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Author: Tony
Northrup
Published: February 8, 2005
1. Position your wireless
router (or wireless access point) in a central location.
When possible, place your wireless router in a central location in your
home. If your wireless router is against an outside wall of your home, the
signal will be weak on the other side of your home. Don't worry if you can't
move your wireless router, because there are many other ways to improve your
connection.
2. Move the router off the
floor and away from walls and metal objects (such as metal file cabinets).
Metal, walls, and floors will interfere with your router's wireless signals.
The closer your router is to these obstructions, the more severe the
interference, and the weaker your connection will be.
3. Replace your router's antenna.
The antennas supplied with your router are designed to be omni-directional,
meaning they broadcast in all directions around the router. If your router
is near an outside wall, half of the wireless signals will be sent outside
your home, and much of your router's power will be wasted. Most routers
don't allow you to increase the power output, but you can make better use of
the power. Upgrade to a hi-gain antenna that focuses the wireless signals
only one direction. You can aim the signal in the direction you need it
most.
4. Replace your computer's
wireless network adapter.
Wireless network signals must be sent both to and from your computer.
Sometimes, your router can broadcast strongly enough to reach your computer,
but your computer can't send signals back to your router. To improve this,
replace your laptop's PC card-based wireless network adapter with a USB
network adapter that uses an external antenna. In particular, consider the
Hawking Hi-Gain Wireless USB network adapter, which adds an external,
hi-gain antenna to your computer and can significantly improve your range.
Laptops with built-in wireless typically have excellent antennas and
don't need to have their network adapters upgraded.
5. Add a wireless repeater.
Wireless repeaters extend your wireless network range without requiring you
to add any wiring. Just place the wireless repeater halfway between your
wireless access point and your computer, and you'll get an instant boost to
your wireless signal strength. Check out the wireless repeaters from
ViewSonic, D-Link, Linksys, and Buffalo Technology.
6. Change your wireless channel.
 Wireless
routers can broadcast on several different channels, similar to the way
radio stations use different channels. In the United States and Canada,
these channels are 1, 6, and 11. Just like you'll sometimes hear
interference on one radio station while another is perfectly clear,
sometimes one wireless channel is clearer than others. Try changing your
wireless router's channel through your router's configuration page to see if
your signal strength improves. You don't need to change your computer's
configuration, because it'll automatically detect the new channel.
7. Reduce wireless
interference.
If you have cordless phones or other wireless electronics in your home, your
computer might not be able to "hear" your router over the noise from the
other wireless devices. To quiet the noise, avoid wireless electronics that
use the 2.8GHz frequency. Instead, look for cordless phones that use the
5.8GHz or 900MHz frequencies.
8. Update your
firmware or your network adapter driver.
 Router
manufacturers regularly make free improvements to their routers. Sometimes,
these improvements increase performance. To get the latest firmware updates
for your router, visit your router manufacturer's Web site.
Similarly, network adapter
vendors occasionally update the software that Windows XP uses to communicate
with your network adapter, known as the driver. These updates typically
improve performance and reliability. To get the updates, visit Windows
Update, and then click Select Optional Hardware. Install any updates
relating to your wireless network adapter. It wouldn't hurt to install any
other updates while you're visiting Windows Update, too.
9. Pick equipment from a
single vendor.
While a Linksys router will work with a D-Link network adapter, you often
get better performance if you pick a router and network adapter from the
same vendor. Some vendors offer a performance boost of up to twice the
performance when you choose their hardware: Linksys has the SpeedBooster
technology, and D-Link has the 108G enhancement.
10. Upgrade 802.11b devices to 802.11g.
802.11b is the most common type of wireless network, but 802.11g is about
five times faster. 802.11g is backward-compatible with 802.11b, so you can
still use any 802.11b equipment that you have. If you're using 802.11b and
you're unhappy with the performance, consider replacing your router and
network adapters with 802.11g-compatible equipment. If you're buying new
equipment, definitely choose 802.11g.
Wireless networks never reach the theoretical bandwidth limits. 802.11b
networks typically get 2-5Mbps. 802.11g is usually in the 13-23Mbps range.
Belkin's Pre-N equipment has been measured at 37-42Mbps.
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