WRT54G/WPC54G -- Can the range be extended?

Has anyone successfully extended the range of the WRT54G and/or the
WPC54G with these "antenna" devices available in the market?

The reason I am contemplating this option in the 1st place is the fact
that just one floor below the router (WRT54G), I am getting poor
signal strength and quality with my laptop equipped with the WPC54G.

The only time I get an "excellent" signal strength and quality is when
I am in the same room where the router is located.

Any help or recommendation would be much appreciated here. Thanks in
advance.

> Has anyone successfully extended the range of the WRT54G and/or the
> WPC54G with these "antenna" devices available in the market?

Same issues as for the 802.11b stuff. Yes range can be extended by
changing antenna.

Just bear in mind that increasing signal in one direction means that
you'll lose it in another.

David.

David, I am also interested in the subject, and being new at this, I
missed the 802.11b discussion on this (Is there an FAQ?).

What's the preferred way to deal with this issue, given the kaveat you
mentioned in your message (i.e., increasing signal in one direction
results in losing it in another)?

On Sun, 6 Jul 2003 19:40:32 +0100, David Taylor <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>> Has anyone successfully extended the range of the WRT54G and/or the
>> WPC54G with these "antenna" devices available in the market?
>
>Same issues as for the 802.11b stuff. Yes range can be extended by
>changing antenna.
>
>Just bear in mind that increasing signal in one direction means that
>you'll lose it in another.
>
>David.

> David, I am also interested in the subject, and being new at this, I
> missed the 802.11b discussion on this (Is there an FAQ?).

Although it's a FAQ there isn't a FAQ!

In order to answer the question, you need to state very specifically
what you want to achieve. Saying that you want to increase the signal
isn't enough.

Think bare light bulb (=antenna 0dBi) compared with same bulb with a
reflector behind it (=antenna with parabolic reflector > 10dBi).
However, there's no light above or behind, that's what you have achieved
by increasing gain in one direction.

So the question is where do you need the signal, where is the antenna
and so on.

I'll point you to my web site as a starting point which has links to
plenty of other similar sites.

http://www.nodomainname.co.uk/cantenna/cantenna.htm

David.

David Taylor <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> So the question is where do you need the signal, where is the antenna
> and so on.

> I'll point you to my web site as a starting point which has links to
> plenty of other similar sites.

> http://www.nodomainname.co.uk/cantenna/cantenna.htm

Wonderful site. But the simpler alternative, assuming that you already
have the answer to David's questions about direction of desired gain,
is either the parabolic or EZ10 at http://www.freeantennas.com

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