I have setup a 802.11b wireless bridge between two buildings - use the first
generation Linksys WAP11 access points (the ones with the USB port).

- I used the hack and boosted the signal to 100% on each.
- The one unit is sitting in a basement window. The antenna's were replaced
with the radio shack 6db "duck" ones.
- The other unit is sitting below a window on a shelf, and I put a single
Hawking "high gain 6db" on it ...because it had a 2 ft cable - allowing me
to put it antenna on the sill.
- The two have clear line of site and are about 75' apart

Everything worked great for 2 years. Now the interesting part......

The one building had the windows replaced with new Andersen windows. That's
the window with the 10" high Hawking H-AI6SIP antenna
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/AS...160163-9816714)
.. The bridge now would no longer work. When the window was open - it
worked. When the window was closed, it would not. FYI - the original
window was a standard wood frame, single pane of glass, not metal or
plastic - all wood window.

I was going to look at getting an outside antenna and run a wire into the
house, etc .... but I had a spare Belkin F5D6900 antenna
(http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...&s=electronics)
that is supposed to be used with a PCI desktop card. It is much shorter -
about 3 inches high and just clears the bottom part of the window frame.
The Belkin antenna is not a "high gain" antenna.

Once I swapped the Hawking with the Belkin - the connection re-established
and all is well - when the window is open and closed.

Anyone have any ideas on why it ..

1) the Andersen window blocked the signal, and

2) why the Belkin antenna worked when the Hawking would not?

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