Implementing WiFi in the Real World

John Jorsett writes "Seduced by the siren song of wireless access throughout the home, many a user has experienced the discrepancy between the manufacturer's advertised claims (150 feet indoors, 300 outside) and real-world implementation (the living room and upstairs bedroom may as well be on different continents). In steely-eyed determination to exercise his inalienable right to network access anywhere on his property, MSN author Paul Boutin hired a Wi-Fi engineer to help him bathe his property in 802.11 waves, using only mass-market consumer hardware."

Comments

Re:Range

[afidel]

Chances are you have metal mesh backed plaster or plasterboard. This is common in some parts of the country and acts as a faraday cage. btw the numbers listed are always in an open space such as a cubicle farm devoid of cubicle walls, no manufacturer will make claims about any other environment. Also the airport has configuration programs written in java and native version for linux and windows as well so unlike what the author claims you do not need a mac to configure it.

Re:The 100-watt Transmitter.

[El]

How about pumping your wireless network up to 100 watts... Uh, because it's bi-directional??? How long is your laptop battery going to last, transmitting constantly at 100 watts? And by the way, that's 100 watts going directly into your lap! By contrast, low end microwave ovens cook food with 600 watts. That warm, fuzzy feeling you're experiencing probably means you'll never be able to have children...