cheapest way to get better Wifi reception?

[dpopiz]

1. pcmcia card
2. pci card
3. usb adapter
4. external omnidirectional antenna

which one generally yields the best reception for the lowest cost?

 

[JackMDS]

Option 5. PCI card with extension coax and Directional Antenna.

However there is No real answer since it depends on whether you are talking about the source or the client, and or the nature of the environment.

:sun:

 

[DainBrammage]

Option 6. Orinoco PC card with MMC to N Male pigtail to Miniamp to high gain directional antenna

 

[omarBMX]

Do these antennas only connect to the routers/APs or can they also connect to the Wireless adapter?

If so, how exactly does it hookup/connect to the adapter?

I found a good deal on an antenna here:

http://www.microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0165348

Will this somehow hookup to my Centrino laptop or the PCI wireless adapter I will buy for my desktop PC?

It says it uses a reverse SMA plug, I'm not sure what that is or if my laptop has that jack.

 

[Fardringle]

In general, the best way to improve wireless connectivity is to improve the signal from the source (better antenna or higher transmit power on the router) since that will usually improve signals to all computers and other wireless devices with a single upgrade. If you just have one computer that is having problems, then an external (movable) directional antenna for that computer would be the best choice.

The cheapest way is to simply remove whatever interference is preventing you from getting a good signal in the first place. Sometimes this isn't possible (walls in the house, power lines outside, distance between devices, weak transmitters in the equipment, etc.) but if you can do it by simply changing the channel on the router, changing the location of the router, moving your 2.4Ghz cordless phone away from the router and computers (or changing its channel on the phone), you may be able to fix the problem for free..


And yes, the antenna you linked to is primarily intended to be used with a router that has a Reverse SMC connector. You'll have to check the documentation for your router (or post the exact model number here) to find out if the antenna will work for you.