External antenna?

Hi
I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic antenna
on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since my
room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal. Can I buy or
make any kind of external antenna to put outside my room, without having to
move my computer?
--
Regards,
Stuart Dennett




Stuart Dennett

In article <bit0lk$cjph2$(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed) says...


> I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic antenna
> on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since my
> room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal

Sorry I can't answer your query, but I'm curious to know why your room
is lined with ali ?

Is it by design, e.g it was built that way, or are you Howard Hughes in
some way?

In article <(E-Mail Removed)>, tx2inbound-
invalid-@hotmail.com says...
> In article <bit0lk$cjph2$(E-Mail Removed)>,
> (E-Mail Removed) says...
>
>
> > I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic antenna
> > on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since my
> > room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal
>
> Sorry I can't answer your query, but I'm curious to know why your room
> is lined with ali ?
>
> Is it by design, e.g it was built that way, or are you Howard Hughes in
> some way?
>
Maybe he's a victim of the Changing Rooms posse?

> > I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic
antenna
> > on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since
my
> > room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal
>
> Sorry I can't answer your query, but I'm curious to know why your room
> is lined with ali ?
>
> Is it by design, e.g it was built that way, or are you Howard Hughes in
> some way?

Apparently, it's to keep it warm during winter, and cool during summer,
although during the recent heatwave it was the hottest room in the house.

It's a loft room, so has to be kept insulated from all the nasty drafts
going through the loft, or something.

"Stuart Dennett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>> > I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic
>antenna
>> > on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since
>my
>> > room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal
>>
>> Sorry I can't answer your query, but I'm curious to know why your room
>> is lined with ali ?
>>
>> Is it by design, e.g it was built that way, or are you Howard Hughes in
>> some way?
>
>Apparently, it's to keep it warm during winter, and cool during summer,
>although during the recent heatwave it was the hottest room in the house.
>
>It's a loft room, so has to be kept insulated from all the nasty drafts
>going through the loft, or something.
>

"Stuart Dennett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>> > I have a wireless network card (Belkin 54g PCI) with a black plastic
>antenna
>> > on the back. I keep getting disconnected from our house's network since
>my
>> > room is lined with aluminium, so it cannot keep the signal
>>
>> Sorry I can't answer your query, but I'm curious to know why your room
>> is lined with ali ?
>>
>> Is it by design, e.g it was built that way, or are you Howard Hughes in
>> some way?
>
>Apparently, it's to keep it warm during winter, and cool during summer,
>although during the recent heatwave it was the hottest room in the house.
>
>It's a loft room, so has to be kept insulated from all the nasty drafts
>going through the loft, or something.
>

This is a common practise in thermal-isolation. And it is a common
problem to wireless LAN users. Your best bet is to place an accespoint
in every room you want to use your LAN, connecting them with cables
and a switch/hub.

regards
André

André Franke <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>[..]

sorry 'bout this one

regards
André

> This is a common practise in thermal-isolation. And it is a common
> problem to wireless LAN users. Your best bet is to place an accespoint
> in every room you want to use your LAN, connecting them with cables
> and a switch/hub.

Well, if I'm doing that, I might as well just connect to the router with a
long wire. But I don't really want to do that.

I should have mentioned that I can't even get a steady wireless signal if
the router is in my room, presumably from all the reflected signals bouncing
about everywhere.

"Stuart Dennett" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>Well, if I'm doing that, I might as well just connect to the router with a
>long wire. But I don't really want to do that.
>
>I should have mentioned that I can't even get a steady wireless signal if
>the router is in my room, presumably from all the reflected signals bouncing
>about everywhere.

It won't work as long as the isolation is not removed. Even if you
could amplify the signal so that it goes through the foil, you could
as well sit yourself in a microwave oven.
Since you cannot make the radiowaves through the foil you will need a
physical link (cable) from one room to another wherever there is an
isolated wall between the rooms.
Even if you could employ an external antenna you would need the cable
to that antenna and you would need one for each room w/ isolation
foil.

regards
André