Some questions/problems

[slimmy]

Well, after spending almost 3 hours today trying to get my wireless PC card to work, I now got it working and the signal strength isn't that good. I am getting at most 45% when the laptop is in the room right next door to the router. And I bought this wireless router to hook up 4 upstairs rooms and a room downstairs. I tried the laptop in my room upstairs and I didn't get any signal from the router in the room downstairs. I got at most 60% from the room right above the router, and 10-20% from the middle upstairs room.

I was just wondering if there's any settings I need to set to get maximum range. I know the range on these things is overrated but only getting 40% from the room next door and no signal from another downstairs room probably about 50 feet away can't be right.

I also later brought the laptop into the same room as the router and was still only able to get 40-50% from no more than 5 feet away from the router. That can't be right.

Any tips on setting this up to get maximum range?

[Greenstead]

No that does not sound right. Especially in the same room you should get 100% signal strength (and the room next to it). I'm OK up to about 50ft away through normal house walls.

The range claims are nonsense and I suspect are tested in an office with paper partitions. Mine drops to 10% in the opposite corner of the house and drops signal entirely.


Interferences to consider:
- The possibility of a wireless network in the next house or a radio ham.
- Keep away from metal objects (like filing cabinets, fridges).
- Cordless phones.
- Video senders.
- Microwave ovens.

Try moving the channel in the router to the other end (11 in the US, 13 in the UK) - the PC should track it and lock on.

But it sounds something is defective. Take it back and change for another model.

btw some routers have detachable aeriels so if you have genuine problems in your house you can get a high gain aeriel. D-Link and Orinoco do these I believe. Keep the PC card and router the same make.