Hw To Extend The Range Of A Home Wireless Network?

[p_brownstone]

I have a Computer with an ASUS P5K motherboard which has built-in Wireless capability.

I have installed the small Antenna which comes with the Board but the range seems rather limited; using a new ASUS Laptop it will work OK in rooms near where the PC is situated but when I try to use it in my kitchen it does not detect the Network - there are some quite thck steel re-barred walls between the 2 rooms, my Office and the kitchen, which may be the problem (though strangely my daughters' Dell Laptop seemed to work with it OK from the same location!).

Can someone suggest a solution - a larger Antenna or a Repeater / Signal Booster for example?

Patrick

[Tywais]

I built a corner reflector for a wifi access point at the office that works well, if you don't mind building it yourself. Pretty easy actually as seen here > Ez-10 corner reflector

This site shows links to several home brew antenna > PCMag

Tin can antenna

DiY antenna

[stumonster]

an excuse for posting my favourite wifi link http://www.usbwifi.orconhosting.net.nz/

you could try a windsurfer mod on your access point antenna

[youngkiwi]

You could consider using Wireless-N which has improved range over 802.11b and g, but this would involve purchasing a Wireless-N card, and if you router/access-point does not already support Wireless-N, a new router also. Alternatively, using your existing equipment there are a number of pre-made external antennas available for purchase in Bangkok. There is a small shop on the third floor of Pantip, run by a Thai-born arab guy. He specialises in wireless networking and has an excellent selection of these antennas at reasonable prices. Hope this helps.

[anthos]

http://www.asus.com/products.aspx?l1=12&am...amp;modelmenu=1

Have a look at this miniature ASUS access point, it has a repeater mode

[phazey]

I made the woktenna a few years ago - worked quite well. I like the idea of the windsurfer - wonder if it will work with a wifi phone...I think a bit of tinkering is in order.

[phazey]

I made 2 Windsurfer antenna boosters. The one i attached to my AP got me wireless in all of my apartment - at least now i can surf in my bedroom.

The second one suprised me. I attached it to an old Linksys WUSB11 adapter and selotaped it to a camera tripod. I was able to discover (and use) 4 open access points. One of the sites i knew the location - 3.1Km's away! What's even more worrying (for the administrator of that site) is that it's the HQ building of one of the local banks here!

So remember kids, put passwords or MAC filters on your AP's if you run them - your security and your internet costs may be compromised....

[NHJ]

use only WPA/WPA2 for wifi, they are the only strong protection, don't use a dictionnary word they are vulnerable to dictionnary attack.

for your range trouble, buy strong antenna 9DBI on ebay for the routeur and the receiver, be sure to check your connectors before ordering.

[jeffer]

WPA2 Password generator

Don't know if a lot of people are using old gear but when I see other networks very few use WPA2, plenty of people still using WEP.

There are a places in most IT Malls selling replacement antennas. Try a simple 5DBI one first. A D-link antenna sells for 190 baht and might be enough to make a difference, it did for me. A 9DBI antenna is going to be big, more expensive, 1000 baht I think I've seen them for. 

[NHJ]

9DB antenna including shipping fees from USA/CHINA costs 500 bath. it's 37.5 cm

[Cuban]

Without climbing into an RF Engneering debate, the use of a 'reflector' is not so much to reflect the originating WiFi signal towards the Rx aerial but to reduce the interferance that the Rx aerial would otherwise be 'seeing' as well as the desired data link signal. The effect is to reduce the noise element of the signal to noise ratio seen by the receiving aerial.

When playing with these short data links, try putting such 'reflector' shields behind each aerial, I used cut down tin cans (the 470 gram sized ones). Also experiment with aerial location if you are able to move the aerial in relation to the computer, to avoid 'line of sight' obstructions within the walls etc.

I know the objective is wireless - but one friend I hoped with a domestic installation some time ago was able to extend the router's aerial to a ceiling void in the center of his house to give a more uniform signal around the house rather than hot/cold spots.

HTH