A wireless router

[Midwestgirl]

I am all new to this stuff so be gentle. Here is what I would like to do. Get me a wireless router to work with my cable modem about 200 ft to my other computer in another building. Is this possible? I did some research on a Linksys cable/dsl router that seems to work up to 800 ft. I thought it might be the cheaper route than to pay a monthly bill. Am I on the right track?

 

[Mictlantecuhtli]

I've never used WiFi devices myself, but here's an article that should explain it a bit:

Setting Up a Hotspot in Your Home

It talks about coverage of about 100 feet, but 200 isn't impossible to reach, although it depends on what kind of material the walls are made of etc.

 

[Nodsu]

You shouldn't take the ranges quoted by device manufacturers seriously.

You may have to buy separate (directional) antennas to cover that distance with good signal.

 

[StormBringer]

Distance ratings are Maximum range under "optimal" conditions. this means that in an environment free of any interference you could acheive that distance. This is also true of speed ratings. The reality is that you may never see such an environment.

Another thing to consider is that many routers that boast a + or speedboosting, or range extension rating will only be able to use such feature with adapters that also have that technology. This is a common problem people run into when they are trying to use(for example) a laptop with an intel wireless card with a Linksys Speedboost router or AP, or a Linksys range extender, this sometimes causes problems with that machine, while other machines on the network which have Linksys cards that support the feature work fine.
I used the Intel card as an example because it is one of the components that is found in any notebook bearing the Centrino logo, and because it seems to have the most trouble with these speed and range boosting devices.

Something like this http://www.cantenna.com/ might help, as nodsu mentioned, though I'd recommend building your own, as $50 for a pringles can and some duct tape, with a pretty paintjob is a bit much.
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html
http://www.netscum.com/~clapp/wireless.html
http://www.cruftbox.com/cruft/docs/cantenna.html
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448
http://www.saunalahti.fi/elepal/antenna2.html
http://www.seattlewireless.net/index.cgi/CookieCantenna
http://www.qsl.net/wb8erj/wirelessCantenna.html
Have a nice read...

 

[Midwestgirl]

thanks all for all the ideas. Boy did I learn quite a bit on wireless routers. But I still think it might be worthwild then the monthly fee that is charged.

 

[RealBlackStuff]

It would be easier, cheaper and faster if you lay a CAT5e or CAT6 cable between those points, if that is feasible.