Wireless Network Advice
 

I currently have a D-Link "g" router from which I have my PCs hooked to. However, for some reason, it really has trouble transmitting/recieving to my living room from my office (It's not THAT far, but it is a victorian house with plaster/tile/etc.), and it's getting frustrating. Signal strength is REALLY low and I can barely use the laptop, let alone the wireless bridge on my xbox.

I have heard from other ignoramuses that the "b" format routers are stronger, and have less problems like I have. But looking at the transmit power specs on the B model and G model, they appear to be the same. I really wouldn't care if I had a "b" - my ISP is only 5mbit, never goes over 3.5, and I rarely transfer huge files between PCs, so 10mbit would be more than enough.

So my question is:

Would buying a B router solve this problem?

Can I hack the DI-624 router with my solder gun and some components to pump out more power? I looked on google extensively and failed to find much.

Is there a certain brand of router that pumps out much more transmit power?

I get a better signal with my netgear g router than I did with my linksys b router with the extra signal booster.

try moving the router to the middle of the house. You might have to run a cat5 through the walls to do it, but it will be worth it in the long run

if its a wrt54g id take it back, ive got one here all concrete building, lotsa iron and i can easily walk outside with my laptop and still get a signal, 100+ feet at least

I have the same problem. Drives me out of my F***** mind!!!!! Signal strength is low....disappears etc. We have drywall, no plaster and it still have problems. The distance isn't that far, over one room and up one story.

We are hoping a signal booster will help. I will be interested in seeing what is working for others cause frankly, the way this is now, it just plain sucks.

I have installed 2 different offices which have a combination of solid brick walls and dry walls and the D-Link DI-624 wireless routers work well even when the signal is low. I'm not sure why you are having these problems. Have you tried calling D-Link tech support?

You can get wireless access points that pump out more power, but it might not help. Before you spend any money try a couple of things- Set a different channel on the chance that another AP somewhere or a 2.4Ghz wireless phone is screwing you up, and also get the AP up as high as possible. I have hooked my access point on the top of the curtain rod in my office with a cable tie and that was enough to fix my connection woes.

If you do end up buying a new wireless router get an 802.11b model that has jacks for external antennas. A high gain antenna will do more for you than simply jacking up the transmit power because it will "hear" better as well as "talking" better.

Positioning can be a problem. If you are near a wall, near a bunch of metal (like desks, an in basket in metal, etc) or near a computer monitor, you can have major signal loss as you move away from the receiver.

It is best to locate the hub as close to the middle of your service area as possible, as high up as possible, and away from other electronics that can cause it to lose signal.

In my house, I have two wirelsss units now, a di-713 'b' unit, and di-524 'g' unit. The G has significantly better range and coverage.

Try different channels, try movign the unit slightly (even 6 inches can change thigns dramatically). Try putting it up higher, away from other things.

If you get really stuck, and external antenna is a good choice.

Alex

Check the device you're using and that it doesnt have some shitty wifi card in it.

I have a WAP54g and use it in conjunction with a few wireless devices throughout my house (different rooms/floows) and always get amazing latency and throughput :)

http://www.cantenna.com
http://cantenna.com/cantenna_images/canandpigtail04.jpg
Took me from about 15% signal strength to mid 90s through 4 stories of my townhouse from basement up to my loft.

:thumbsup