After doing lots of reading and trying out one of the DIY corner antennas, I
finally opted for the WSB24 ($80.72 from Buy.com delivered FedEx ground). I
have two laptops in the house both with PCMCIA cards. I also have an
original, model 1, BEFW11S4 - the one that cannot be upgraded to the newer,
secure WPA security.
One laptop - same floor as the WAP - which has a USR PCMCIA card - went from
poor-fair meter readings to generally good, sometimes excellent.
The 2nd - upstairs from the WAP - which has a Linksys PCMCIA card - went
from 1 bar green to 2-3 bars green.
A 3rd upstairs location went from no signal to 1 bar green.
Installation was a snap though you must be careful not to reposition the
antenna after you tighten its connection to the amp unit. A good way to
split the plastic. But it is cosmetic and a bit of tape fixed it.
Also I have both antennas in the horizontal position, since both laptops
have PCMCIA cards with antenna internal to the PCMCIA card.
I have read mixed results on the LinksysWSB24. For me, it appears to be
doing what I wanted. Sure wish Linksys would provide a firmware upgrade for
WPA security for the original model BEFW11S4.
--
Bob Alston
bobalston9 AT aol DOT com
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