Range...newbie questions

Been around computers for years but am now considering going to wireless.

I want to use my laptop in the rear garden which will put it around 120 ft
from the antenna of the router. That includes a plasterboard wall and a
solid built rear wall of the house. Is this realistic?

I'm after a new wireless adsl/broadband router with good firewall that can
take an external antenna (so I can mount it in the loft re above). I was
looking at the Belkin/Lynksys/Netgear models. Any of these reputed to have
good range and the required antenna socket - what PCMCIA card would it be
matched with?

Brownie wrote:
> Been around computers for years but am now considering going to
> wireless.
>
> I want to use my laptop in the rear garden which will put it around
> 120 ft from the antenna of the router. That includes a plasterboard
> wall and a solid built rear wall of the house. Is this realistic?

Not really..... a bit optimistic - could work, depends on the walls; if the
plasterboard has foil you are screwed.


> I'm after a new wireless adsl/broadband router with good firewall
> that can take an external antenna (so I can mount it in the loft re
> above). I was looking at the Belkin/Lynksys/Netgear models. Any of
> these reputed to have good range and the required antenna socket -
> what PCMCIA card would it be matched with?

This is unlikely to work... cable losses will be high unless you use very
low loss cable plus antenna with gain/directionality...

Better solution is an ADSL modem/Router and a seperate wireless access point
in the attic on the end of a CAT5 run; if you can mount the WAP externally
(in waterproof box under eaves?), OR drill through external wall and use
(short) antenna cable to an external (directional patch?) antenna you will
have line-of-sight to the laptop in the back garden and excellent signal.

Guy

"Brownie" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:c6g3mp$bd8ei$(E-Mail Removed)...
> Been around computers for years but am now considering going to wireless.
>
> I want to use my laptop in the rear garden which will put it around 120 ft
> from the antenna of the router. That includes a plasterboard wall and a
> solid built rear wall of the house. Is this realistic?
>
> I'm after a new wireless adsl/broadband router with good firewall that can
> take an external antenna (so I can mount it in the loft re above). I was
> looking at the Belkin/Lynksys/Netgear models. Any of these reputed to
have
> good range and the required antenna socket - what PCMCIA card would it be
> matched with?
>

If I was you, I would worry about the range later, if it doesn't work. You
can always make it work by adjusting the position of the wireless Access
Point, or by adding an antenna outside. I advise you to buy a DG834G,
wireless router, and a DWL-900AP+ Access Point.

The reason I suggest the DG834G, is because it has a wireless access point
built in, and you can either use it, or not. The fact that you have it
means you can enable it if you want to (The price difference between a
wireless or non wireless modem router is so small these days, that you might
as well have the wireless facility!). I would then hardwire the DWL-900AP+
to the back of the DG834G (using a CAT5 cable from one of the four ports)
and disable the wireless access point on the DG834G. Position the
DWL-900AP+ in a location close to where you need to mount the outside
antenna and use a short run of low loss cable to the aerial.

This is what I did a few weeks ago. I now don't use the DG834G wireless
access, but its always there should I need to enable it as a second access
point under a different name.

All my wireless access is now gained via the DWL-900AP+, I just use the
DG834G as a modem/router.

If you are unsure as whether or not your access will work at the required
distance, just buy the DG834G for now and try it. You can always add the
DWL-900AP+ at a later time, without having to dump the DG834G. I suspect
that it may well work OK without. I can access my DG834G at a friends house
four doors away no problem. I know one person who uses a couple of beam
antennas to access his mates PC 2km away (line of sight).

Ray