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Keep losing the iternet on wireless

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msammut

MIS
Jan 6, 2003
43
CA
I recently switched form a dsl modem to wireless router configuration to a supposedly new ad wonderful modem and router build into one by Bell. This allowed me to eliminate the 2 separate units and only use one. Here is how my configuration has changed. I am in a 5 level home. On the top level, the PC was USB'd to the Bell modem which went to the Linksys wireless router. The two PC's on the bottom floor had Linksys wireless adapters. Home network and internet worked without a problem. Now Bell sends me the wireless modem/router and I change the setup. The top level PC is equipped with the Linksys wireless adapter. The wireless modem router is now put on the bottom floor etherlinked to the 2 PCs and one printer. The wireless top floor PC gets the internet fine, but after a few minutes, it says it cannot find the network and the activity light on the adapter is no longer lit up. I have to uninstall the adapter and reinstall it to get the internet to work again. This loss of internet is constant. My thought is that I am not getting a strong enough signal from the router on the bottom floor, to the top floor. I am considering a booster antenna but am not sure if it is the right solution or what to look for when making the purchase. Any ideas?
 
You're problem is probably due to signal strength.
The standard 'rubber duck' antenna is an omni-directional antenna. The radiation pattern of these type type of antennas look like a doughnut, with the vast majority of the signal projected horizontally.

The way you are set up with the computers above and below each other, you're probably only getting reflections.
I know this may sound silly, but if you turn the antenna on the router sideways, you may get better reception.

Another option is to replace the antenna with a better one. The rubber duck antennas have about 2.2Db gain, which is pretty wimpy. Using a higher gain antenna will probably sove your problem. For indoor use, you'll want one in the 5-8Db range. The hardest part about that is matching the antenna connector on the router.
Hawking makes some very inexpensive high-gain antennas. If you have difficulty finding an antenna that matches your router connection, try a company called Hyperlink Technologies. If they don't have it, they can make it.

MCSE CCNA CCDA
 
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