Netgear DG834G v ME102 Signal Strength

Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (More info?)

Hi,

I've just replaced a Netgear ME102 AP (802.11b) with a Netgear DG834G
(802.11g). It's a direct replacement (ie. the DG834G is in exactly the same
physical location as the ME102 used to be).

However, I'm generally getting a worse signal strength in everyday use. Does
anyone have any ideas why or whether there is anything I can do to improve
the situation?

To give some idea (and this is using Netgear's own utilities, so I
understand may not be accurate) I used to get 60-70% signal strength on the
ME102 but now only get 40-50% on the DG834G.

Interestingly I also have another ME102 still connected in a different area
of the building (maybe 50-60m away and through solid walls) and this also
reports 40-50% signal strength. So if the Netgear utility is consistent
(even if the absolute values are inaccurate) I get as strong a signal from
an ME102 that's 50m away through solid walls than I do from a DG834G that's
maybe 10m away through a wood/plaster floor/ceiling.

For reference the client for all of the above information is a Netgear
WG511T PCMCIA card in a notebook running Win XP.

Surely this can't be what I should expect. Any thoughts?

Thanks, David

Archived from groups: alt.internet.wireless (More info?)

Per Stromgren wrote:
> On Tue, 15 Jun 2004 20:07:03 +0100, "David" <mail@home.net> wrote:
>
>>
>> However, I'm generally getting a worse signal strength in everyday
>> use. Does anyone have any ideas why or whether there is anything I
>> can do to improve the situation?
>
> For whatever it is worth: I have the same problem.
>
> I use an 834G together with a MA521 card in my laptop. To make the
> problem worse, the signal strength varies even when nothing is
> touched! It justs sits there, varying it's signal strength between
> 50-85% and often dorp out. I had so much problems with the MA521 card
> that I returned to the in-built NIC in the kaptop, a LAN-Express card.
> That card make the situation stable, but with a "very low" signal
> strength, according to it's utilty.
>
> My site is a wooden two-story building (12 by 10m), where I barely can
> get signal around the house!
>
> I have no solution to give you, but perhaps some comfort in that you
> are not alone...
>
> Per.

FWIW my DG834G and WG511 card gives me a solid 54Mbps in the same room as
the router with Netstumbler reporting a signal of about -38db. That's at a
distance of about 8'.

At the bottom of my garden I get a reported 18-24Mbps with a signal strength
of around -70db. That's 80' away with one internal wall and patio doors in
the signal path.

Signal strength varies by +/- 3db in any one location according to
Netstumbler readings. I just tried turning on my microwave and that had zero
impact on the signal strength or speed. So I'm happy that the DG834G works
well enough.

Is your antenna firmly screwed into the router? Or is there interference
somewhere from some (external) source? Try changing channel ID to one
extreme or the other e.g 1 or 13.

--
Email replies will not be read. Please reply to newsgroup.