Increase Signal From Notebook (rather than from router)

Hello-

My wifi signal is very weak on my notebook. I'm in the second story of an apartment building and our community router is in the basement.

I bought 802.11G (108mbs) cardbus adapter but once I installed that the connection was WORSE! Probably cuz it was a cheap brand (Airlink 101).

MY QUESTIONS:

1. Am I right to think I need an adapter (pc card or usb) to increase the signal? I want to increase the signal from the notebook rather than the router since the router isn't mine.

2. When I installed the Airlink adapter it seemed to cancel out my wireless atenna in my notebook (or at least I guess since the signal became weaker when I installed and stronger when I uninstalled).
Does a GOOD 108mbs adapter work in conjunction with ur atenna to increase the signal?

3. Can anyone recommend a good CHEAP brand?

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As always I am indebted to anyone who provides a little guidance. have a great one.

 

i am also interested in finding the answer to this question.

any helpful answers appreciated.

 

I have never heard of a 108 mbps router only a 54 mbps

 

Your CardBus card uses its own antenna, which is inferior to the antenna panels your notebook has embedded behind its screen. You need to find a card that has an external antenna jack and perhaps a 5dBi blade antenna (I used to use that combination with an 802.11b card, good luck finding a 802.11g card with an antenna jack though, the FCC frowns on it), but even then I doubt you'll get a better signal than you get with the internal card.

The big problem is that the basement is a lousy place for a community router. Upgrading its antennas might help, if they're using the usual short stock "rubber duck" antennas. You can find 9dBi "rubber duck" antennas on eBay for cheap, anything higher gain than that will be too directional and even the 9dBi antennas might be counterproductive. The best solution would be to get an identical router, configure it as an access point with the same network name and so forth, stick it on the top floor and run an Ethernet cable between it and the basement router. I believe that will let your notebook pick whichever router/AP has the strongest signal.

 

Expanding on what brian said, you could also get a second router (WRT54G With a linux install) And set it up to connect to the other router. Effectively acting as an AP bridge. (relaying the signal from your laptop to the other router.

(this way doesn't involve running a cat 5 cable.)

 

I agree with everything brianstretch has said. In addition, compsavy, there are "speed booster" types of cards that are available, but they only go up to 108mbps when matched with a same-brand router usually. I doubt his is. But they downgrade to a/b/g standard speeds usually, so not much harm in it.

Anyway, yes, they need to either install a better antenna for the community router (sometimes you can just use a coax cable to extend an antenna to another location. Quite common, actually.) or find a card that has an external antenna jack or you can mod to have one (google is your friend!). It's not the card itself, or the computer, it's the lack of antenna on something that's not meant to transmit like it's being used.

 

brian/root/pitabred- I apprecite you guys taking the time to educate me. Not an "easy fix" I was hoping for but thanks to you guys I'm on my way.
Have a great weekend.

 

Make sure you disable the internal. That will minimize/kill any conflict.

 

One problem might be the direction of the antennas on the router.. They are most likely both straight up, but even omni-directional antennas have an area above and below the vertical line of the antenna that gets weak/no signal... When I was at a hotel I noticed I was getting a low signal in Windows, so I went and asked the guy at the front desk where their WAP was, moved one of the antennas horizontal, and instantly had a Good connection in Windows from my room..