Wireless signal boost question

Hey all, we’re a few hours away from trying to get our broadband on here, and I had a question…

Our configuration is going to be this: Cable modem/WAP-Router on the middle floor, with a desktop one floor above and one floor below with wireless PCI card adaptors. I’m interested in hooking the WAP up to a signal boost, but the one I found says it’ll expand my 802.11b range…but that’s it.

Will that signal boost work for an 802.11g setup? I’m assuming two things. First, that the specs for the signal boost were printed up before g came into usage and that’s why it isn’t mentioned. Secondly, I’m assuming that all it does is magnify and boost the 2.4 signal, and it doesn’t matter if it’s b or g–but I’d like to know if that’s correct before we shell out for it, though.

Thanks in advance yet again, oh Wireless Oracles of Qt3!

n/m, got my answer from tom’s hardware.

(For those interested, I was wondering if the Linksys WSB24 signal boost, which is only approved for .11b would work with that company’s .11g router/access point. According to Tom’s it’ll work on any 2.4 wireless signal.)

Triggercut,

I don’t mean to rain on your parade, and maybe I’m just misreading your post, but the 802.11g stuff is up in the 5 GHz range, rather than the 2 GHz range, so with the linksys booster you’ll only get (at best) better 802.11b performance.

(That said, I’m using one of those puppies right now, and it works pretty well…)

If you’re serious about range extension, give the folks at YDI (located nearby in NoVA) a call. The guys who haunt the CAWNet group rave about them.

Nope, 802.11g is 2.4GHz. It’s 802.11a that’s 5GHz.

I stand corrected!

Thanks for the heads up Denny!

BTW all, just wanted to thank everyone for their help as I rejoined the broadband world (what’s worse than never having broadband? Having it for a year, and then not being able to get it for a year after that…Yiiiii!)

Original plan was to use a wireless router as an access point on the middle floor between my roommate’s computer and mine. Unfortunately, I’d made the assumption that he’d have a fairly modern, up-to-date computer. Instead, his is 4 years old, and the p2 400 wouldn’t even boot up when we plugged a wireless pci adapter into it.

So, rethinking, we set him up with an ethernet card and the hardwire from the wireless router. Also, I come to find that his “office” is actually in the loft above his bedroom, so the wireless signal is coming from the 4th floor down to my office in the basement. Yikes! I’m expecting the worst…

…and now stand in awe of wireless technology. In the four days since we set it up, my signal strength (with the signal booster, which definitely helps) has never dipped below “very good” and I’m always connected between 36 and 54 mbps.

I was downloading a patch yesterday and laughed out loud as it came through at 151 kps. A week ago 5.1 kps was more likely.

Until they announce that wireless signals cause cancer, memory loss, and pernicious drooling, I’m all set! Broadband is beautiful!