Wifi Extender

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Sorry, if this isn't the right forum, but I didn't want to gum up the other forums, since this is an Ubuntu PC. Not a mac.

Posted this in another forum, but nobody answered me.

Got a wg311 v3 wireless nic for my Ubuntu tower. Got ndiswrapper and the driver all synced up and working. However, I can only get a max of 2 bars (39% is the best connection I've seen, with a low of 1%), and it fluctuates like crazy. Haven't lost a connection, yet.

I was looking at ways to boost my reception in the house. It's a 2600 sq ft house and my router is on the far back opposite corner of the house, while my office is on the opposite side and near the front of the house on the top story. I see they have these antennae that plug into where the little short antenna (that sticks up in the back of the card) would go, but has a cable that extends to a taller antenna you can put on your desk or tower or whatever.

Does anybody have any experience with these, and know if they're worth a crap? Any recommendations on a good one?
 

cwa107


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Your primary issue is the placement of the router. By having it at an extreme end of your home, you're projecting a good bit of the signal outward and away from your clients. If you can, relocate the router to somewhere central within your home and preferably high up.

In my experience larger antennas are fairly ineffective when the router is placed poorly to begin with. The partial signal has to penetrate the structure and walls of your home as well as contend with interference from other devices that emit RF between it and the client. If you can mitigate that first, you stand a good chance of not needing to buy anything else at all.
 
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SweetCosmicPope
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Well, I'm stuck with where the router is, unless I want to pay a pretty penny (or work my rear off installing lines). I don't have this problem with the wii, xbox, or macbook, though, and they're even further away inside the house. Not sure how the signal is on my wife's HP.
 
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You might be better served running some cable from the router through the wall, into the ceiling or attic, and into the room with the Linux box. The time and skill required is relatively small, and you will have no speed issues afterward.
 
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SweetCosmicPope
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I've considered it, and I have a ton of cat6, but man I sure don't want to do that.
 
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Ahh, what you need is something like this:
Ez-12

Very handy if you have a router at the edge of a building!
 
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SweetCosmicPope
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Wow! That actually works?
 
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Don't expect full bars or anything, however it is a cheap DIY method of increasing your signal a bit!
 
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Running cable through walls/attic is an afternoon affair. Few tools required ( get a fishtape ) and cheap hardware. It'll be worth the time and effort spent not to mention when you know how to so it you can charge your friends for it.
 

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