wifi woes

[dakegra]

O GRATE LJ HIVEMIND! I have a Question!

Right. I've got a router, see? It's downstairs, in the dining room. Location is pretty non-negotiable as it's near the phone point and it's up on top of the dresser out of the way.

I've also got a laptop upstairs. The connection is *very* flaky, and I often end up with speeds of 1Mbps betwixt router and laptop. Warcrack dropped connection half a dozen times last night.

The laptop has built-in wifi, and if you shuffle it round on the desk, you *sometimes* get a better signal. Trouble is, line-of-sight between router and laptop involves internal supporting walls and a kind of pillar thing which I suspect has metal in it.

What can I do?

Laptop location is also fairly non-negotiable - there's only room for the desk where it is, and the desk contains laptop + external monitor + other bits, so it only really fits where it is.

I'm wondering if a USB dongle wifi thing would help, as I could fit it to a USB extension cable and kind of lob it out towards the doorway when using the laptop.

Thoughts/comments/queries/abuse/cakes/coffee to the usual adress, please.

Comments

[anonymous-greg.livejournal.com]

Seems to me that, overall, you'd be better off getting a wireless expander/extender.

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

que?

whassat then?

[anonymous-greg.livejournal.com]

It is, basically, a repeater. It picks up your wireless network signal and sends it out as a fresh signal in the area. It, effectively, extends your wireless network's range.

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

sounds expensive...

[anonymous-greg.livejournal.com]

I haven't priced them in any comprehensive fashion, but a quick check shows Belkin have one (via amazon.co.uk) for £30.53 (new), £25.00 (used).

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

cunning! If the new USB dongle thing doesn't work, I'll certainly give one of them a try.

Trouble is, where to place it...

[dilerium.livejournal.com]

I found that a USB dongle (in my PC) is much more flakey than the internal wifi in my Macbook. I can quite happily go round the house with the mac but needed almost line of sight (armchair in the way), to get any sensible connection with the PC.

I know a friend almost resorted to drilling a hole in the wall to get a cable between his router and PC (one wall, 5 ft between dongle and router), but his laptop will work anywhere in the house. He solved the problem by getting a new router.

[jugglebug.livejournal.com]

when I had wireless problems google gave me some plans for homemade antenna like devices, and also deflector tinfoil things to direct the signals.
I started making one, stuck some foil to card, then got bored and just propped it up between the outside wall and the router to direct my t'interweb wave inwards.
Did get a tiny signal boost.
The site claimed massive ones if done proper like

dunno of this is the same site, looks similar, s'posed to be working so can't check proper like
http://www.wlan.org.uk/antenna-page.html