Wireless range issues, solutions ?

[boycee]

Ok first off I took the cheap way out and bought a generic router and WiFi cards, all G series.

First off does brand effect range ?

Secondly heres my network layout, the pc literally above the router, gets only 3/5 bars of signal which i assume cant be good. I haven't even tried the pc in the other house. So I've considered the cheapo kit I have a lost cause.

However, are they any kits specifically good for range ? or what would you say is the best way to get signal to the next door house ? its drawn roughy to scale, the distance cant be more than say 8m between router and next door pc.

Maybe repeaters, or boosters? I dunno.

Cheers

Chris

 

[PTNL]

when dealing with wifi, you can get the best possible connection by staying with the same brand of router and wireless nic's.

if you are only getting 3 bars from within your house, here's some steps to look at:

1 - are your operating systems used (windows, linux, etc.) up-to-date? i'm not as familiar with linux, but i do know that within the past year there were some hotfixes for win2k and winxp that helped a lot with wireless connectivity (much of which was rolled-up into SP2).

2 - are you using the *latest* driver from the manufacturer's website? this can make a difference in terms of performance.

3 - check for any firmware updates for the wireless router. being a more linksys user, i do know that some firmware revisions gave a stronger wireless signal than others.

another note about the actual wireless medium: if you have a 2.4 GHz telephone, a microwave, or other devices that can give strong electromagnetic interferance, then your wireless network is sharing that 2.4 GHz frequency range with those other household items. also, large physical obstructions can hinder the wireless signal.

hope this helps.

 

[boycee]

Cheers for the info, mate. I'll check teh sytems are up to date.

Regarding the house next door, do access points give better range than routers or are they about the same ?

I know its a pretty open ended question, but i mean say a £70 router compared to a £70 access point, what would typically have the greater range (assuming there is a difference)

Cheers

Chris

 

[Bullitt]

The orientation of the antenna also affects range. try tilting the antenna for the PC upstairs, perhaps turning it 90degrees might give you more bars. Also its not the number of bars, its the signal quality. make sure thats up to snuff.
I used to have a PC on 1st floor of my house, and the AP was upstairs and 2 rooms over. I only got 3 bars, but 90quality and throughput was a respectable 5~6mbps.

But, since the microwave oven was sorta inbetween the signal paths, if the GF went to make dinner or pop some popcorn, I'd either lose signal or see it degrade significantly.