802.11a signal boost?

I've seen the posts in here regarding some of the options for wireless
signal enhancement such as freeantenna.com and such.

Everyone talks about 802.11b though. Will these reflectors and such
help at all with an 802.11a access point (Linksys WAP51AB
specifically).

Either of my normal 2 points I keep access points at work great with
the 802.11b signal, but from my normal computer position, when I
switch from the B signal on the A/B unit to it's A signal, my strength
drops in half. I'm looking at running some extension cords and making
a longer ethernet cable to plug it into my switch from a a new
mounting spot in my stairwell (multilevel home) but figured when I do
that I'd also toss in some of the reflectors showin on freantenna.com
if they'll work with an A signal as well.

Not much I can do on the notebook side since the card is a mini-pci,
but at least with the antenna around the screen, it seems to work
great. With the B signal, I can be about 70 feet away in my garage,
access point on the opposite side of the house in the basement, with
the signal going through the cinderblocks of the foundation as well as
the poured concrete garage floor and I can get a fine signal.

With the A signal, having it in a room about 25 feet away with nothing
more than a single 2/4 / drywall constructed wall brings the signal
down to almost unusable.

Thanks for any info

John

"John" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> I've seen the posts in here regarding some of the options for wireless
> signal enhancement such as freeantenna.com and such.
>
> Everyone talks about 802.11b though. Will these reflectors and such
> help at all with an 802.11a access point (Linksys WAP51AB
> specifically).
>
> Either of my normal 2 points I keep access points at work great with
> the 802.11b signal, but from my normal computer position, when I
> switch from the B signal on the A/B unit to it's A signal, my strength
> drops in half. I'm looking at running some extension cords and making
> a longer ethernet cable to plug it into my switch from a a new
> mounting spot in my stairwell (multilevel home) but figured when I do
> that I'd also toss in some of the reflectors showin on freantenna.com
> if they'll work with an A signal as well.
>
> Not much I can do on the notebook side since the card is a mini-pci,
> but at least with the antenna around the screen, it seems to work
> great. With the B signal, I can be about 70 feet away in my garage,
> access point on the opposite side of the house in the basement, with
> the signal going through the cinderblocks of the foundation as well as
> the poured concrete garage floor and I can get a fine signal.
>
> With the A signal, having it in a room about 25 feet away with nothing
> more than a single 2/4 / drywall constructed wall brings the signal
> down to almost unusable.
>
> Thanks for any info
>
> John
>
The reflectors work BETTER on 802.11a than 802.11b! Now you need to ask
"better at what?"

Reflectors improve signal by confining it to a smaller area. If you really
need to cover 360º, a reflector probably won't help you. If you know that
coverage is only needed in one direction, then a corner reflector might be
the right choice. Parabolic reflectors are only effective for point to
point connections or for client antennas that can be pointed toward the
known position of the access point.

802.11a is less than half the wavelength of 802.11b. A parabolic reflector
'scoops up' the signal from the entire area of the reflector effectively
increasing the appature of the antenna to the larger area. The gain of the
antenna is proportional to the area of the reflector and inversely
proportional to the square of the wavelength, so a 12 inch diameter
reflector will render an antenna with much higher gain on 5 GHz than on 2.4
GHz.

Don W.