I am not an expert in all things wireless, but might I suggest that you give consideration to switching over to WPA. WPA offers a great deal more security over WEP and from what I recall, WEP in fact will slow down the connection especially if you go with 128-bit encryption. WPA and WPA2 offer the best in security. I use it here all the time with my Apple AirPort routers. I also have and used previously a Linksys WRT54G with outstanding success. What kind of card are you using? I have never used other brands of wireless cards and only used a Linksys wireless card for a brief time and it worked out ok. I do have a HP card in my employer's laptop which seems to perform well, but I can highly recommend Linksys routers as well as Apple routers. This is all based on my own personal experience. Another option and I don't recall from your messages, but most the Linksys routers I've encountered allow you to remove the antennas and if you did this you could look at using an antenna with a cable attached so you can move them around and perhaps enhance signal distribution. Also, if you have any 2.4Ghz cordless phones in the home, these can cause a great deal of problems for wireless networks and so to of course microwave ovens. Just a few thoughts.
Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] On Sep 10, 2007, at 9:53 PM, Dale Leavens wrote: > Hi, > > I have just been searching for a long range router but so far only > see a lot of hype but little proof. > > There is something called the Bountiful, a couple of models which > apparently have nearly one watt of output power and if this is > properly coupled to the antenna and it is a good antenna it should > give loads of range but I have so far been unable to locate a decent > page or specifications to post here. > > If I can find better information I'll post it here. > > There are wireless bridges which can repeat a signal thus increasing > the range of course but this adds a second device. > > I also have a plan I haven't tried yet which is a directional > antenna made using a Pringle's chip can as a reflector which it is > said will increase signal strength but very directionally. I haven't > tried making it yet because the original need I had has changed. > There are also passive signal boosters out there, again I can't > vouch for their effectiveness, theoretically they should work but ... > > I have a D-Link 640 here which is said to be IEEE802.11b and .11g > compatible and so is the WIFY card in this computer but I have never > seen the .11G activate. It doesn't much matter though I don't get > close to that speed on my ADSL connection anyway. > > I have connected wirelessly in numerous cities in Canada and a > couple in the U.S., well if Texas is still one of the United States > but never seen the 56 MBPS connection speed that 802.11G is supposed > to offer. I have noticed though that the D-Link occasionally fails > to connect and have to turn it off and back on before my computer > recognizes it. > > I also used a Linksys, don't remember the model though for several > months at work. It functioned fairly well, was using WEP incryption > which occasionally needed to be refreshed if the connection stood > idle for extended periods of time, don't know if that was a failure > of the router or the encryption and security but the Linksys never > failed to recognize as the D-Link occasionally does. > > They have set up a wireless point where I work now, the I T boys but > it seems to fade in and out for some reason I don't understand. The > signal strength is all over the place.I seem to be on the fringe > where I usually use my notebook, I will begin bugging them about > that tomorrow as I sometimes loose signal altogether. May end up > having a bridge. They didn't much like my wireless set-up, I suppose > it offered some security threat but it did serve to get some > movement on adding wireless to the building albeit presently > unsatisfactory. I expect though they will fix it knowing I may > arrange an alternative if they don't. > > There are longer distance wireless connections available but they > seem to be proprietary. You need special equipment at each end of > the link and it tends to get expensive so far as I have been able to > determine unless the Bountiful turns out to be a solution. > > Dale Leavens, Cochrane Ontario Canada > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Skype DaleLeavens > Come and meet Aurora, Nakita and Nanook at our polar bear habitat. > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: chiliblindman > To: [email protected] > Sent: Monday, September 10, 2007 8:50 PM > Subject: Re: [SPAM] [BlindHandyMan] using a wireless router > > Lee, the new n wireless routers are stronger in that they use a > multiple signals and realign them together to make a more continuous > signal connection. A simple usb n card for the laptop will make it > very good. Regardless what b,g,or n card in the laptop, it will work > better; but it will work best with a n > card. ........................bob > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] > > > To listen to the show archives go to link http://acbradio.org/handyman.html or ftp://ftp.acbradio.org/acbradio-archives/handyman/ The Pod Cast address for the Blind Handy Man Show is. http://www.acbradio.org/news/xml/podcast.php?pgm=saturday Visit The Blind Handy Man Files Page To Review Contributions From Various List Members At The Following address: http://www.jaws-users.com/handyman/ Visit the archives page at the following address http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ If you would like to join the Blind Computing list, then visit the following address for more information: http://jaws-users.com/mailman/listinfo/blind-computing_jaws-users.com For a complete list of email commands pertaining to the Blind Handy Man list just send a blank message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Yahoo! 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