i need help

[qip]

my brain hurts from reading and searching,im new at this so forgive me if my questions seem dumb.(btw im in nyc)

i previously had a basic 30mw wi fi card and it worked great cuz nyc has so many available networks to hop on to,but in my apartment i couldnt find any available,unless i go down the block so in my apartment im just probably out of reach of a network or so , i couldnt get a signal or access point to connect to...so i researched on this board and found that i should prolly get a senao 200mw card,ok so i sold my old card and got the senao 200mw with pigtail and 8dbi patch antenna ,im lookin at the stat difference between my old card and this senao and the senao by far should be superior,but now back to original concern,in my apartment i was able to scan and get 3 access points but the signal and link quality is weak and i get on the internet and sometimes i get dropped due to weak signal probably....this was a little dissapointing cuz i thought the 200 mw would be able to pick up a lot more access points,but at least i was able to get something so i will deal with this and move forward..i was wondering if there is a way to boost my signal or amplify something , so my link quality could be better.

i did a search on boosting and saw mostly things that use routers and such,i dont use a router just the wi fi card and patch antenna ,so i was wondering if there is a booster i could attatch to what i have now like say laptop with wifi card and pigtail to a booster and off the booster my patch antenna,something like that does it exist,look at pic i drew to understand.and also saw problems with running xp..which im running.i do notice that at times on my old card and new card the signal after a while cuts off and i lose internet connection but i just hit the rescan button and it connects back on and doesnt cuttoff again till a while later ,i dont mind that ,i just wanna be able to ge a better signal and link quality than i do now,for example i get a poor signal that fluxuates a lot from poor to fair 13% to30% link quality but also drops to zero a lot,id like to see it at 40%or higher so in theory my connection would be a bit faster more stable

mpkn3rd i know u like details i hope i gave you as much i could to help...also one more time i have a pentium4 laptop runniing xp. im trying to connect to internet through senao 200mw-2511cd plus 2antenna jacks ,but only use 1 jack for 8 dbi patch antenna... on the street or around the city i could find good available access points but in my aprtment its a little weak ,i just wanna make it better.....and sorry for my bad drawing im no artist
:)

[M/Q]

Welcome to the forum. Do not ever apologize for asking a question, the only dumb one is the one not asked. Good post, but sorry I still have a few more questions. 8-) You are in an apartment, are there more than one apartment per floor. What I am looking for is whether you have one or more outside walls. Or if you are in a corner where you could get two directions. Next, how long is the pigtail between the antenna and card? Also do you have the make and model of the antenna?

Now for the card, it is working quite well. You just have to realize, that you did make a big improvement in signal strength. One trick I have been told , but have not seen a real gain from is that the Senao card has primary and secondary antenna connector. The primary one is the one on the left if you look down from the top and have the connector end towards you.

Now I would try to get an outside antenna working for you, possibly another patch or panel. Not a vertical as it will not help as much. Also try to keep the pigtail as short as possible. If you can't then get a short pigtail to connect with the pc card and then jump up to LMR400 to keep the signal loss to a minimum.

As for amplifiers, they work to some extent, but are expensive, especially if you get a duplex style. I would rather see you invest in antennas that will be located outside.

Also be careful about the open networks, I am not a fan of people linking to private nodes without that party's permission. Sorry.

Also, you may want to get on the mailing list for the NYCWUG. That is a very active group and I have several friends on it.

http://www.nycwireless.net/

[qip]

i am on the first floor of a 6 floor aprtment,and yes i am in a corner with a window on each side,the pigtail is 8 inches ,but theres also a wire coming out of antenna that connects to pigtail so the total length from the card to antenna is about 18 inches...but a comfortabl position for my laptop is my desk next to the window and the pigatail is pretty short so i would think i need a pigtail 3 feet long so im a bit worried on that aspect cuz i dont wanna stick my laptop out the window ;)

this is my antenna http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3088782341&category=40992

[M/Q]

OK, check out the pigtails under 5 ft on this link and maybe look at the panel antennas as well. Is the building brick and metal? That will absorb a lot of RF.

http://www.fab-corp.com/

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im looking at the 19 dbi panel antenna with ballmount ,would that be a recommendation...also do you think a radioshack or some electronics store would sell these pigtail lmr400 and 19dbi antenna ...cuz i would go get it now than have to wait through mail.........thanx for help

[qip]

oh forgot to mention building is brick

[M/Q]

Check out that NYCwireless link I posted and ask them, as they would know what is going on in your great city. Should be something there.