I just purchased a z100G and am trying to go from one building to another...approx. 250 feet

I could not stay connected today with the z100 sitting outside. the most i saw was 30% signal strength.

on my PC on the far end is a wireless card w small internal antenna so the signal needs to go through the wall.

Does anyone have a recommendation on external antennas? or boosters?

Thanks

I use a Z100G to feed two laptops in a building 300 feet away.

The Z100G is located in an upstairs window here, with a totally unobstructed clear line of sight to a LinkSys WRE54G Range Expander in a window over there. The expander delivers a signal of about 23 dB to the laptops over there. They work fine at that level.

The range expander is a must. Without it, it's impossible to push a usable signal into the house over there.

Also, if anything obstructs the line of sight, even a small twig with a few leaves, the circuit becomes non-usable. I have to use use a pruning pole every month or so during the summer.

So, if you have a 250-ft clear line of sight, a WRE54G should do it for you. It's a *&%#@! to set up though... you hafta follow the instructions TO THE LETTER.

Good luck!

ValleyDawg

ValleyDawg, do you think I could hook up the range expander directly to my shop computer with an ethernet cable, and then not use the wireless card in that computer? Or are they not designed to work that way?

I would still need to receive the wireless signal from the house. What I'm wondering is if I even need the expander? I am working online right now with the z100 transmitting to this computer. But I really don't need the signal that is already here to go any farther? will the expander improve my signal that much? I am currently only on about 40% signal, 18mbps, and it varies from low to normal on the task bar icon...would I be better off with just an external antenna?

Thanks

[QUOTE]Originally posted by graywolf:
ValleyDawg, do you think I could hook up the range expander directly to my shop computer with an ethernet cable, and then not use the wireless card in that computer? Or are they not designed to work that way?

Hi Graywolf...

Don't know... there is a network jack on the WRE45G unit, but I always thought it was just for setting it up. Unfortunately, documentation that comes with those units contains no information on that topic. but, maybe it would work the way you suggest.

I'd try that with mine, but it's part of a multi-user home/small business network that runs 24/7, so I won't be able to try that right away.

[QUOTE]I would still need to receive the wireless signal from the house. What I'm wondering is if I even need the expander? I am working online right now with the z100 transmitting to this computer. But I really don't need the signal that is already here to go any farther? will the expander improve my signal that much?

Well, the expander makes it all happen here... without it, I can't punch a usable signal through the walls of the other house. But it's a stone-walled house. Might work if you are talking about a frame-wall house.


[QUOTE]I am currently only on about 40% signal, 18mbps, and it varies from low to normal on the task bar icon...would I be better off with just an external antenna?

Well, an external hi-gain antenna might help. I'm a radio ham and have tinkered with several different 2.4GHz designs, but don't really need them here. In any case, it's not legal for unlicensed individuals to use gain antennas in the 2.4 GHz band. That's why the Z100G (and all other consumer wireless routers) use those "ya can't buy 'em at Radio Shack" reverse-polarity sockets for mounting their antennas :P

Cheers!

ValleyDawg

Update;

I hooked up an access point (dlink DWL-2100AP) to my router, and it boosted my signal up to 60% and speed was 48mbps. browsing the net was smokin fast!.

I should have quit there. I then set up a linksys range expander. it looked good, boosted the speed up to 54 and 100% signal. so I thought OK lets try the expander without the AP. well thats were everything went south...it wouldn't configure, and I got an error message and a BONK on my computer, and from then on nothing worked. I set everything back up like before. router> AP> desktop 250 feet away. got the signal back up to about 50% and its at 18mbps. But I cannot connect to the net now? I know the sep works because i brought my laptop down and am typing on it right now..its right next to my desktop. So something happened to the settings on my desktop to prevent connection to the net.

Any one have any ideas? I've tried the wizards, and the diagnostics( which say something about a firewall) but I never changed anything? I can connect to the net with my satellite modem on my desktop,( which I hate and why I'm doing the wireless) so I know it must just be a setting on my desktop that is preventing connectivity.

HELP!

OK here is what I did...I called Dell talked to a tech guy for over an hour...He was completely baffled.(and when you read what fixed it you'll wonder why in the hell it wasn't the very first thing he had me try?) we tried a thousand different things, restart the computer , put it in safe mode, stand on your head and clap your hands you name it I did it....



He finally said that he agreed that there was a setting that was wrong, that wouldn't allow IE to connect....YA THINK? He said I would have to contact customer service from either the Router or the AP and have them help to reset the IP address. I have to admit. I thought that too, but I said OK and we went on our merry way.


So I hooked up my satellite to the desktop, downloaded firefox, and then unhooked the satellite and tried it...PERFECT no problem! So I'm thinking OK that will work for now. maybe forever but I still like IE and I am used to it. I was just about to say screw it and get some work done. But I thought I'd try to uninstall IE and reinstall...so I was looking around trying to find where to do this, and I ran across the "troubleshooters" window (lower left) in network and internet connections. I clicked on "internet explorer"..which opens, help and support center...clicked through a bunch of questions, got to "are you connected to the internet" tried the ping deal, found out yes I was connected, etc...then I got to are your "proxy settings correct"...well I knew they weren't but I didn't know what they should be. so I read through that page and then opened "internet properties"/connections, and started to try different settings under the LAN settings, click OK then try the IE...and I just kept trying different things, entering IP addresses etc.



Finally I checked "automatically detect settings" clicked OK, clicked on IE and ..WOOHOOOO. I have INTERNET HOOKUP!!!



Don't know how it got unchecked, don't care, cause now it works!



I now have about 50% signal strength WITHOUT the expander. and its seems plenty fast but it only reads 36mbps (sometimes it varies up and down)

I'm not sure if the expander really does anything? it shows 100% signal and 54 mbps, but it doesn't really seem be any faster. I tried my laptop, and walked away from my shop with and without the expander operating, and I lost signal in the exact same spot both ways.

I'm thinking it shows full signal strength just because the expander is close by the computer. Any ideas on testing it to see if its really worth keeping?

Thanks

Hi Graywolf...

Funny thing how finger-trouble seems to lie at the root of the most baffling of mysteries... LOL!

Do you need the range expander? Guess not if things work to your satisfaction without it. All I can say is your walls must be transparent at 2.4GHz.

Here, with stone walls and no expander, I only had very occasional ability to connect, and then only for a few seconds at a time. With the expander... 5 bars signal strength and no discernible loss of speed. No-brainer for me.

Cheers!
ValleyDawg