jnorman Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 hoy guys - i just replaced an older Intel Anypoint wireless system in my house with a new 802.11b Linksys 2.4Ghz wireless system (4 point router with cable modem, desktop with direct connection to router, and two laptops with wireless pc cards in a remote part of the house). i didnt seem to ever have trouble with the intel system communicating with the laptops, but this new linksys system seems to have a hard time broadcasting the signal to my laptops - the laptops are about 45 feet away from the router, and there are one window and three walls in between them. signal strength and link quality range from about 16%-40%. jnorman sunridge studios salem, oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnorman Posted December 30, 2002 Author Share Posted December 30, 2002 hmmm - somehow posted that before i was finished. i have the router standing on its face (vertically) in a window (older aluminum frame)about 4 feet off the ground, with both antennas sticking straight up. the manual doesnt have any info on placement or adjustment of the antennas. how can i improve the reception from the router to my laptops? thanks for any help. jnorman sunridge studios salem, oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliam Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 Well, I'm writing this on a desktop PC about 50 ft from the Wireless Linksys hub (just like your's). I have the USB wireless adapter connected to my PC. I have a laptop cabled to the hub. The cable modem is nearer the laptop than my desktop (that's why it might seem backwards). As I pull my little Linksys Status app up from the bottom of the screen it shows between 97-100% on the link quality and 85% on the signal strength. I'm NOT within line of sight of the hub, but kind of a 30 degree angle with a wall blocking a direct view. The hub is on a table about 4ft high, flat, and with the antennas sticking straight up. Now I HAVE noticed at certain times, and for no apparent reason, the link will drop and then automatically connect, but this is usually late at night (I don't know why). Note that 2.4Ghz wireless phones can interfere with the signal transmission. You could try another channel. I've been using channel 9 with pretty good results. The default is channel 6 and I had inconsistent performance using that channel. Hope that helps! Larry W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valkyrie Sound Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I had one of those... had to return it... couldn't get it to go more than about 50 ft. For some reason my kitchen wall killed the signal. :( I tried different channels and such... no luck. If you figure out what's up let us know... I still want one that works... Valky Valkyrie Sound: http://www.vsoundinc.com Now at TSUTAYA USA: http://www.tsutayausa.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spokenward Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 The linksys BEFW11S4 V.2 router is working for me. Linksys and Best Buy offer support with a toll-free number: http://www.bestbuy.com/ComputersPeripherals/Specials/LinksysProducts.asp [quote] Just call the Linksys/Best Buy networking advice line from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. (PST) at 1-800-275-5006 [/quote]Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliam Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I forgot that Linksys also offers 24x7 toll-free support. I called at 2:00am the first night I hooked mine up and got some guy in Singapore. Solved my initial problems and haven't had any since. Check on the packaging material or on their website for the 24x7 number. Larry W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salyphus Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 If you use one of these make sure you turn on encryption, WEP 128-bit, otherwise your connection is wide open. Even then it's still crackable so make sure your machines are secure and change the key once in a while. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roto Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by Salonymous: [b]If you use one of these make sure you turn on encryption, WEP 128-bit, otherwise your connection is wide open. Even then it's still crackable so make sure your machines are secure and change the key once in a while.[/b][/quote]That's why the range is so short. It's a security feature! :D If you aren't using a bunch of different computers on it you can also set it up to just allow specific MAC addresses in. Every networkable device has a MAC address, sorta like a serial number. In your computer it would be the network card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lwilliam Posted December 30, 2002 Share Posted December 30, 2002 I agree with Roto. Encryption will definitely slow your performance. If you set up a MAC-address filter, you'll be fine security-wise. A hacker must also know (or guess) your SSID to get in. Just make it something with mixed letters and numbers and not easy to guess. Larry W. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salyphus Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 [quote]Originally posted by lwilliam: [b]I agree with Roto. Encryption will definitely slow your performance. If you set up a MAC-address filter, you'll be fine security-wise. A hacker must also know (or guess) your SSID to get in. Just make it something with mixed letters and numbers and not easy to guess.[/b][/quote]I must disagree with you both i'm afraid. Well, I will agree that encryption may slow down performance on certain units, however: The limited range is not a security feature. This is a function of your antenna more than your router. Many people have built more powerful antennas with a greater range, and they can detect your network from quite a distance. MAC-address filtering is a good idea, but it is not a panacea as it is possible to spoof MAC addresses. The SSID is NOT a security measure! Yes, you should change it from the default but it is being BROADCASTED by your router. And even if you install a hack to prevent this, it is still possible to get it. Plus, some routers let in anyone who has 'any' set as their SSID :eek: I would highly recommend doing a bit of reading: http://www.netstumbler.com/ http://www.wardriving.com/ http://airsnort.shmoo.com/ http://www.tisc2002.com/newsletters/410.html http://www.arstechnica.com/paedia/w/wireless/security-1.html http://www.arstechnica.com/paedia/w/wireless-security-howto/home-802.11b-1.html http://homebase.htt-consult.com/Docs%5CThe_myth_of_hiding%20SSIDs.htm http://www.tisc2002.com/newsletters/416.html A lot of info, but this is a serious subject IMHO. Bottom line is that no wireless network is truly secure, but you can take steps to make sure yours is not a tempting target at least. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jnorman Posted December 31, 2002 Author Share Posted December 31, 2002 thanks to all for the comments. i am primarily concerned with improving reception at this point. is there any way i can add a more powerful antenna to the router/access point? or is there any way to add some kind of antenna to my pc cards in my laptops (like just wrap some kind of wire around the end of the card and tape it to the back of the laptop screen)? how about tin foil - that's always an attractive addition to a piece of equipment... is there any way to boost the signal output from the router? jnorman sunridge studios salem, oregon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salyphus Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 From the first link I posted above: http://forums.netstumbler.com/forumdisplay.php?s=dc18eac68ab360a7df9a398ae09f922c&forumid=23 HTH! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deanmass Posted December 31, 2002 Share Posted December 31, 2002 SSID is detected automatically by mac's with airport cards... Unplug it when not in use, or limit the DHCP settings to 1 ip, and block the others. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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