Posted: 5/20/2010 7:03:00 PM EDT
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Originally when we set up our router we started with a Netgear "G" router. I don't know why, it's just what my wife ordered with her computer. It was easy to set up and has worked well for the past few years but I wanted one with more distance so I could run my laptop out in my shop. I was eventually convinced that upgrading to an "N" router would solve this issue. So I figured I would go with another Netgear router since the first was easy to work with. Well this one was not nearly as easy to set up as I remember the other one being. I spent about an hour on the phone with customer service getting this thing working. Now here's the real problem. This thing seems to perform no better than the old router. I get about the same distance as the other one. Would this have something to do with my wireless device in my computer? It's an older Dell running XP Pro. If it is the computer then I can at least look into see if there is something I can do or upgrade to get a signal out in the shop.
As far as the distance of the shop, I would say its about 60-70 feet from where the router is. Now granted its a steel pole building, and the router is on the opposite side of the house so the signal has to go through a few walls, but I figure if the cheap ass Graco baby monitor can make it out there, why can't my internet connection? I would imagine that the construction of the building would have some effect, but its thin sheetmetal, its not a lead barrier. Now I could move the router to another location in the house, but that would be a bigger pain in the ass right now than its worth. Any ideas? Tips? Thanks! 
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Do either of the routers have an external antenna jack? Something like this should help.
Metal buildings are going to attenuate the 2.4ghz+ frequencies a lot more than 49 mhz frequencies your baby monitor uses. You might need to run cat5 out there. Another alternative is to get an external antenna for the wifi card you want to use in the building and mount it outside. |
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Quoted:
Do either of the routers have an external antenna jack? Something like this should help. Metal buildings are going to attenuate the 2.4ghz+ frequencies a lot more than 49 mhz frequencies your baby monitor uses. You might need to run cat5 out there. Another alternative is to get an external antenna for the wifi card you want to use in the building and mount it outside. That looks like an interesting set up. As much as I would love to run cat5 out there the layout of the house makes it a huge pain in the ass. Now where the phone line comes into the house makes it easy to run to the shop, but this way I would have to run another modem and I am guessing would have to pay for another branch of service. I did notice however that I can get a good enough signal at the window. I'm thinking maybe a signal booster mounted right inside the window so I can at least have the computer mobile throughout the shop vs. having to be camped out at the window. |
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Check out these 2.4 GHz antennas at L-com.
They also have the associated pigtals, coax, connectors, and tools to make it all work. I have a couple of cheap (less than $100) AP's linking some outbuildings to the main buildings in my school district and have used several of their products. Also think about upgrading the antenna on your remote site end too. |