I have a wireless router on the 2nd level of a 3 level townhouse.

I have noticed that the wireless signal on the 3rd level, even though it's directly above the router, is not that strong.

Can anyone suggest the best way to improve this?

I figure i could either get some type of booster on the router or a repeater/extender (that could go on stairs or something).

The router is a Linksys WRT54G Wireless-G Router 802.11G (54Mbps) which has 2 antennae.

Tried looking for boosters or repeaters on net but didn't find many. Anyone know of good ones that arn't too costly?

cant cable it?

paging parabol

Got a cable up there, but things like iPhone won't cable that well and rather laptops not need cabling in bed.

Also thinking in future when i may not have a cable where i want to use wireless.

Install the WW-DRT firmware and boost the juice in the transmitter.

You can make a booster antennae yourself but it's pretty ugly..

http://www.computing.cc/networking/increase-your-wireless-signal-with-a-homemade-wifi-booster/

Install the WW-DRT firmware and boost the juice in the transmitter.

What he said, except it's called DD-WRT. http://www.dd-wrt.com/

I just bought a dlink wireless router like a month ago and it works really well for me. Routers downstairs and I just have a small asus antenna up here

What Midda said. Also you can add a 5Dbi indoor omni antenna (dlink one costs like $50) and it should do the trick.

If you're using an omnidirectional antennae, then the worst dead spot above or below the antennae are going to be just off directly above or below it.

Basically omnidirectional antennae have sensitivity in a similar way a LCD monitor has a viewing angle. For the D-Link 15dB omni-directional antenna I use, for example, it's from memory about 30 degrees (+15/-15 degrees). It doesn't point up and down, it goes outward. There is some loopage of maybe a 4 degree cone above the antenna, but the signal quality isn't as good. If you're trying to get signal to an area directly above, you want the antenna perpendicular to the walls, not parallel like you'd normally have them.

Also remember that those s***tly little antenna you get on most APs are generally in the range of 2dB to 5dB (2dB for the tiny ones you get with D-Link domestic routers, 5dB for enterprise D-Link or NetGear ones).

D-Link have an external 7dB antenna (ANT24-0700 from memory) you can get for under $100, however if you use the lead and base plate you lose another 1.8dB, bringing it down to about 4.9dB (there's connector loss as well). The 0700 comes with an RP-SMA to RP-TNC adaptor, so you'll be able to use it with either D-Link/NetGear or LinkSys/Cisco equipment, however it's RP-SMA native so again, you'll lose a bit in conversion.

And then lastly there's power output. Domestic D-Link APs put out 20 or 30mW, depending on the model. Enterprise models such as the DWL-3200 or DWL-2700 put out 100mW. They also do PoE and are Plenum rated, so you can stick them in all kinds of obscure places for better mounting and signal output.

Yes, you can boost those s***ty Linksys WRTs to more than they ship with, but they ship with that power output for a reason. The signal accuracy and quality above 50mW becomes so poor I don't know why people bother. The WRT usually works in diversity mode, so it uses both antennae to get the best signal - though I believe it can be configured so that one antenna is transmit, and the other is receive. This is generally pointless.

Based on what you have, I would suggest you do the following:
Continue to use one antenna of the WRT facing parallel to the walls.
Purchase a second 7dB or thereabouts antenna, and mount it in a location *as far away from the roof* as possible (ie, down on the ground, but with no metal, concrete or wood between it and the roof) mounted perpendicular to the walls.

Does this help?

Mass got a link to a place that sells them?

Also would a unidirectional one work better than an omni if all the computers are on one side of the house?

What I would do - would be buy two routers that can run DD-WRT and use WDS to connect them. Have one on lvl 2 and one on lvl 3. Solved!

What he said, except it's called DD-WRT

Haha, oops.

All of these other solutions seems like a lot of work and $. I'd try the ones in the link I sent first, it'll cost you 10 minutes and a bit of foil. If that doesn't work try shifting the router as Raven said yours might be omnidirectinal, so if you shift it so the self-made foil is pointing up and towards above where you'll be it might work for you. If all else fail get ethernet over power lol.

Also you can add a 5Dbi indoor omni antenna

As hinted before, this will make the situation worse and make it harder to talk to a unit vertically above/below.

What I would do - would be buy two routers that can run DD-WRT and use WDS to connect them.

No it's better to use Repeater Bridge mode (introduced in v24 of DD-WRT) than WDS in general.

I have noticed that the wireless signal on the 3rd level, even though it's directly above the router, is not that strong.

Can anyone suggest the best way to improve this?

Try to not have it directly above. Assuming your ceiling isn't made of something nasty that blocks radio signals, I think just moving the client device (or router) to the other side of the room and see how that goes. That is, going from an 70-90 degree (between devices) situation, to say 30-60 degrees.

Remember that putting in a repeater will result in halving of your bandwidth due to doubled traffic on the same channel. If that's the only way that you can have a diagonal setup working, that may have to do.

The WRT usually works in diversity mode, so it uses both antennae to get the best signal - though I believe it can be configured so that one antenna is transmit, and the other is receive. This is generally pointless.

From what I understand the diversity mode doesn't have a good memory either. Say you set up both your antennas as both transmit and receive, but you angle one antenna to face the ceiling at Client A on the top floor.

Client A talks to the router, the router switches to that ceiling-facing antenna since the reception is better. Now it'll be talking on that antenna until Client B on the same level as the router talks .. and the router will switch to the other antenna after a delay (with possible packet loss due to being on the wrong antenna). Back and forth switching with packet loss ... not very efficient.

You can also change the angles on the antenna. I have a Linksys 54g router running custom firmware and I get a strong signal upstairs by having one antenna horizontal and one verticle.

Best priced soho wireless gear www.oztechnologies.com.au. I bought some hardcore wireless gear for here at work from some place in Sydney, they sell big outdoor wireless type stuff. If you want that I can dig out the name.

Routers downstairs and I just have a small asus antenna up here

I read anus antenna