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170 Comments
- akchrs, on 07/19/2009, -5/+329I wish my neighbors would use some of these tips.
- yillip, on 07/19/2009, -0/+129duh....hasn't everyone seen this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LY8Wi7XRXCA
- warp99, on 07/18/2009, -2/+119Install DD-WRT and increase the power to the antenna. On my Linksys WRT54G the difference is like night and day.
- wontstoptalking, on 07/19/2009, -3/+98I can't believe Linksys dropped their original WRT54G line....they were BEST routers, EVER.
You all know that.
So why did we go from this:
http://uploads.neowin.net/forum/post-2250-12383594 ...
To this:
http://gadgetlink2.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/ ...
I like my things to look like the things they are....my dog looks like a dog, my car looks like a car, and, most of all, my router looks like a router.
/pointless rant - moothemagiccow, on 07/19/2009, -0/+81The router's in the corner because the outlets in the corner, duh
- inactive, on 07/19/2009, -0/+73Just knock down some of those load-bearing walls in your house, you know they're just killing your signal.
- dattaway, on 07/18/2009, -0/+47Tomato is another good one with a simpler interface.
- bornfreeid, on 07/18/2009, -3/+48ummmm or build a cantenna?
- HurricaneDC, on 07/19/2009, -0/+43Second the Tomato suggestion. After boosting the antenna power I can get a very good signal like 40 feet outside my home on the street.
Of course I'm probably gonna get cancer but that comes with the territory. - TheInformer, on 07/19/2009, -5/+43WEP and WPA security schemes are jokes and easy to get around.
Many people, though, don't even put -any- security on their wireless routers. - Jeremyz0r, on 07/19/2009, -0/+37karilsking - "dude you a ***** ***** sexual rapist you are so ***** stupid a salad bowl wtf you idoit get a life oyu mother ***** im mean it like i say it you ***** sexual ***** dick ***** fat black ***** dick sucker ass taking"
Average YouTube commenter. - bsonline, on 07/19/2009, -6/+41Buried for not even mentioning wireless N (for some reasons, it mentions that you may see B or G, is this article outdated?) and even more importantly they left out DD-WRT and Tomato.
Seriously, any article that talks about extending routers has to at least toss out a mention for DD-WRT. - mrogi, on 07/19/2009, -1/+34Wired Ethernet is the only way to fly if you have a home LAN. Ya can't beat wire for maximum bandwidth, speed, security and reliabilty.
- FKnight, on 07/19/2009, -1/+33From the article, immediately after explaining how to extend your wireless signal by attaching a secondary WAP physically by cable to your existing router:
"Even so, WAPs have certain flexibilities that normal routers do not have. They can be configured as gateways, bridges, clients or repeaters. But that’s another story."
No, dumbass. A repeater is not "another story" -- it's THE ONE YOU'RE TRYING TO WRITE. Get a WAP w/repeater capability, and configure it to talk to your existing wireless router --- get this --- wirelessly -- no cables.
Buried as lame. - warp99, on 07/19/2009, -1/+33Except there's one problem with Tomato:
"This will not work on Linksys WRT54G/GS v5 or newer WRT54G/GS routers."
http://www.polarcloud.com/tomato
That's the router I have, the melted frisbee looking thing. - hckynck20, on 07/19/2009, -0/+27WEP can be cracked in seconds, if your on WPA your fine, the only way to crack it is with brute force dictionary attacks, so dont make your WPA key something simple.
- thesonofdarwin, on 07/19/2009, -0/+25The foil trick might not boost your overall signal, but it certainly boosts the signal in the direction you need it to go.
Coincidentally, yesterday I was looking for something cheap to get my signal from the router that is kept in the basement out to the pool or garden area as I couldn't get signal anywhere outside of the house. I ran across Patrick Norton on youtube demonstrating the Windsurfer and figured why not - it's crazy but doesn't cost me anything other than a few minutes. I'm now able to get 100% signal out in the pool where previously I couldn't even pick up the router. Focusing may not be the same as boosting, but it's easily a huge difference in distance. - colto, on 07/19/2009, -0/+25Worked great for me, but I came up with an even better solution.
While sitting at your desk run the ethernet cable around your ankle 10-12 times. It is a good idea to wear rubber soled shoes to keep the electrical signal from grounding with the floor. Now do all the steps as shown in the video but hold the bowl in your hand (preferably the one you don't use to click with) and wrap the ethernet cable that was going to go into the back of the computer around your wrist. You are now using your entire body as an antenna and should pick up drastically more access points. I picked up 7 before this mod, and over 100 after. Try it at work tomorrow! - themastersb, on 07/19/2009, -0/+22I upgraded my neighbours router firmware for them. Sure it's supposed to be "risky" over a wireless connection, but it worked. It's a good thing I have 2 unprotected APs around me so that when one goes down I have the other as a backup.
- TekTrixter, on 07/19/2009, -0/+21@colto: I think that it would work better by wrapping the Ethernet cable around the neck instead of the leg. Obviously the tighter the wrapping the better...
- guinpen, on 07/19/2009, -0/+20they were so neat and stackable..
- inactive, on 07/19/2009, -1/+21Don't buy Belkin. Unless their routers have improved from my previous pre-N model.
- Megadeth222, on 07/19/2009, -1/+19I have WPA security, just out of curiosity how does one get around the wireless security? I'm intrigued, the more you know the better you can protect yourself u know?
- Tripacer9999, on 07/19/2009, -0/+18OH MY GOD, you sir win the ***** internet.
This worked perfectly. The nearest wi-fi signal is in the building next to me, and I could never connect to it with my regular antenna. Now I get 3-4 bars from the comfort of my own apartment. Thanks for the link!
EDIT: Use a metal bowl instead of a plastic salad bowl. You get better results. - Spanq, on 07/19/2009, -3/+20Where's the content in this article that actually explains how to "boost" the router signal? Changing the frequency, buying all my ***** at the same store, adding foil to my antennas, replacing wireless adapters, stuffing a Tonka Toy up my ass while I eat chocolate, and adding a WAP doesn't "boost" anything.
- cawfee, on 07/19/2009, -1/+16Upgrade to what exactly? Getting a newer router isn't going to boost your signal by magical amounts, and unless you plan on upgrading all your wireless clients as well you most likely won't be able to utilize the "bleeding edge" protocol speeds anyway (which are really only feasible for LAN transfers in a home network, and how frequent do you do that on a wireless connection anyway?).
The 54G (the GL especially) is a great router if properly configured and set up with the right firmware. - kaevne, on 07/19/2009, -1/+15No mention of a third party firmware and increasing the xmit power? This is easily the most effective method of improving your signal for far distances granted you have a compatible router. Quite a fail help blog imo.
- getoffmybridge, on 07/19/2009, -0/+13Yeah Belkin is junk.
- inactive, on 07/19/2009, -1/+13Tonka Toy up the ass = boost to morale
- inactive, on 07/19/2009, -1/+12ugh
mac fan boys are ***** pathetic.
Yes, MS's new network stack/wifi ***** is just a copy of Apple's lying-code.
Yes.
Please vote and procreate. - chingy1788, on 07/19/2009, -0/+11I can only get up to 3 APs normally
but after I tried this I detected 4 more
adding the bowl didn't increase the signal strength by 2 bars, only got an extra 1 bar
I did this on my AP and my computer and now I get about 4.5MBps out of my Wireless-G setup, over the usual 2.2MBps - doshindude, on 07/19/2009, -1/+10A lot of these tips are useless if you don't own a WRT54G router with external antennas, you could be like me and be stuck with the WRT110 with internal antennas that you can't replace O_o
- bradleyland, on 07/19/2009, -0/+8You can still buy the WRT54GL, but it'll cost you a little more.
- jakobrowning, on 07/19/2009, -1/+9FTA: "That is why you can manually detach your antenna and replace it with a high gain antenna. This focuses its energy to direct the signal in one general direction."
Gain and direction are two completely different things.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gain: "In electronics, gain is a measure of the ability of a circuit (often an amplifier) to increase the power or amplitude of a signal. It is usually defined as the mean ratio of the signal output of a system to the signal input of the same system. It may also be defined as the decimal logarithm of the same ratio."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omnidirectional_anten ... "An omnidirectional antenna is an antenna system which radiates power uniformly in one plane with a directive pattern shape in a perpendicular plane. This pattern is often described as "donut shaped""
All a high gain antenna is going to do is amplify the power of the signal, to focus the signal you need a directional antenna (hence the name). I don't mean to be pretentious, but inaccurate "tips" aren't tips at all. - leapingstan, on 07/19/2009, -1/+9Pardon my ignorance. How do you get around password protection? Or is it that your neighbors never bothered to create one?
- wherley, on 07/19/2009, -0/+7Make a parabolic reflector and slide it over existing antennas to gain strength in one direction.
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/ - CoreyTamas, on 07/19/2009, -0/+7Not every question needs to be answered with "buy something".
- Bersy, on 07/19/2009, -1/+8You guys ever heard of encryption keys? No?
Sheesh.. - havokdu, on 07/19/2009, -0/+7Why he got buried? He is right. DD-WRT has gone downhill lately.
Use Tomato if you have a supported router. - crash331, on 07/19/2009, -1/+8@junkfoodjoe
MAC addresses can easily be spoofed.
However, I do use the same security method. No WEP/WPA, only MAC filtering. I live out in the boondocks and I figure no one knows how to spoof MACs out here, and even if they do I would notice a suspicious truck sitting all alone in my front yard stealing my internets. - Rotzooi, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6I was sceptical, but it worked wonders, even without the aluminum foil, although I had to use a 3G enabled phone to get the best results.
I can now get rid of my repeater. Thank you internet! - sandipc, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6or a mantenna.
wait... - densetsu23, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6Be very careful with that option, on the WRT54G it's very easy to fry your router because it allows you to increase the TX power way over the recommended limit.
I fried a WRT54G changing the TX power from 28 to 128mW... it died about 10 minutes after doing that. The 'safe' upper limit among online communities is generally accepted to be 80mW. - zmigliozzi, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6802.11n has yet to be approved by IEEE, the architecture/design still has a couple more months before it's expected,. All products now are only "draft n".
- themastersb, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6I wish I had a pool. If I did I would probably set up my computer on a table in the pool and run some extension cords with really shoddy wiring out and then run the wires through a tubular pool toy in order to keep them afloat. Then I can beat the summer heat.
- alphaterminus, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6Yes, I tried a Belkin range extender and messed with it for about 20 hours over a couple of weeks and became so enraged I stomped on it. Now I regret not having my $40 back but it felt good at the time. Every Belkin product, whether it be a WAP, range extender, or USB hub, I have owned, have been pieces of *****. They are now on my permanent avoid at all costs list, as Packard Bell was in 1994!
- BIOHazard87, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6@Riptechtv
Yes I actually thought the same at one point, but apparently a very extensive amount of chipsets can listen for packets too, often with driver modifications or other small mods. - Sethbacca, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6I do like that you can stick the newer series routers look like they're at home amongst home theater components, rather than a blue eyesore amongst a sea of black bezels and boxes.
- HurricaneDC, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6Most routers seem to suck actually. The only one I've really liked is the WRT54GL with Tomato firmware. All the others I've used (Verizon and Comcast-provided ones, the WRT54GS) have sucked majorly. It's a simple matter of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it." The B-52 Stratofortress is like 50 years old but we still use them because they're damned good airplanes.
- InfiniteNothing, on 07/19/2009, -0/+6I've always wondered about the Tx power of the client though. What good does it do me if I can hear you but you can't hear me?
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