Wireless in an odd layout

My house is L shaped with my Linksys WRT45G/Cable modem at the far end
of one leg of the L in my computer room. I want to use my laptop in
the living room which is at the far end of the other leg of the L -
but the signal falls off just before my La-Z-Boy.

The obvious solution would be to move my cable connection and AP to
the point where the two legs meet, but that's our dining room and my
wife is protesting.

I wrote Linksys and they suggested buying a second AP point and
running a cable down the hall and setting up the 2nd AP point there or
just move the 1st AP up the hall some. But the whole point of
wireless is not to have cables.

Any other suggestions? I think the problem is the signal must go
through two outside walls to get to the living room. And I don't want
to carry around an external antenna on my laptop.

Thanks,

Jim Harris

Jim,

You have a couple of options as I see it.
You can purchase range extender antennas from Radio Shack. You can see it here
at:

http://makeashorterlink.com/?T2CB15057

You can download a hacked firmware update for your router. On the Linksys
forum at BroadbandReports.com, there is a member named WiFi who has apparently
improved upon the Linksys firmware by adding a variable signal strength field.
You can get the software here:'

http://h.vu.wifi-box.net/

But I suggest you read up on it first at

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/equip,16


>Subject: Wireless in an odd layout
>From: (E-Mail Removed) (Jim Harris)
>Date: 2/5/2004 1:51 PM Eastern Standard Time
>Message-id: <(E-Mail Removed) >
>
>My house is L shaped with my Linksys WRT45G/Cable modem at the far end
>of one leg of the L in my computer room. I want to use my laptop in
>the living room which is at the far end of the other leg of the L -
>but the signal falls off just before my La-Z-Boy.
>
>The obvious solution would be to move my cable connection and AP to
>the point where the two legs meet, but that's our dining room and my
>wife is protesting.
>
>I wrote Linksys and they suggested buying a second AP point and
>running a cable down the hall and setting up the 2nd AP point there or
>just move the 1st AP up the hall some. But the whole point of
>wireless is not to have cables.
>
>Any other suggestions? I think the problem is the signal must go
>through two outside walls to get to the living room. And I don't want
>to carry around an external antenna on my laptop.
>
>Thanks,
>
>Jim Harris

Reflectors on your WAP? (Worked for me through 1 exterior wall anyway)
http://home.comcast.net/~vfdrake/wsb/index.html

--
Smartin (Andy H)
"Jim Harris" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> My house is L shaped with my Linksys WRT45G/Cable modem at the far end
> of one leg of the L in my computer room. I want to use my laptop in
> the living room which is at the far end of the other leg of the L -
> but the signal falls off just before my La-Z-Boy.
>
> The obvious solution would be to move my cable connection and AP to
> the point where the two legs meet, but that's our dining room and my
> wife is protesting.
>
> I wrote Linksys and they suggested buying a second AP point and
> running a cable down the hall and setting up the 2nd AP point there or
> just move the 1st AP up the hall some. But the whole point of
> wireless is not to have cables.
>
> Any other suggestions? I think the problem is the signal must go
> through two outside walls to get to the living room. And I don't want
> to carry around an external antenna on my laptop.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jim Harris