Boosting wireless signal?

[CathJ]

Hi

I've just recently got a wireless router set up - it all works fine if my laptop is in the same room as the router, but if I move to the room the signal strength drops to anything between 0 and 34%, and the connection isn't particularly stable. Still within a distance of a couple of metres, not sure of the exact distance, but it should be within range.

Is there anything simple I can do to boost the signal? It's such a short distance, I don't really have anywhere to put a repeater (it'd have to sit in the middle of the passage!). I've tried playing with the aerial, but it doesn't seem to help much; the only thing that seemed to help was standing with the router held about 1.5m high, but it's hard to be sure since I don't have one person to hold the router and one to check the signal strength

Any ideas? (Apart from moving to another flat, that is!).

 

[Ryder_JHB]

Hi Cathryn,

Try either putting a mirror behind the antenna, or you could cut a hole in a pringles can, about 1cm away from the metal base - and slot the hole over the rubber-duck type antenna on your wireless access point. Even sticking a piece of card, covered in tinfoil behind the antenna might help. Let us know!

 

[bdt]

Friend Ryder_JHB here is advocating the kinda thing you can find at the Free Antennas site. Personally I'm not hugely keen on the Pringles can, but that's just me and is in no way meant to detract from what Ryder_JHB said, or that they basically work!

But I've actually built a couple of those projects from that site and danged if they don't do a HELL of a job! ..and for the cost of some cardboard and tinfoil too.

HTH, and happy (antenna) hacking!
-bdt

 

[GuRu]

Ditto what the previous posts said also you have to do a bit of trial and error testing to find the best spot (sweet spot) for the wireless router.
Sometimes the postion you have it in there might be metal ie pipes , reinforcing in the walls which can act as a sheild.
So place your laptop where you are comfortable with it and then move the router around until you get the best signal.

Good luck.

 

[skydog]

Cathryn - know a baking tray has been used with great success. The baking tray was just reseted on the wall behind the AP.
yeah i know very scientific