In alt.internet.wireless Tom Bradbury <tom.bradbury@gmail.com> wrote:
> I've got a Netgear DG834GT wireless router down stairs but PCs are
> upstairs
The signal coming from your stock antenna is shaped like a donut slipped
onto the antenna. You want it broadside to the target, not pointing
end-on, like might be typical if the downstairs antenna were pointing
straight up.
You could add a simple reflector. If you get some signal at the PCs now,
this could give you substantial boost.
http://www.freeantennas.com EZ-12, printed on photo paper for thick stock,
with aluminum foil glued to the sail, provides a substantial boost in
signal.
http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/EZ12-windsurfer.jpg http://www.rahul.net/dold/clarence/w...fer-dining.JPG The signal with
the reflector is not only 13dB stronger, it's more stable.
> on other side of house. Connection between PC and router is not very
> good. Thinking of fitting a 7dB high gain antenna (various ones on
You probably want a directional antenna. I have used the "Hawking HAI6SDA
Directional 6dBi 2.4GHz Antenna" with good success on a Netgear WG311 PCI
card. $20-30.
<http://www.hawkingtech.com/products/productlist.php?CatID=32&FamID=58&ProdID=122>
The one I bought fit the Netgear, and had an adapter that fit RP-TNC.
You could use one or more of these on the router and PCs. The omni
antennas improve gain by squishing the donut. It gets flatter, and harder
to aim, until it looks like a frisbee instead of a donut (thickness and
diameter in ratio as gain goes up). But you are still wasting signal in
the other directions on the frisbee.
A corner reflector has more height, but less beamwidth, like a slice of
cake.
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Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley Lake, CA, USA GPS: 38.8,-122.5
High Gain Antenna - do they work? 
Linear Mode
