Second attempt to obtain wireless access from outside the current range

[Panther5150]

Hey Folks,

So, I had posed a question about access earlier this week. I have taken another route now and am looking for a solution.

Here is the current situation.

I am on the second floor of a 4 floor building. The current router is one floor up (10 ft up) and about 50-75 feet down the hallway. Several walls and such inbetween.

The router I would like to connect to is a DI-524 Dlink router.
I have access to it and can add things to it if it is not too obtrusive. The router is also connected to a Speed Stream 5100.

Currently I cannot see the signal on my laptop unless I am close to the router...which does not help me at my desk.

What can I do to either Boost the signal from the AP, or receive the signal with my laptop.

My relationship with the person controlling the AP is cordial. He would allow me to fiddle with his stuff a little bit but if I go nuts, he will boot my sorry arse outta there. He is nice enough though, to allow me access, set up, and config time if necessary but since he is not a friend I am trying to minimize the intrusion.

Thanks again in advance for your help. I am hoping by going this direction I can come up with a good solution.

Cheers,

Trevor

[AdminMatt]

Lets hit two birds with one stone here. My situation is almost exactly the same.

I also want to connect to a WIFI spot. It is also a DI-524.

My laptop has a wireless USB card on an extention cable that picks up a signal that is so weak it only works intermittantly.

I'm more looking for a "yes/how" or "no" reply, as I have what I have and that's all I can do.

I have a wireless router (I think that's what it is).

My hope is that since my laptop's wireless card is only 30mW, but my router is 100mw.. that I can put the wireless router right where the wireless card is right now, and then I should have no problems.. right?

DI-524 --> My Wireless Router --> My Laptop.

Since my laptop can be right beside the wireless router, the link does not actually have to be wireless on my end. I can string a cat5 cable. Wireless would be neat, 'cause then I could be in a different room, but, I'll settle for a stable connection in that one place.

I've heard this is impossible without a bridge, I've heard I need to turn off my DHCP, set SSIDs different, set SSIDs the same, set channels different or the same.. etc. Lots of mixed interpretations in my research, hoping to get a better answer.

I also have permission to muck around (a little) with the DI-524. As long as it's more or less transparent to him, he doesn't care either.

My wireless router (or AP?) is an SMC Baracade POS:

http://www.smc.com/index.cfm?event=viewProduct&localeCode=EN_USA&cid=1&scid=&pid=1441

So, out goes my question, is this possible USING WHAT I'VE GOT, and if so, how? I'm somewhat familiar with Wifi and networking terminologoy, but I'll need a little hand holding.

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[M/Q]

Trevor,

Pretty much everything applies to this situation that applied to the first one. You need somehow to enhance the signal at your location. That maybe a pc card with a directiona external antenna or an AP and external antenna acting as an AP client. You will not have to do anything to the DLink device, as that most likely needs an onmi-directional antenna to service the other clients.

Matt,

I am not for sure about this, but I believe that the SMC router will not act as an AP client. So you will need to do the same thing as Trevor, get a pc card or an access point an have it act as an AP client.

So, Matt if you are unable to to purchase anything new, there are some homebrew things you can try. I would see what kind of reflector I could make for that USB adapter that is on a cable. I do that all the time. In fact one of my favorite systems is a USB key, a 10ft long USB cable and a Chinese strainer. I can not take the credit for this, here is the link that shows how.

http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

[AdminMatt]

I am not for sure about this, but I believe that the SMC router will not act as an AP client. So you will need to do the same thing as Trevor, get a pc card or an access point an have it act as an AP client.

How might I find out that information? I suspect in the datasheets I won't be able to find "This device can act as an AP client". For those routers that do, is there anything else it might be called or terminology I could look for?

So, Matt if you are unable to to purchase anything new, there are some homebrew things you can try. I would see what kind of reflector I could make for that USB adapter that is on a cable. I do that all the time. In fact one of my favorite systems is a USB key, a 10ft loing USB cable and a Chinese strainer. I can not take the credit for this, here is the link that shows how.

Already doing that.

At first I had to have my laptop standing open in the window. Then I got an extention cable for the USB card so at least I could put the laptop on a card table beside the window. That worked for a bit, but then one day the signal strength dropped dramatically and never returned. I think the airwaves are muddier, I noticed a couple new APs (WEP'd, or I'd prolly just parasite those instead until caught, hacking the WEP I've looked at, but aside from a curiosity I think it's over the line, plus there's nothing good out there for windows and the boot distros for Linux never work right for me).

So then I looked at homebrew antennas, and, I couldn't find out how or where to hack up my USB card's internals to hook up to a homebrewed cantenna or biquad. Then I found the link you pointed out...

... at first I think it was a hoax. Right, I'm going to put some metal kitchenwares up in the window and then post on the website "Hey, I couldn't get it to work!" and have everyone laugh. But I figured, what the hell.. give it a try.. and grabbed a dirty pot lid off the stove and held it up. Faboom. 800% increase in signal strength after about 10 seconds of fiddling. I couldn't believe it. So I suspended the pot lid exactly in place in the window box using strips of tape and some cardboard.

Then.. just a couple days ago, same deal. For some reason, signal strength dropped nearly off the map again. Completely off the map without the pot lid.

Dollar store to the rescue, today I picked up a 6" metal wire strainer that very nearly approximates a deep bowl parabola. Comes with nifty a handle too! Oh, that pot lid and tape was so tacky. Not like my new dollarstore strainer with just a single piece of tape. We're talking premium equipement now!! Move me out of the trailer park boys. :p

The strainer has an additional 400% improvement in signal strength over the 800% the pot lid gave me. 3200% improvement (15dB). Net price? $1.

So, that's working for now. Of course, if the strainer could be around the router instead, I'd get steady signal all the time. But, at least it's better than it was yesterday.

Thanks for the advice, too bad my setup won't work for me, but, had I not been aware of and implementing the chinese cookware solution already, you would've solved my problems and then some.

Oh well. Thanks anyways, and thanks for the reply. At least I know now.

[M/Q]

My next step was to get one of theo satellite dishes and attach the USB device at the node. You thought the strainer was good, try the dish.

Using a USB devise is in reality a much better idea that the pc card an antenna in some respects as you do not get any loss from undersized coaxial cable.