Wireless'ing our place, need more wireless range

Simple question first. I need more range, how should I get it?

Heres the complex part.
First I'll show a picture of the setup we have right now
http://offroadingsubarus.com/images/temp/buildings.jpg
Router is a ZyXEL P-660HW.

The big circle is the range we get at the moment.
The little circle is the "adequite" speed connection we can get right now.
Blue lines indicate network wires. We have the router in the house which now only operates the printer by cable and the two laptops (Dell's) in the house are wireless. And that works fine. Computers "down stairs" (second building with bed rooms which is about 6ft lower then the house) are soon to be upgraded to laptops as well, and although we have the wires down there I want wireless access so we can use the laptops anywhere in the building. I also want more then two connections available on the "left" side of the building.

What I want is to be able to use the laptop anywhere in that picture. At the moment it won't work on the lawn, or in the workshop or most of the "down stairs". These are the places I want the wireless to work with hopefully good speed and good connectivity. I like playing games so I need half decent signal.

I've been looking at amplifers and bigger aerials. Plus I've been looking at maybe another wireless switch instead of the hub down stairs using the uplink stuff to connect the two buildings together. But this won't get wireless in the workshop or lawn.

Some of the products I've been looking at are
500mW b/g Indoor 2.4GHz Amplifier [MBAM05BG1P] - $144.20 : City Technology, Micro Beam Wireless Products
RadioLabs || Wireless Range Extender
And some antennas on ebay, around 9db they say.

Looking to not spend anymore then about $150. But I'll keep an open mind.

Should also add that the ZyXEL router doesn't have a detachable antenna but I'm happy to open it up and solider what ever to it.

Any suggestions?

Its not ratified yet, but you could try wireless N products. They have exceptional range and are less susceptible to interference.

I would replace your current router with a D-link DIR-655. I always have trusted D-link, because their products always perform well and have always given me great range. That should be able to cover your house, your gym and bath house, and lawn ok. But you may need to get a repeater for your workshop. Get some repeater with a detachable antenna, so you can put a high gain directional antenna on it, so you can then aim the antenna to cover your workshop...that is, if your DIR-655 isn't covering it already...

But this is just me. Try what ever you think will work. I hope this has been of some help

Borgslayer

I was going to get a new Dell laptop with that N card but that doesn't help with the other laptops. I've heard it goes about twice as far. But I would need a new router for that and I bet they are expensive.

I originally went ZyXEL over D-link because ZyXEL had much better firewall which was much more configurable. But if a new router doesn't cost much and will give me that range then I guess it wouldn't be to bad to upgrade.

I'll look into that router and those repeaters you talk about..

I will say, the N router I'm talking about does cost a pretty penny, but it will give you better range than what you got right now.

If you still feel like you should keep the ZyXEL, then just go with a repeater to extend your range. But the N router wont cost, really much more to upgrade to, over the repeater. (d-link repeaters run a little over half of what a N router costs).

(i think that N router has SPI/NAT firewall, but I don't know if thats what your talking about)

I've read a bit about the N routers and don't like the sound of them at the moment because they aren't all the same spec yet. I think I'd wait till it becomes a standard.
On another forum someone suggested getting a 12db omni antenna and then if that isn't doing the job completely put a amplifier in as well.

k, might try that instead. N isn't ratified, like i said before, so it would probably be best to wait until they are. But if that plan works, then you don't need N

Try that 12 dBi omni with the amplifier, then if that doesn't work, use a repeater with a directional antenna on it as well, that should cover it.

Borgslayer

Yeah, sounds like a plan mate.
We've moved the router and this red line is where we get adequate signal. Now maybe just a better aerial and a repeater for the workshop and it will be good.
http://offroadingsubarus.com/images/temp/buildings2.jpg

Thanks for the advice.

No problem. Ever have any more questions, just come back to the fourms

Borgslayer