rustydog999
join:2002-06-17
the internet
| reply to vincentfox
Re: Wireless Range - Indoor - Help
My preferred solution for most houses is the Hawking Tech 15 dBi corner antenna.
Ill second that .
I have corner antenna on one of my computers wireless card pointing right at the router which is 900 ' away outside through an outside wall . The router is hooked up to a hawking 9 Dbi omni external antenna. I get a rock solid 4 bars with a very good signal on the icon tray status .
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Verizon dsl behind a motorola firewall router win xp. Second system on Dw satmex 5 990 mmhz |
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vincentfox
join:2003-03-18
Davis, CA
| reply to johlic
And yet.... a n00b here obviously. Read the original post. A regular Wireless Networking member would know you cannot just magically toss some WAP11's together and make a network. There's more to setting up a WiFi network than that.
Likely he's just been a member of DSLreports a long time, and is a n00b to wireless. Not that there is any shame in that. I am a n00b when it comes to GPRS/EDGE data transmission which I freely admit when I ask questions over on the cellular group. |
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Homunculus
Pipsquack
Premium
join:2000-12-14
Dar al-Harb
clubs:
| reply to vincentfox
said by vincentfox  :Why do n00bs not read the FAQ? Funny... he has been a member here longer than you have...
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"The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars but in our selves"... maybe one day the Lefties will figure it out. |
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vincentfox
join:2003-03-18
Davis, CA
1 edit | reply to johlic
Why do n00bs not read the FAQ? There is a section on how to extend range. It's a bit short but it's there. See up at the top of the forum where it says Wireless Networking FAQ?
Let me state it my own way. The BEST thing you can do to extend range is nothing to do with firmware or power hacks. It's getting a better antenna. Toss those little rubber ducky omnis in the junk box. My preferred solution for most houses is the Hawking Tech 15 dBi corner antenna. This thing kicks ass. It will focus your signal transmission and reception so that most of the energy is in a 90-degree arc. This stuff is 2-way so it is important to hear as well as you shout so power hacks are of dubious value since they only help with one-half of one end of the problem. Even something so simple as the home-made ones outlined at »www.freeantennas.com/ will help a lot.
On difficult problems I also like to enhance the client end. The Hawking Tech HWU36D or HWU54D are great little units. Small 6 dBi panel antenna with the radio built into it. They hook up via USB and you place the panel somewhere on a shelf nearby or wherever is good, pointed towards the AP.
With a bit of focussing you can work wonders with WiFi and NOT be so subject to neighbor interference, nor toss signals all over your neighbors property yourself. A pair of directional antenna can get great signal through places where with the factory antenna you would get nothing.
h |
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johlic
join:2002-10-15
Seminole, FL
| reply to michaelr7
Thanks all for the replies!!
I'm still torn between the WRT54G and the 2 antenna kits... Either solution will run around $50 - $60 (around here).
I'm using two WRT54Gs in my own setup - one 'standard' as my router, the other hacked as a bridge for my Xbox. I get good results with that, and from what I'm reading here, others are as well.
However, with this going into a friend's house - who doesn't know anything about routers - let alone configuring the hacked firmware, I'm almost leaning toward the high gain antenna solutions... They can very easily screw those on - and wont have to worry about power outages or other 'freak' accidents causing the router / firmware to reset back to default.. =)
My only concern with the antenna's is that I haven't seen anyone stand up and say it's the way to go... Wonder if they really will do the job..
Again though - thanks for all of the input!! It's made it even clearer for for me! |
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michaelr7
join:2004-03-26
Tucson, AZ
| reply to johlic
quote:
I guess I'm really wondering what the point of a WAP11 really IS?!?!?
It is a wireless access point. It simply bridges your wireless clients onto the wired LAN.
Your BEFW11S4 is a wireless access point plus a router in the same box. The WAP11 is designed to be wired into a port on a router or switch. |
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wifi4milez
Big Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY
 ·Verizon FIOS
 ·Sprint Mobile Broa..
 ·RoadRunner Cable
 ·BroadVoice
| reply to johlic
I have had a GREAT deal of success using a WSB24 on both the BEFW11S4 and the WRT54G. I went from zero signal to 100% signal just by attaching it to my AP. The only drawback is that they are kind of pricey on Ebay since they were pulled from the market a few months ago. If you can get a good deal on one, I would snatch it up in a heartbeat. The firmware upgrades are also pretty good, but I have found that the WSB24 really works well at covering any realistic area with signal.
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I like dogs, guns, and cheeseburgers. Whats your malfunction? |
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dellsweig
Extreme Aerobatics
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY
·Time Warner VOIP
·Vonage
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to jsolo1
said by jsolo1 :Dellsweig, Did you make any changes to the power setting, or the 5 walls, bathroom, etc, is all on default settings? What level of security? I recently setup a wireless network for a friend. He's in a 3 flat. The router is on the third floor. The machine in the basement gets 4-5 bars (win98se) using WEP. The building is at least 100 yrs old, so i'm sure the floors are pretty thick. I boosted the power to 35 mw, though I'm sure similar signal levels would be achieved with the default 28 mw (WRT54G). It is actually quite surprising on the range. In a different installation, in a building with walls of cinder blocks, the furthest machine is ~60', going through 4 or 5 walls, and still achieves 2 bars. Jsolo
I am running at the 42mw setting (50%), WEP, Radio Shack 5Db antennas, frame burst enabled, mixed mode - everything else is basically stock settings.
I have the router on the top shelf of a closet, completly hidden (passes the wife test that way)
The range with this combination is amazing - especially for a $50 router!!
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»aerobatix.webhop.net |
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jsolo1
Premium
join:2001-07-01
| reply to dellsweig
Dellsweig,
Did you make any changes to the power setting, or the 5 walls, bathroom, etc, is all on default settings?
What level of security?
I recently setup a wireless network for a friend. He's in a 3 flat. The router is on the third floor. The machine in the basement gets 4-5 bars (win98se) using WEP. The building is at least 100 yrs old, so i'm sure the floors are pretty thick.
I boosted the power to 35 mw, though I'm sure similar signal levels would be achieved with the default 28 mw (WRT54G).
It is actually quite surprising on the range.
In a different installation, in a building with walls of cinder blocks, the furthest machine is ~60', going through 4 or 5 walls, and still achieves 2 bars.
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Living in a state of insanity & disillusion |
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sargeeld
Sgm Retired
Premium
join:2002-12-16
Raeford, NC
clubs:
| reply to johlic
The walls and microwave are your big problems. Have you tried changing the antennae configuration? I have both of mine horizontal to reach 270 feet through two exterior walls to my daughters house and she gets a signal of 100% and quality of 87-93 using a WRT54GS and the HyperWrt hack. I boosted the signal to 67 (default is 42).
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Ask me about SETI@Home !! |
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dellsweig
Extreme Aerobatics
Premium,MVM
join:2003-12-10
Campbell Hall, NY
·Time Warner VOIP
·Vonage
·RoadRunner Cable
| reply to johlic
Option number 2 is your best bet
I live in a long ranch style house. I used a BEFW11S4 for a couple years - through many firmware 'upgrades' - My home office - on the far side of the house - had marginal signal.
I upgraded to a WRT54G, then to the hyperwrt firmware and now run rock solid signal - 5 walls, a bathroom, etc, etc.
You also might try a set of high gain antennas (Radio Shack) - It will help ALOT on the receiver side
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»aerobatix.webhop.net |
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johlic
join:2002-10-15
Seminole, FL
| Hi Folks,
Well this has certainly been a humbling (but learning) experience...
I have a friend who moved into a large house that I've been trying to help w/ a wireless setup.. very basic setup:
Office: cable modem -> BEFW11S4 -> (cat-5)desktop pc
Across the house: Desktop pc using WMP11 nic for wireless access.
Problem is that "across the house" means through 6 walls ( and through the microwave oven and a granite desk/counter top).
The best I could get was 1 bar on the Windows connection display - and the connection would constantly drop.
We moved her cordless phone, and that helped a little, but still get plenty of drops (as an fyi, the ieee authentication is NOT checked - so that's not what is causing the drops. when it drops, it's the signal itself dropping and i lose all green bars on the windows display). Also tried changing channels on the router... same thing.
So then I started in with the hardware. I first had her pick up the HGA7T kit for the router. It got her to go between 1 and 2 bars, but still had lots of drops.
So my next step was to try a WAP11 (which is where the education kicked in..) I thought it was as simple as configuring the AP to match the router settings, putting it in the kitchen and voila! But to no avail.. I find out that "the WAP11 only talks to other WAP11s"... or I could use a WET11 in conjunction with the WAP11... but that using it as a repeater cuts the throughput in half anyway!!
I guess I'm really wondering what the point of a WAP11 really IS?!?!? I always thought it was a device to extend your wireless network, but I guess i was way off on that one.. Anyway...
I'm looking for solutions on how I can fix this current situation - without spending alot!! (If that's possible..)
My thoughts are:
1) Return the WAP11, buy the HGA7T again, AND get HGA7S - so that both the router and the desktop have High Gain antennas on them... (seems the easiest solution, and cheapest - $69 for both on Amazon... but will it really help?? I didn't have high gain antennas on both the first time around, only on the router...)
2) Swap out the BEFW11S4 for the WRT54G, put on the firmware hack and boost the power.. (?? will this help at all with this situation?)
3) Open to suggestions....
I've read about using a Dlink DWL-800AP as a repeater - but again, that will cut the badwidth in half..
I guess I really don't get it - I read about folks that get a wireless signal from 5 miles away!! I know *I* can pick up my neighbor's router across the street - easily 100 yards away and through 2 concrete cynder block walls!!
Why are we having such a tough time covering this 100 feet indoors? Is it all the walls??
Thanks ALOT for any help / suggestions. |
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