Airport Range Problem

[Typhy]

We're putting new siding on part of our house. Unfortunantely, during this construction, we'll lose the ethernet cable that runs up the side of our house from the first floor, where the cable comes into the house, to the third floor where my room is.

Because of this problem, we finally decided to switch to wireless.

Last week we picked up an Airport Exteme Base Station from Juneau Electronics ( computer store here ). My brother gets a flawless signal from his room ( he's using a Dual 500 with a standard airport card ). However, my room, which is only about 2 feet away from his ( through a wall ), gets a horrible signal.

I'm using a 15.2" 1GHZ Powerbook G4, with the airport card that shipped with it. If I take the computer into his room, the signal is better, but not nearly as good as it is on his Dual 500.

I'm looking for some advice from fellow Airport users. What kind of walls does the signal have a problem going through? Would the fact that the laptop rests on my lap, rather than on a desk effect anything?

Are there any reasons that you could think of for the lack of signal strength?

Thanks in advance,

Typhy

[onwig]

strange, because i have just moved offices at work, we will not get a broadband connection at work for another week.

So, I live accross the road from work, a good 200ft with a garage in the way, obviously my house walls, and the the building that i am in with more rooms and walls. Me and the tech guy decided to try and use my airport signal to get a connection, with a bit of moving things around and trying diff thing's, we finally got a connection to my basestation. Without any wind on a day time while using this, i get 3 bars less on signal strength than what i do at home. we were a bit stunned at this.

so, i cant understand why you would have probs in the next room, wonder if its something to do with it being a extreme base station, and you guys not having extreme cards?.

[Typhy]

That was my first theory, but when I contacted Apple, they said that there was no reason there should be any problems related to using an Airport Extreme base without Airport Extreme cards.

[kos.viper]

Any wireless 2.4GHz home phones in your room or the next?

[*DAMN Elandrion]

due to the metal of the powerbooks body, the signal strength is quite bad with TiBooks. Even though they have small slits in the metal on every side, the signal strength is always quite bad compared to the "plastic" iBooks. I'm experiencing similar problems with an old Airport station, where i can't even get a signal 10 meters away from the base station through one wall and one door.

one solution would be to add a short cable which gives you an outside antenna jack (as described here.

Anyway, i'd recommend you to find another way to use cabling, because increased distance increases packet loss and decreases speed too. I guess it isn't possible to lay the cable through the 2nd floor?

[Supernatural Pie]

My brother has a TiBook. His room is right next to mine, and when I get a perfect signal, he can get nothing.

 

[onwig]

I disagree with the metal of the powerbook, it was one of the first things we tried was on a new powerbook, we tried this first because its portable, we thought at least if the aiport is in the powerbook we could always get in the car park (for emails etc) which was closer to my home. but as soon as we plugged the card in the powerbook, in the office it picked the signal up with no problem. so unless you guys have different air, i have no idea what could be causing this. It has to be the fact that you are using older cards with a newer base station, could apple be wrong?

[Typhy]

onwig, the Dual 1.42 and the Dual 500 are both using the old cards on an extreme base station, and they get perfect signals. Why would this only effect the powerbook?

Laying cable again is not an option. How about a second base station? Would that recieve the signal better than my powerbook?

[onwig]

I seriously doubt apple would bring out a product ie the airport card, that wouldnt let a signal through the body of a powerbook, that would be a dumbass thing to do, would'nt it?

and another dumbass question, which you probably have done.... have you done all the updates?, did it work before updates, have you got anything diff on your machine that is diff to your bro's? anything could have made a difference to this....   where is the basestation situated, in your bro's room? is there a lot of electrical cables in the wall seperating your rooms?

[l ! l Ross]

Yea the TiBook always had a range problem. The iBook was always apples best product for airport that was until the AlBook was released with its external antennas.

My ibook sits next to my imac and the ibook will always get full signal strength and my imac gets half.

A possible solution is to get an external antennal for your base station. But you need a Base Station with modem and antenna port.

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71608/wo/TI7kbngKUXq92WgNyR51UpRAwbX/1.3.0.6.10.3.7.1.13.0

http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/71608/wo/TI7kbngKUXq92WgNyR51UpRAwbX/1.3.0.6.10.3.8.1.13.0

One other thing you could try is to use your brothers powermac as a bridge to improve signal strength. But I have never done it before so I am not sure how easy it is to do.

[onwig]

i must be talking to no-one. I can take pic's if you guys dont believe the distance it reaches.

[BTs_Lee.Harvey]

A possible solution is to get an external antennal for your base station. But you need a Base Station with modem and antenna port.

You can add an antenna to a airport that does not have an antenna port.. You just have to do some internal wireing.. you can find instructions on how to do this all over the net.

[|MP|Nomad]

We're putting new siding on part of our house. Unfortunantely, during this construction, we'll lose the ethernet cable that runs up the side of our house from the first floor, where the cable comes into the house, to the third floor where my room is.

Because of this problem, we finally decided to switch to wireless.

Last week we picked up an Airport Exteme Base Station from Juneau Electronics ( computer store here ). My brother gets a flawless signal from his room ( he's using a Dual 500 with a standard airport card ). However, my room, which is only about 2 feet away from his ( through a wall ), gets a horrible signal.

I'm using a 15.2" 1GHZ Powerbook G4, with the airport card that shipped with it. If I take the computer into his room, the signal is better, but not nearly as good as it is on his Dual 500.

I'm looking for some advice from fellow Airport users. What kind of walls does the signal have a problem going through? Would the fact that the laptop rests on my lap, rather than on a desk effect anything?

Are there any reasons that you could think of for the lack of signal strength?

Thanks in advance,

Typhy

Typhy, you should read a post I made concerning this very same issue on this forum, it will answer most of your questions.  You can read it here (its the 2nd post in that thread).  Read the linked thread b4 moving on, in order for what I say to make more sense.

A few points I wil make:

-Viper was right asking if u had any wireless phone on a 2.4 GHz Frequency AND if you have microwave anywhere near the ABS, these MAY interfere, I have neither

-Don't buy the ABS with antenna port, its not necessary and the ABS without antenna port is cheaper

-do NOT buy any of the OMNI antennas from Mr. Bott, I did and the signal strength didn't improve 1 spec, waste of $ (and I brought them back).

-I recommend that you buy 2 Wireless Network Extenders, and now, Apple just came out with them.  The Airport Express units.  I couldn't have gotten them b/c I bought my DLink 1 month before Apple came out with these products (dammit!) and besides it was also pending approval for Canada, it was only available in the USA.  Now why do I say to get this you ask? b/c apple has always worked with apple, you don't have to worry about if it will or will not work.  I can't tell you, however, how the performance is going to be, but I can say that my 2 DLinks performace are an A+, so if I had to venture a guess, I would say they should be same if not better.

-also, the price for 2 airport express untis are the same price as 1 ABS, so u will get more coverage and stronger signal strength compared to buying another ABS.

-oh, Almost forgot, the best reception for signal strength is gotten if you keep the ABS on high areas or even better if you mount it high up on the wall, and its made to do that if you want, I just dont know how you or yer folks would fancy that.

-Typhy, remind me to talk to you, there is something I will give you that can shed light as to a proper network set-up.

[l ! l Ross]

Nomad your a genius!

Airport Express is the best way to fix your problem Typhy. Cheap and should give you the needed range.

[BTs_Mysterio]

Why not just buy the 55 dollar QuickerTek antenna? http://store.macanywhere.com/tibookantennas.html Cheap and supposedly works good.

[|MP|Nomad]

Why not just buy the 55 dollar QuickerTek antenna? http://store.macanywhere.com/tibookantennas.html Cheap and supposedly works good.

I guess you could if $ was tight.  Although, I have never heard of it and I don't know how good it is.  But personally, I wouldn't get it, I just don't like the idea of an antenna crowding my laptop.  But at least its another option.

[Typhy]

I'd favor an antena over an Airport Express, simply because it's less of a hassle. If I want to go use my powerbook downstairs in the kitchen, I'd have to go get the airport express unit and bring it with me, where as the antena is always with the powerbook, just seems to be a more sensible solution.

Thanks for all the help, guys.  

[|MP|Cringe]

Typhy, i used to have that same problem with signal strength on my TiBook. Get an antenna from QuickerTek  www.quickertek.com I'm sure you can manage to install it without a problem, they even give you the torx wrench to open up the bottom of your computer.

[|MP|Nomad]

I'd favor an antena over an Airport Express, simply because it's less of a hassle. If I want to go use my powerbook downstairs in the kitchen, I'd have to go get the airport express unit and bring it with me, where as the antena is always with the powerbook, just seems to be a more sensible solution.

Thanks for all the help, guys.  

See I disagree, b/c the antenna (regardless how well it may work) will be the hassle b/c you have to carry it with you and will crowd yer laptop by adding more weight.  But thats why I said (in the linked thread I provided) to get 2 Network Extendors.  Keep one upstairs as an Access Point (meaning Hardwired) somewhere in the mid-point of yer house and the other in your basement as Repeater mode.  This way you dont have to keep unplugging and relocating the Airport Express units, just plug it in, and leave it there.  This is how I have mine set-up.

Its also important to know, this is of course if you get the airport express units and follow my instructions, that when you are in your basement you may not get full signal strength, this is b/c Repeaters get the signal from the ABS and simpy re-amplifies the already existing signal from the ABS, so you can configure it to solely get the receiving signal from the other airport express unit that you have upstairs since it may be closer (depending on where you position it upstairs; if the one downstairs is directly below the ABS, then there is  no need to configure it b/c you should then get full signal strength from the ABS).  THIS IS ALL IN MY LINKED POST.  Ask me for help and you shall receive

[|MP|Cringe]

Nomad, if you start consdering a small rectangle of plastic and a few inches of tiny antenna cable "extra weight", i will feel fully justified in calling you a pussy.
Malaka!