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[Omegatoy]

ok guys , first off i am totaly useless with computers so go easy on me when answering this question please
now i know me laptop is now old hat as its around 4 or 5 years old!!! however mate of mine has just installed a new wireless router with a 350meter range, my house is only 40 meters from his and my wireless is having trouble connecting to it!!!! it just says signal low or very low(what?) so is it possible to download a new driver for my wireless bits? strange thing is i can pick up 3 other wireless systems and one of them is over 130meters away, but they all say low signal strength no matter what?
as i understand it my antenna is built into the laptop surround?
it works perfectly well normally its just that the wireless bit is very weaK, around 18months ago the wireless stopped working altogether and a mate who knows about computers told me he downloaded a new driver for it and got it working again, so im wondering if it needs doing again? had to mover it into the beroom to get online here which is only 30 mters from his place!!! help!! hope all this has made sense to someone?
any help or assistance greatly appreciated but please not to computerish? cos most of its gibberish to me

[tunnie]

manufactures claims of 350m is often just bull, and don't include buildings or walls getting in the way. Most routers are omni-directional, so don't focus in any particular direction.

If your picking up WiFi from 130 meters away, nothing wrong with your laptop 

 What make is your mates router?

[KW]

has just installed a new wireless router with a 350meter range,

That will be the "effective" range over open ground with no encryption enabled, nanny doesn't allow (in law at any rate) any kind of useable RF power to be emitted from a wi-fi router.

my house is only 40 meters from his and my wireless is having trouble connecting to it!!!!

Brick & concrete are rather effective at stopping radiation from the microwave band (which is why nuclear bunkers are constructed with those materials), and the 2.4GHz signal from the router is......microwave.

If you want a decent signal from your mate, then get outside antennas and push that transmit power up to a sensible level.

[cem_devecioglu]

not an expert on wireless subject but these links seems useful to me..

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/setup/wirelesstips.aspx

http://repair4laptop.org/wireless_lan_antennae.html

http://forums.techarena.in/networking-security/1142220.htm

[Omegatoy]

aha thanks guys, rf etc i remember from the army!!!got fed up making dipole ariels there!!! lol however
also would add, there is nothing between his house and mine this router is behaving exactly the same as the original one even though we changed it, original only had effective range of 100meters, its a belkin n i think? but if he brings his computer to my house he gets full signal? as does me other mate?which is why i thought it must be my computer?

[KW]

there is nothing between his house and mine

I think you'll find that both houses have 9" of brick as an outer skin, that makes 18" in total and is more than enough to  castrate a 2.4GHz carrier (especially if you don't have "line of sight").

this router is behaving exactly the same as the original one even though we changed it, original only had effective range of 100meters, its a belkin n i think? but if he brings his computer to my house he gets full signal? as does me other mate?which is why i thought it must be my computer?

Does he have EXACTLY the same wi-fi card as you, and is it's antenna in EXACTLY the same place as your's?

[Omegatoy]

Cem, thanks understand a bit more now!!

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that, however it appears from reading some of Cems links that although they are supposed to be omni directional many work better in one particular direction, will have to try and move the router around to see if it helps, so far though it seems the general opinion is that my puter is working ok?
scuttles back to read more of the links

[cem_devecioglu]

Cem, thanks understand a bit more now!!

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that, however it appears from reading some of Cems links that although they are supposed to be omni directional many work better in one particular direction, will have to try and move the router around to see if it helps, so far though it seems the general opinion is that my puter is working ok?
scuttles back to read more of the links

 

[KW]

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that,

Although steel also makes for a very nice faraday cage as well, are you saying there is no brick/concrete whatsoever between the two of you?
I would find that hard to believe unless you both live in a shed or caravan.

[Chris_H]

If it's a laptop you should be able to walk over to his house and watch the signal increase.  If it reads well when you get there then your laptop's wireless reception is OK.

BTW on the gadget show they used kitchen foil as a reflector and reckoned they improved signal strength at the expense of direction.  Is he up for that?

[Omegatoy]

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that,

Although steel also makes for a very nice faraday cage as well, are you saying there is no brick/concrete whatsoever between the two of you?
I would find that hard to believe unless you both live in a shed or caravan.

lolo max 50mm concrete skin bud!!! however there is a possibility that his tumble drier on top of hte washing machine could just be in the way or at least partially obscuring the direct line of sight? would that do it?

[Omegatoy]

If it's a laptop you should be able to walk over to his house and watch the signal increase.  If it reads well when you get there then your laptop's wireless reception is OK.

BTW on the gadget show they used kitchen foil as a reflector and reckoned they improved signal strength at the expense of direction.  Is he up for that?

could well be mate!! thanks will ask him

[KW]

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that,

Although steel also makes for a very nice faraday cage as well, are you saying there is no brick/concrete whatsoever between the two of you?
I would find that hard to believe unless you both live in a shed or caravan.

lolo max 50mm concrete skin bud!!! however there is a possibility that his tumble drier on top of hte washing machine could just be in the way or at least partially obscuring the direct line of sight? would that do it?

I have killed a (weak) wi-fi signal just by standing in front of the computer.
When they say "line of sight", they really do mean line of sight (get on a step ladder and stand directly level with a Sky dish, then you'll know what line of sight means where the microwave band is concerned  )

[Omegatoy]

KW nope he has a different computer however we do have line of sight perfectly and the houses are wooden contsruction with a few bits of steel chucked in so pretty sure it isnt that,

Although steel also makes for a very nice faraday cage as well, are you saying there is no brick/concrete whatsoever between the two of you?
I would find that hard to believe unless you both live in a shed or caravan.

lolo max 50mm concrete skin bud!!! however there is a possibility that his tumble drier on top of hte washing machine could just be in the way or at least partially obscuring the direct line of sight? would that do it?

I have killed a (weak) wi-fi signal just by standing in front of the computer.
When they say "line of sight", they really do mean line of sight (get on a step ladder and stand directly level with a Sky dish, then you'll know what line of sight means where the microwave band is concerned  )

lol dont need to!!our skydishes are 1.3meters down here as we are right on the edge of the envelope, and hence are mounted on a concrete plith at street level, you soon know if anyone is coming to visit when they walk past it!!!!

[BigAl]

If it's a laptop you should be able to walk over to his house and watch the signal increase.  If it reads well when you get there then your laptop's wireless reception is OK.

BTW on the gadget show they used kitchen foil as a reflector and reckoned they improved signal strength at the expense of direction.  Is he up for that?

An empty Pringles container can be used to make a directional antenna