wireless internet

littlejay

does anyone know the range of this , on a laptop?

thanks in advance.

padlad

depends on the range of the wireless router, my linksys says it has about 300 metres coverage, but the connection strength would decrease the further away you are from it.
I get (mostly) excellent connection speeds in my house - but I'm only about 5 metres away from the blue box!

kdouglas

its also dependent on many other factors, just the way any other wireless device is,
its the range of the wireless router, the strength of the antenna/card in the laptop, and also interference,cordless telephones (not mobile), microwaves, and even electric showers have been known to interfere with the signal for wi-fi equipment
you've also got to take into account any walls/windows in the the way, steel reinforced concrete walls (most external walls on older houses) i believe create more interference than your average internal dividing wall.

i get approx 40-50 metres from my wireless access point out into my back garden but no more than 15-20 if im outside in the car (with or without the doors/windows open)

secret_squirrel

It depends on whats between you and the router - if its fresh air then you might get somewhere near 300m (seems a tad high tho) - if there are walls and floors etc the distance will be much reduced. My linksys is in the center-top of the house and I can still connect from the back garden - through 2 stud partition walls and the main back wall - figure 15-20m in a direct line.

It should usually be enough to cover a decent sized house - assuming its not all concrete walls and floors.

I've been able to pick up wireless networks from 1 or 2 houses down the road but no further.

Note it also depends on the aerials on your router and wireless card. You can get directional aerials and wireless repeater stations if you are looking to extend your coverage.

Random

Wireless is 100m line-of-sight is it not ?

secret_squirrel

I think you are getting a bit muddled.

Wireless networking aka WiFi aka 802.11 b/a/g is not line of site and will penetrate the odd wall or 4 - depending on the walls composition.

Wireless Broadband - generally requires line of sight of a transceiver - although not always and this will change as new wireless technologies come on stream (eg WiMax).

3G (mobile data/calls) is not line of sight.

Jaeger

Noticed on netgear.com that they're doing wireless signal boosters in the form of little plugin things.

Think those air fresheners you plug in about the place, except a signal booster