Extending range of DG834G wireless network

Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine except
that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this network
wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket to
my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.

Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)? Or
will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
transmitting powerfully enough?

Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned halfway
between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access points
which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible with
the Netgear router we already have?

I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.

Chris

Christopher Reeve wrote:

> Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine except
> that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
> What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this network
> wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket to
> my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.
>
> Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)? Or
> will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
> transmitting powerfully enough?
>
> Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned halfway
> between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
> product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access points
> which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible with
> the Netgear router we already have?
>
> I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.
>

How far is your top floor from the DG834G and what sort of walls &
floors is it going through? Just got one myself today so knowing its
limits would before I start would help!

--
[ste]

"Christopher Reeve" <christopherreeve@NO SPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in
message news:ch4l8e$q8d$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine except
> that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
> What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this network
> wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket to
> my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.
>
> Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)? Or
> will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
> transmitting powerfully enough?
>
> Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned
> halfway
> between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
> product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access points
> which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible with
> the Netgear router we already have?
>
> I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.

The signal radiates around the antenna outwards but not upwards (assuming
you have the antenna pointing vertically), like a big donut lying flat on
the ground. If you angle the antenna to point horizontally then the signal
should radiate in a vertical plane, like a donut lying on its edge. Half the
donut will be trying to reach through the floor/earth but the other half
will be pushing upwards through all the floors of the house. Maybe that will
work.

FWIW my DG834G signal reaches quite comfortably to the end of my garden,
about 80' away from the router through one wall and some patio doors. You
could also use something like Netstumbler to look for interference from
other networks in your area and maybe pick another channel as far away from
the interfering signal as possible.

It's an old 4 storey terraced house with solidly built walls and ceilings
and we're trying to get the one DG834G to serve the whole house from top to
bottom, which I think is a fairly extreme situation so it's unlikely you'll
have problems with range with your new unit.
As I said I can get a 'good' signal on the landing outside my room, but go
through the doorway and it drops to 'out of range'. I believe this is
because the signal has to travel in a straight line, and crossing into my
room means the straight line is diagonally upwards through a solid brick
wall. The siting of the router is pretty much fixed by the design of the
house and availability of phone sockets, so this is why I was looking to buy
a repeater access point to take the signal round the obstruction rather than
through it.
Chris


> >
>
> How far is your top floor from the DG834G and what sort of walls &
> floors is it going through? Just got one myself today so knowing its
> limits would before I start would help!
>
> --
> [ste]

"Christopher Reeve" <christopherreeve@NO SPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in
message news:ch4l8e$q8d$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine except
> that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
> What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this network
> wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket to
> my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.
>
> Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)? Or
> will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
> transmitting powerfully enough?
>
> Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned
> halfway
> between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
> product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access points
> which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible with
> the Netgear router we already have?
>
> I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.
>
> Chris
>

This ----->> www.tritium.co.uk

"Christopher Reeve" <christopherreeve@NO SPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in
message news:ch4sg1$5u1$(E-Mail Removed)...
> It's an old 4 storey terraced house with solidly built walls and ceilings
> and we're trying to get the one DG834G to serve the whole house from top
> to
> bottom, which I think is a fairly extreme situation so it's unlikely
> you'll
> have problems with range with your new unit.
> As I said I can get a 'good' signal on the landing outside my room, but go
> through the doorway and it drops to 'out of range'. I believe this is
> because the signal has to travel in a straight line, and crossing into my
> room means the straight line is diagonally upwards through a solid brick
> wall. The siting of the router is pretty much fixed by the design of the
> house and availability of phone sockets, so this is why I was looking to
> buy
> a repeater access point to take the signal round the obstruction rather
> than
> through it.

Have you tried the suggestions from Netgear?
http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101160.asp

--
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)

"Falcon" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:LZmZc.652$(E-Mail Removed)...
[...]
> Have you tried the suggestions from Netgear?
> http://kbserver.netgear.com/kb_web_files/n101160.asp

I meant to add ... take a really good look at where your router is. I know
you can't move it far, but I had horrible problems caused, it seems, by a
radiator in one of the bedrooms. Four inches to one side, and tilting the
antenna to 45 degrees made all the difference.

--
Falcon:
fide, sed cui vide. (L)

"gerry" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>
> "Christopher Reeve" <christopherreeve@NO SPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in
> message news:ch4l8e$q8d$(E-Mail Removed)...
>> Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine
>> except
>> that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
>> What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this
>> network
>> wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket
>> to
>> my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.
>>
>> Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)?
>> Or
>> will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
>> transmitting powerfully enough?
>>
>> Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned
>> halfway
>> between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
>> product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access points
>> which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible with
>> the Netgear router we already have?
>>
>> I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.
>>
>> Chris
>>
>
> This ----->> www.tritium.co.uk
>
>
>

Or maybe do yourself a favour and possibly save a tenner or so and do a
google search for home made antenna or something similar - absolutely loads
of links out there for making something similar eg.

http://www.techtastic.ca/articles/homemade-antenna.html

Andy

Thank you for your suggestions.
I have experimented with horizontal aerial positioning and as much
alternative siting as possible to no avail, and I am not keen on attaching a
directional reflector to the antenna as the house is such that there are
other machines on the network in the opposite direction.
I am going to have to buy either a new omnidirectional antenna or another
access point to relay the signal, so I guess my original questions about
which is better and compatibility of repeaters still stands if anyone has
any advice.
Many thanks.
Chris


"Tiny Tim" <_(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4135dc5c$0$65003$(E-Mail Removed)...
> "Christopher Reeve" <christopherreeve@NO SPAMbtinternet.com> wrote in
> message news:ch4l8e$q8d$(E-Mail Removed)...
> > Our home network is based around a Netgear DG834G and it works fine
except
> > that the signal doesn't quite reach my desk in my room on the top floor.
> > What is the most cost effective way of extending the range of this
network
> > wirelessly? The unit is already positioned in the nearest phone socket
to
> > my room, but the signal still only reaches the landing outside my room.
> >
> > Should I buy a better aerial or signal booster for the router(or both)?
Or
> > will this only improve signal from ther router, with my laptop still not
> > transmitting powerfully enough?
> >
> > Should I instead buy another wireless access point to be positioned
> > halfway
> > between the two to relay the signal? Do Netgear make such a compatible
> > product, if so what is it? I know other manufacturers make access
points
> > which have repeater (relay) functionality - will these be compatible
with
> > the Netgear router we already have?
> >
> > I would welcome any advice / thoughts on this problem.
>
> The signal radiates around the antenna outwards but not upwards (assuming
> you have the antenna pointing vertically), like a big donut lying flat on
> the ground. If you angle the antenna to point horizontally then the signal
> should radiate in a vertical plane, like a donut lying on its edge. Half
the
> donut will be trying to reach through the floor/earth but the other half
> will be pushing upwards through all the floors of the house. Maybe that
will
> work.
>
> FWIW my DG834G signal reaches quite comfortably to the end of my garden,
> about 80' away from the router through one wall and some patio doors. You
> could also use something like Netstumbler to look for interference from
> other networks in your area and maybe pick another channel as far away
from
> the interfering signal as possible.
>
>