A recent tech moment request was from someone who wanted to increase their wireless networks range. He was looking at antennas, repeaters, etc. I tried to get to the facts. I asked where the wireless router was. “Someone elses house” was the reply. So, you want to hijack someones wireless signal and it’s not strong enough for you? “Basically”. Well folks, this just proves that you need to secure your wireless network. Future TM articles will focus on best practices for doing just this for your home wireless network. It doesn’t matter where you live, because this person happens to be in a suburban area and the signal they want to use is only a house or two away.

That being said, I’m not about to turn anyone down for tech help, and he wanted to do this rather quickly. So, first off, you have to make sure you’re using a wireless card that has an external antenna adapter. Most PC cards made for laptops do not have this. If you are using a desktop PCI card, you should be all set. Most of them use the standard reverse SMA Male Connector. If you have your card with you when shopping, it can help avoid frustration later. Otherwise, just confirm this before you go looking for an antenna.

Now, if you KNOW where your wireless signal is coming from, you’re better off getting a “Uni-Directional” or just plain Directional antenna. These types of antenna’s are designed to be aimed at the router and will yield better performance under these scenarios. The other kind, known as Omnidirectional antennas are designed to increase signal strength all around, but can’t be pointed or “aimed”.
The cost really shouldn’t be a factor here, a quick search of CompUSA’s web site shows they carry a nice selection of both types of antennas, most of which cost around $30 or so. See this one for example. $26 for a directional indoor antenna. Of course, you could spend a lot more, depending on how far you actually had to reach and how much you’re willing to spend. For higher end antenna and wifi booster equipment, check out HyperLinkTech.
Good luck fellow reader in your quest to boost your wireless reception. If it doesn’t work out, you can always move into an apartment in Manhattan. :)