Most powerful wireless router/access point?

[mpeg4v3]

A friend and I are thinking about splitting the cost on a router or access point to provide our entire dorm floor with wireless access (to all of those with laptops and wireless cards). However, seeing as how this is a dorm, it's a bunch of walls (not concrete, even though they're "painted" to look like concrete... not sure what it is) and such, so the signal may not reach the entire floor (or at least this half of it, the other wing of the floor is on it's own). Are there any routers or AP's with really powerful signals? Also, where would the ideal place be to set one of these up? It has to be in a room, so no matter what there would be a wall blocking it on all sides. Higher is better, correct? So setting it on top of a closet might help? Or maybe even duct taped to the ceiling?

 

[Nate7311]

w/o going for an EXPENSIVE commercial grade AP, just snag 2 consumer AP's Lik D-Link's 900+ and wire them into the same LAN. Just make sure you set them to a different AP name but the SAME SSID.

Or you can use a 900+/800+ (AP/extender) setup. But that trades not having to run a cable to it for 1/2 the normal bandwidth...

 

[ktwebb]

Speedstream and I believe the newer netgear AP and AP/Router combo's use 5. dBi dipoles. This would flatten out the pattern but extend the range as it concentrates the radiation pattern. You can also get aftermarket, higher gain omni's or directinals, just depends on your environment and needs. Repeaters aren't a great solution but if your forced to use them, they can work. Not part of any standard so make sure you go with the same Mfg if you do go the repeater route. As mentioned, hopping with repeaters will halve your available bandwidth.