java script error.
Might want to look into it.
-m-
AlanR
Web stuff is definitely not my specialty. It's fun when I have the time to
get into it, but there's always something else to do... like work, darn it
<g>!
"Michael Erskine" <osi...@deltaville.net> wrote in message
news:e59f93b2.03010...@posting.google.com...
PaulL
house and also set up a Netgear MR814 Router. I needed it to reach my
office desk about 65 feet away which is through 2 very thick exterior
walls (I'm in an older CBS construction house; concrete-filled block) as
the crow flies. Like you, I was also using a Netgear MA401 PCMCIA card
in my laptop.
My signal made it about 50 feet --just barely in to the office and no
where close to my desk which is on the far end of the room. I was
bummed! Had heard that Orinoco cards got better reception and returned
the netgear card and got the orinoco. Better? You betcha. Got me
about another 10 feet -- well into the office (could now surf from the
sofa) -- but still not to the desk: darn it.
Lots of folks said buy an amp. Lots of folks said buy an antenna. I
was not thrilled about buying more hardware, especially since there was
no guarantee it would work and the antennas were going for around $80,
which is what that Linksys access point you were recomended is also
going for. Then someone posted me the link to -m- 's (michael erskine)
web page. Initially the doubting Thomas, I decided to take the plunge.
I know a very knowledgable sounding and pleasant "network specialist"
contributor told you not to "waste your time building antenna's." And
actually, you don't need an antenna, you need a "reflector." I built a
parabolic reflector, slipped it over the antenna of my Netgear router,
and with a little experimentaion with orientation, immediately boosted
the signal to where it now reaches my desk and the far end of the
office.
Cost? About an hour's worth of my time (and I work slowly!). Most
people have cereal boxes, aluminum foil, hangers and twisty ties in
their house!
I had the exact same hardware as you did. For me, the answer was the
Orinoco card and a parabolic reflector. Sounds fancy -- it ain't.
Here's the link to the page with the instructions:
http://osiris.urbanna.net/antenna_designs/projects/template
Having said all that, the tech guy was totally right about location:
these routers are ultra-sensitive to location and I found that
differences in postion of even 4-5 inches, especially vertically, can
significantly affect signal strength. But ultimately I came up short
--until I built the reflector. If you set up a computer and a router,
you can build one of these. email if you want and I'll send you a
picture of mine.
It's actually kind of fun: go for it. Kudos to michael erskine: these
darn things are the best kept "secret" in the wireless world :-)
Michael Erskine
Paul;
Wooohoooo! I like the flowers! Do I have a picture of your install?
If I don't and you'd be kind enough to send one the mail address
attached here (above). I'll drop it on the web site.
-m-
Michael Erskine
>
> I'm an American Network Specialist working for an American company under
> a US Military computer support contract in Stuttgart, Germany.
>
I am a former NSA'er.
You make a lot of good points. Now rather than argue with you. Make
one of these and test it out:
http://osiris.urbanna.net/antenna_designs/projects/template
You *WILL* get 12 dBi gain from a pair of six inch reflectors. You
will have to spend practically nothing on tools and materials. If you
are inventive, you will spend nothing on tools and materials and if
you are reasonably able to manage pencil and paper, cardboard (or a
pringles can cut up), sizzors, tape and tin foil, you will spend
*LESS* than an hour making two of them.
And they will work the first time, no tweaking.
:)
-m-
Michael Erskine
> these routers are ultra-sensitive to location and I found that
> differences in postion of even 4-5 inches, especially vertically, can
> significantly affect signal strength. But ultimately I came up short
> --until I built the reflector. If you set up a computer and a router,
> you can build one of these. email if you want and I'll send you a
> picture of mine.
>
> It's actually kind of fun: go for it. Kudos to michael erskine: these
> darn things are the best kept "secret" in the wireless world :-)
I should add only that the tech guy (and PaulR) is correct. Vertical
positioning of your system above *ANY* surface even with a reflector,
can make a significant, even a crucial differenct. It seems to me
that one wavelength above any surface is a good figure. Get the thing
up on a 5" pedistal and you will get a better signal.
-m-
lovem...@gmail.com
What materials did you use for your antennae reflector? The page I linked from (http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/index.html) has a pic that looks like its made of construction paper. He mentions a pringles can too. Is everyone using pringles cans for this or do you build a cardboard base and cover it with aluminum?
do...@81.usenet.us.com
> This sounds really promising. I'm not great with homemade electronics
> but this sounds more like an arts and crafts project. Like a friendship
> bracelet for my router.
commercial antennas and reflectors on a few different routers.
My favorite ended up being the Windsurfer.
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template2/index.html
I printed the template on photo paper to get stiffness, and used a glue
stick to glue aluminum foil to the back side, so it looks good on the front
side.
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/windsurfer.jpg
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/windsurfer-dining.JPG
Leave the "tabs" longer than indicated on the drawing, for easier assembly.
--
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5
gregz
to pinpoint stations. If your inside your getting many reflections, but you
can generally find the most consistent direction and angle.
Greg