Help improving wireless router strength?

You have a few options for this sort of situation:

1. You can increase the strength of the signal – routers typically use wireless microprocessors (Broadcom, TI, Intel, etc). These chips are made for world markets and then they are packaged and distributed by companies like Netgear and Linksys. Laws vary country by country on the transmission strength on wireless frequencies (in this case 2.4ghz). So the chip itself is typically capable of being overdriven. My Linksys wireless router is defaulted at a transmission strength of 25mw but the broadcom chip it uses has the capability of transmitting at over 250mw! Companies like Linksys and Netgear are required by law to prevent this, but it is typically easily overcome with a little lower-level hacking. Check out http://dd-wrt.com for more info on this

2. You can get range extenders and amplified antennas for routers that will increase the transmit power. But you are still limited by FCC guidelines like mentioned above.

3. You can setup multiple wireless router in an extended range network using a protocol like WDS. This will cause multiple wireless routers to act as one.

4. You can bet a “wireless bridge” which has similar end-user functionality as WDS but the backend works much differently. The wireless bridge simply relays signals in a “dumb” fashion to effectively extend the range of a given wireless device.

It sounds like option #4 is what you are looking for, it is the simplest and easiest to setup.

Good luck!

The Airport Express is great for this sort of thing (bridging). I have two in my small house to relay signal throughout the house. I use one as the main wireless hub, and one as a router/wireless printer connection. I’m thinking of even adding a third for the living room so I can stream music from my computer into my stereo.

It should be noted that the Airport Express can be used in both WDS mode, and bridging mode.

Having Airport Express for streaming music is quite a jewel though, well worth the hundred bucks to have remote speakers over wifi.

This may not be the only problem, but the $100 wifi thing that Microsoft sells for the XBOX360 always has not-so-good quality or strength.

@MrMontpetit,
Yeah, you’re right. I didn’t trust that MS gadget in the first place so I run the Xbox cable from my 360 to my computer and have my computer set to share its wireless connection.
@mjoyce,
I’ll try #4 if I need some help, I know where to turn.

I’ve looked into the bridge concept a bit. I’m still not sure if I am correct. Are the instructions in this link the proper way to set up a bridge?
http://www.wi-fiplanet.com/tutorials/article.php/3639271

try this? http://blog.ekini.net/2007/10/04/boost-wifi-signal-with-a-piece-of-cardboard-and-aluminum-foil/

Change the channel you wireless is operating on, it’ll be an easy to change setting on your router (you can usually get to your router by logging into http:192.168.1.1 http:192.168.0.1 or http://192.168.1.1 )

I had my wireless aerial in a cooking pot pointed at the router that was 25 metres away and I was getting 1 or 2 bars at the lower speeds… I changed the channel from 11 to 6 and now I get 4 bars constant at 54mbit/s.

You wont have to change any other settings once you change the router, your laptop or whatever will change automatically.