Linksys Befw11s4 with Dell Inspiron 500m

I have the BEFW11S4 upstairs and my notebook downstairs in the
kitchen. Total distance no more than 80 feet. The Wireless signal is
LOW to non existent. Dell has a built in Intel Pro 802.11b lan card.
Is there a way to boost signal strength? I tried changing the channel
in WEP setsup to 8,9,10. No changes. What if I change the card to
WPC54G or the like will this help? What if I change to hardwired that
means installing an 80-100ft cable. Will this help. Its really
frustrating to loose signals right while I downloading files or
sending an email, because the signals will only stay on for about 30
minutes or so. Mucho Grachas

James Mendez wrote:

> I have the BEFW11S4 upstairs and my notebook downstairs in the
> kitchen. Total distance no more than 80 feet. The Wireless signal is
> LOW to non existent. Dell has a built in Intel Pro 802.11b lan card.
> Is there a way to boost signal strength? I tried changing the channel
> in WEP setsup to 8,9,10. No changes. What if I change the card to
> WPC54G or the like will this help? What if I change to hardwired that
> means installing an 80-100ft cable. Will this help. Its really
> frustrating to loose signals right while I downloading files or
> sending an email, because the signals will only stay on for about 30
> minutes or so. Mucho Grachas
either

a) run a cable. If you have this option it will give you better
reliability and speed that wireless, full stop. No problems with WEP/WPA
either.

b) try moving the access point about while an assistant monitors the
signal strength. You might find moving the AP a few feet will improve
things enough.

"Chris Bartram" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:lQlZc.871$(E-Mail Removed)...
> James Mendez wrote:
>
>> I have the BEFW11S4 upstairs and my notebook downstairs in the
>> kitchen. Total distance no more than 80 feet. The Wireless signal is
>> LOW to non existent. Dell has a built in Intel Pro 802.11b lan card.
>> Is there a way to boost signal strength? I tried changing the channel
>> in WEP setsup to 8,9,10. No changes. What if I change the card to
>> WPC54G or the like will this help? What if I change to hardwired that
>> means installing an 80-100ft cable. Will this help. Its really
>> frustrating to loose signals right while I downloading files or
>> sending an email, because the signals will only stay on for about 30
>> minutes or so. Mucho Grachas
> either
>
> a) run a cable. If you have this option it will give you better
> reliability and speed that wireless, full stop. No problems with WEP/WPA
> either.
>
> b) try moving the access point about while an assistant monitors the
> signal strength. You might find moving the AP a few feet will improve
> things enough.

Additional possibilities:

Consider trying one of the various free antenna reflectors.
http://www.freeantennas.com/

Also consider adding a 3rd party higher gain antenna on the AP
www.fab-corp.com

Consider trying a USB wireless client for the laptop. That allows you to
move around the antenna for best reception. If you check for return
policies and restocking fees, you could probably try this and if it didn't
work, return it for a refund.

YOu might consider getting the add-on amplifier from LInksys. However, if
you consider going that route, I would suggest instead buying the WRT54G or
similar "G" access point that already has the higher power. Sure wish I had
done that instead of adding the amp to my befw11s4 ver 1.

--
Bob Alston

bobalston9 AT aol DOT com


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Chris Bartram <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> b) try moving the access point about while an assistant monitors the
> signal strength. You might find moving the AP a few feet will improve
> things enough.

I found a handy tool in VNC. I can run VNCServer on the laptop, and
vncviewer on a desktop near the WAP. Run some signal monitor on the laptop
while viewing the screen remotely on the desktop and adjusting the antennas
and such. The traffic from the VNC session is enough to see the resulting
traffic data on a signal monitor. My Orinoco card came with a monitor tool
in the client software, or you could use NetStumbler.

If the signal works, but is marginal, you can give yourself a bit of a
boost with a free reflector.

http://www.freeantennas.com
http:/www.realvnc.com
http://wwww.netstumbler.com

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8-122.5

"James Mendez" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
>I have the BEFW11S4 upstairs and my notebook downstairs in the
> kitchen. Total distance no more than 80 feet. The Wireless signal is
> LOW to non existent. Dell has a built in Intel Pro 802.11b lan card.
> Is there a way to boost signal strength? I tried changing the channel
> in WEP setsup to 8,9,10. No changes. What if I change the card to
> WPC54G or the like will this help? What if I change to hardwired that
> means installing an 80-100ft cable. Will this help. Its really
> frustrating to loose signals right while I downloading files or
> sending an email, because the signals will only stay on for about 30
> minutes or so. Mucho Grachas

Update the Intel miniPCI driver from Dell (if there is one, yours might
already be updated.) The early versions of this card had signal
problems.

Q