OT: Improving laptop wifi reception

[Tim]

On Thu, 2011-08-25 at 18:04 +1200, Shiv Manas wrote:
> I can happily recommend any Alfa brand USB WiFi adapters - they have a
> long range, are compatible with most distros, and are very affordable.
> Personally I use the AWUS036NH which has a massive 2W output.

Two whole watts?!  Seems a bit extreme, unless it's designed for long
distance work (such as across a factory).  It's probably more than your
allowed for general purpose networking.

Just the other day I experimented with the power output from my access
point.  It was set on maximum, and my laptop is barely two feet from it.
Yet, Fedora's signal meter was always around 95%, occasionally dipping
down to lose a whole bar on the graphical display (whatever that
actually means), which made no sense.  I'd expect 100% being that close,
especially since I've used the laptop in another room, with three brick
walls between them, and not noticed a huge loss on the signal meter.

So, I've turned the access power down to minimum (12.5%).  And Fedora's
signal meter reading hasn't changed in the slightest, nor is there any
noticeable change in network performance.  So, I can't tell if the
access point has actually changed signal level, or whether Fedora's
meter is *more* concerned with some other factors than signal strength.

I don't place a lot of faith in the signal metering.

-- 
[tim at localhost ~]$ uname -r
2.6.27.25-78.2.56.fc9.i686

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