Extend Wireless network

[rad]

Other Half's work have people living on site in Mobile homes. They have access to the internet using a wireless router although the signal is poor, to the point they have to sit outside. Distance is about 30 metres, receiver sits in the window of the office, they sit in the caravans, only thing in between is the walls of the caravan.

Any idea of a way of extending this strength, I have seen some wireless extenders but would like a few recommendations.

Thanks

[nephilim]

External Wireless Aerials work a treat. We managed to boost the signal from our school to the site agents house which is about 90m away by doing this. Joe at CP can get them for you.

[dhicks]

only thing in between is the walls of the caravan.

Which, depending on the type of caravan we're talking about here, could well be made from thin metal rather than wood or bricks and morter, so you could be trying to get wireless reception in what is basically a large Faraday cage. An external arial of some kind might be more useful.

Edit: Just like nephilim said :-)

--
David Hicks

[MatthewL]

What wireless access points are you using?

[rad]

What wireless access points are you using?

Unsure, its an MSI I think, I know its not the usual Belkin/netgear.

[limbo]

I have had to do exactly this because my in-laws run a site with holiday lodges in it which are essentially big metal caravans with wooden cladding.

I think these are the two products I used together:-

Wireless Extender

Hi Gain Antenna

In the end I only needed one antenna which I fitted to the router (Netgear) and ran outside and onto the roof, and the extender at the remote end. You could fit an additional antenna to the extender if you needed to as well, and if this could be outside then even better because it would cancel out any effects of the metal and insulation in the mobile home - but not always possible because you really do not want to be drilling holes so unless you can get some extra cable and run it down through an existing vent or pipe hole.

Maplin used to do antenna that was designed to stick to a window with a suction cup but could not find it on a quick search.