SNR and Signal Quality %

It seems odd that i'm getting only 28% signal quality through two drywall+paint walls. The signal is -72 (negative?!) and the noise is -105 (negative noise?!), giving me a SNR of 33.

 

The numbers are negative because they refer to a loss of signal power (in dB). Here's a website with more info:

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r19380056-Signal-and-Noise-Intepretation

 

I stuck two of these (sans logos - eraser tool) on my WRT54Gv8 and gained 6 dBi! 35% signal still seems pretty low, but it's always been good enough for 15Mbps downloads, so I guess it doesn't really matter.

EDIT: Is boosting the transmit power from 28mW to 40mW or 80mW in DD-WRT a good idea?

 

There are limits, any over clock will shorten the life of the radio. I always recommend installing High Gain antennas first, before over clocking the radio.

 

I also have a lamp with a compact fluorescent light bulb plugged into the power strip, and when I turn it off, the signal improves from -65 to -55. If I slip off the parabolic reflectors, the lamp's effect is reduced, but then I it's a -72 signal.

In the kitchen, before I replaced the dimmer switch with a plain 2-way, the microwave and fluorescent light bulbs would give off a loud buzz if you have both on at the same time. I haven't found anything official on fluorescent light bulbs and microwave radiation though - does anyone know of anything?

 

Well, I believe microwaves and fluorescent bulbs both operate on the 2.4 GHz spectrum, so the interference itself isn't surprising. However, the fact that it went away (or decreased) when you removed the dimmer switch is interesting.