The Tulsa Forum by TulsaNow

Anyone have any suggestions? I moved into a building with free wifi, but my office signal is weak I would love to boost the signal..suggestions?

If you use a laptop, you can find a spot in the apartment with better reception.  If there is a good spot you can invest in an airport express or other wireless router and set it up as a booster rather than an access point.

I have an access point in my living room and airport expresses in my upstairs and my garage (to utilize a large plotter that my wife won't allow in the house).  It's overkill but I have no dead spots.

Another option might be to move your WiFi device to a better spot with a USB extension cable.
You can go up to 5 meters with a plain USB2 cable, further if you use an "active" cable.

If you know where the wireless access point is, try to make a path between it and your antenna that has the least obstructions that interfere with or attenuate the signal (appliances, brick, insulation foil, heavy building materials, cordless phones)   

Well its a 20 story building so not sure about finding the access spot, keep in mind this is an office not an apartment building ;)

or there is always this option, of course it helps to find the spot with the best reception to put it in as gasp suggests

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833122376&cm_re=range_extender-_-33-122-376-_-Product

Here are a few ideas:

http://www.cantenna.com/ (http://www.cantenna.com/)

http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448 (http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448)

They're both directional antennas that provide some gain over a simple laptop antenna - provided you can attach a cable to your wireless card.

Why, yes, I'm kind of an electronics geek.  Why did you ask?

Of course, with directional you would need to know which direction the access point is.

If hooked to a card with a signal gauge, all you have to do is keep trying directions.

I think that DIY page had a bit about using a software based signal strength meter.  There's probably a shareware version.

Sure enough, CNET has one:

http://download.cnet.com/WIFI-Signal-Strength/3000-2085_4-10663562.html (http://download.cnet.com/WIFI-Signal-Strength/3000-2085_4-10663562.html)

If you are at the mercy of a wireless router that isn't under your control, I would but a cheap router that you can install a free firmware on and make into a repeater.  Or just try a good wifi adapter to start.  I bought one of these cheapos on sale this year for my media center, it was  HUGE improvement over the adapter I was using.  Also, there is a free wifi analzer app for android that will help you find the projection of the signal (guessing there is something comparable on iPhone if thats how u roll)

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833166056&cm_re=wifi_adapter_usb-_-33-166-056-_-Product

I have a question?   What if anything can be done about the microwave oven knocking me off line when it is running..   

When we had our old 25 year old Sears microwave it was never a problem.   It gave up the ghost we go a new and evidently more powerful Microwave and it knocks me off line in fact sometimes I even have to reset the router. 

Any suggestions? 

You tried changing the channel that your wifi is set on?  It might be that the one you have it set on is really close to a frequency the microwave emits.

or install a faraday cage around your kitchen

If the oven is leaking microwaves, it would be more serious than radio interference.
Odds are the interference is being carried down the power cord, which suggests a plug-in RFI filter may help.
If the oven itself is leaking (radiating into the air) you need to replace it asap, and get your money back.

Can you pick up the noise on a cordless phone near the oven?

A quick and dirty test for line noise would be to unplug your laptop and see if it connects.  I suspect that if you're having router problems too, it's most likely line noise.  You can install an RFI filter on both the microwave and the computer or router.  Be sure the microwave is grounded too, and it's not plugged into a 2 prong adapter.

No problems with cordless phones near the oven.  I'll look into a RFI filter.

My wife had though of changing the router frequency too. 

Thanks for the suggestions everyone, you have been very helpful. 

Typical router channels used are 1, 6 and 11.  Typically most routers ship to the store set on channel 1; if you can change to one of the other 2 there might be a chance for better results. Before you go trudgin out to find an RFI filter.

I was just looking for an excuse to use a word that never gets used. :D

Faraday?  You know, there are other, more personal uses for a Faraday shield.  For one thing, it can protect you from those government mind control rays.  Like this:

(http://www.freakingnews.com/pictures/66500/Tin-Foil-Hat-66733.jpg)

Making tin foil hats look good since 1947