[Gllug] [OT] Extended coverage wireless routers

[Christopher Hunter]

On Sat, 2007-04-07 at 18:24 +0100, Leo Hickey wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> My laptop has an 802.11g connection, and with my current setup I get 
> frequent dropped connections. If I get one of the wireless routers which 
> claim extended coverage eg Netgear rangemax etc, will this make any 
> difference to the quality of the signal if I connect with 802.11g rather 
> than their proprietary protocol (pre-n or whatever). In other words is 
> the extended coverage tied to the protocol being used or will I still 
> get a better connection with an extended coverage router even if I'm 
> still using 11g?

The proprietary protocols actually do little to improve useful range -
they may increase throughput, but the true useful range is limited by
the power output you're permitted, the quality of the receivers (usually
not very good), and by other users in your vicinity.  Pre-n is suspect
in that it's not a ratified protocol and may be rendered useless by
other developments.

One option for improving results is to check what channels your
neighbours use:  the vast majority will use the factory default that
their router is set to - mostly channel 11.  Choice of another channel
is highly recommended!

The next option you should try is relocation of the router - away from
walls and higher up in your home usually helps.  If you can not effect
any useful improvement, it's sometimes worth trying an improved antenna
at each end.  I added a homebrew colinear to my router, and the useful
range went from the next room to all the way down the garden!

Chris


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