Wi-Fi Range extender

[Latitude]

Want to use laptop for surfing and e-mail I will use CG Wi-Fi whenever possible but would like to get as good of connection as possible, I am aware the connection will be only as good as CG.

What can I get for a range extender, Have heard of Wi-Fire,Linksy and Hawking Tech. Any experience with these and any recommendations???

Thanks Rick

[cwg]

I have had experience with two of the three you have mentioned. I can say from the onset that I have not been overwhelmed with performance enhacement from either of my trials, but here it is from my experience: First I purchased a Hawking parabolic antenna, but I never thought it did much for extending the range of the signal. Next I bought a WiFire and I have enjoyed it a bit more. Not sure that it is up to all that they claim, but it is better than the Dell built in antenna that came on the laptop.

Neither of these were expensive. Looking through the latest issue of FMCA ( Dec) I saw that they have a unit advertised that is much more expensive ($200 plus if I recall) but hopefully it is much better if price determines the performance. I have not tried these one yet, but maybe others on the forum can give you some of their perspectives.

[OpaRon]

If $$ is not too big a problem, I suggest getting a wireless router with a PCMCIA/Air card. (My Sprint service is about $55/mo for unlimited use; and the router and card was a $200 one time buy.) I rarely use CG Wi-Fi with my setup. I have a Top Global wireless router and a Sprint Air Card. I get great speeds in almost any metro area. In the boonies, it's more like a slow DSL, but I rarely am without coverage. Also, I found that the best place to deal with is 3GStore.com They service what they sell and they KNOW what they are talking about - unlike most of the cell phone kiosks and stores. 3GStore has a great web site with tons of info. Plus you can call and talk to a knowledgeable technician who will help guide you to the best set up for your situation and location, etc. We use ours for both our MACs and a Gateway PC (just for stuff that uses only PC software - but I'm about to throw it out and go totally MAC.)

Just make sure you get the EVDO technology. Then you have to decide whether to go with CDMA technology, which is older and more wide spread (Sprint, Alltell) or GSM technology, which is newer and still playing catch-up with the newer data towers (ATT, Verizon.) The 3G folks were great to deal with. When they sent my router with the Air Card, all I had to do was plug it in, turn it on and I was on line in a minute.

Now we don't have to find a hot spot to get on line. In fact, my wife often does her internet stuff while I drive - especially helpful finding a CG just down the road.

[FLYTYER]

You might find some useful info HERE

I use the Linksys USB Adapter/Range Extender.

[Sixpack98]

I pretty much agree with cwg. I have tried several with marginal success. The best was a parabolic homebrew that I saw somewhere that I mounted to my winegard rooftop antenna and could rotate it. The problem was it was not too durable and was at the mercy of the wind, rain and elements. For the most part I have given up since I purchased a new Dell which has the antenna surrounding the screen. Still have to move around a little but better than the vast majority of kludges and the usual suspects.

[HarveyP]

I bought the WiFire just before this trip. I am pleased and know that it pull in the signals much better than the built in antenna in the Gateway laptop that I bought last February. I would recommend WiFire. HarveyP