brad's Experience
Written: Sep 27 '03
|
Product Rating:
|
|
| Ease of Installation: |
 |
|
| Ease of Use: |
|
|
|
Pros: Will likely at least marginally improve signals throughout your network.
Cons: Depending upon the receiving device, it's quite possible you won't see any benefit.
The Bottom Line: For around $80, it's probably worth getting this device and experimenting with your network to obtain a better overall experience. It's probably a crap shoot, but worth the shot.
|
|
|
| brad's Full Review: Linksys WSB24 |
Greetings.
I imagine that with all of the current Wi-Fi hysteria, there is a fair amount of people out there wondering about this product.
To my knowledge and brief research, Linksys is the only prominent Wi-Fi vendor to offer a device of this nature. I am writing about the Wireless Signal Booster. This is not an extra antenna. This device is intended to intensify the signal put out by the base Linksys router/access point or Linksys access point. For this reason, those going with Linksys might be considering buying this product if they have problems receiving the Wi-Fi signal in particular areas, post-setup of their Wi-Fi networks. This was the case for me.
Does it work? Probably. I don't think that I can tell you for sure that it materially increases the effectiveness of a Linksys Wi-Fi network. I can tell you about the experiments that I have run, and I have tried a lot of things.
First off, I have the following devices as part of my Wi-Fi network:
- Linksys Wireless B Router/Access Point (BEFW11S4)
- Linksys Wireless Signal Booster (WSB24)
- Two (2) Linksys Wireless USB Network Adapters (WUSB11)
- Linksys Wireless B Notebook Adapter (WPC11)
- Internal Wi-Fi network card in my HP Compaq Presario 2100z Notebook Computer
Following is a brief description of the setup of my Wi-Fi network:
I have the router/access point in a window in a porch in one house on a farm site of many buildings. The router/access point has a clear line of sight to three other buildings, including another home. Within the base home, the line of sight extends into two other rooms - the kitchen/dining room (open air area), and adjacent living room (part of it). I have one computer that is in the other home on the farm site, and that computer is equipped with a USB wireless network adapter. The other computers that use wireless signals are all inside the base home. Inside the base home, I have a notebook computer in the kitchen, equipped with a Wireless notebook PC card. I also have another notebook computer that is located in the basement of the base home, and that is equipped with a USB wireless network adapter. Finally, I have yet another notebook computer that is located in the basement of the base home, and that has a built-in, HP wireless network card. That accounts for all of the above noted devices.
First, I'll describe how the network functioned BEFORE I installed the Wireless Signal Booster.
The computer in the other home, with the USB wireless network adapter, and approximately 250 feet away, received a signal rate of 83%. I estimate transmission speeds ranging around 1400 kbs.
The notebook computer in the kitchen, with the Linksys PC card, received a signal rate of 67%. I won't estimate the transmission speed, but I'll say that the signal is noticeably slower than the signals I receive on other computers, wireless or wired.
The first notebook computer that is in the basement of the base home, with the USB wireless network adapter, received a signal rate in the range of 40-60% (fluctuating, mysteriously).
The second mentioned notebook computer, the HP Compaq with the built-in Wi-Fi card, and which is located in the basement of the base home, DID NOT receive ANY signal from the router/access point. As I tried to roam around the base home with this notebook, I could receive a signal only if I was in the kitchen (with a direct line of sight to the router/access point).
Now, after the Wireless Signal Booster is in place, I experience the following results:
The computer in the other home, with the USB wireless network adapter, and approximately 250 feet away, receives a signal rate of 87%. I don't see a significant change in the transmission speeds.
The notebook computer in the kitchen, with the Linksys PC card, continues to receive a signal rate of 67%. Since this computer has a clean line of sight to the router/access point, I find it striking that the signal rate did not improve. Since we only use this computer for Web browsing, and since the broadband connection is powerful enough, this computer more than gets the job done. I don't really care if the signal improves, as the Web browsing is probably around 900-1,000 kbs with the signal rate from the router/access point at 67%.
The first notebook computer that is in the basement of the base home, with the USB wireless network adapter, is where I noticed outstanding results. With the Signal Booster now installed, this computer is able to be moved around the home, no matter the room, and receive a signal rate in the range of 90-97%. This is impressive. Although the USB adapter is a pain to move around with the notebook (because of the cord and having to hold the adapter along with the computer as I move around), it is wonderful to be able to place this notebook anywhere in the house and receive a great signal. I can move it anywhere in the house and browse the Web or access files from our main computer. The Signal Booster clearly proves valuable here.
The second mentioned notebook computer, the HP Compaq with the built-in Wi-Fi card, and which is located in the basement of the base home, STILL does not receive ANY signal from the router/access point. Although, as I've tried to roam around the house, I DO receive a signal in areas where I previously did not. However, the signal rate is very poor and not worth using. For all practical purposes, the functionality of Wi-Fi for this computer remains unchanged. I need to be in the kitchen, with a clear line of sight, for this computer to obtain a decent signal. Disappointing, but the problem is likely as much to do with the computer itself, as it is with the signal boosted router/access point.
...
Now, for the overall analysis.
The signal booster appears the help signal transmission, at least in the case of the USB adapter. In other cases, with notebook PC cards, it does not appear to help, at least in my case, and I suspect my network is a typical setup. As for built-in wireless cards in computers, I wasn't fond of them to begin with, and in my case, I didn't receive a material benefit with the installation of the signal booster.
Some notes... It seems clear to me that for Wi-Fi networks, the most important part of the setup is LINE OF SIGHT. If you have line of sight, you'll never have a problem receiving signals. Case in point: the other home on our farm site is 250 feet away. The USB adapter is in a window that faces the window of the base home in which the router/access point is located. From 250 feet away, I get a great signal. I've also tested the USB adapter in other buildings on the farm site that have line of sight access. One building is approximately 600 feet away, and it received a signal rate of about 83%, and that was BEFORE I installed the signal booster. I doubt that the signal booster would improve this signal rate. 83% is good enough for me, since my broadband connection comes in at around 1500 kbs, which is outstanding. Those with DSL connections at 256 kbs, or even 500-600, might have problems with an 83% signal rate.
It also quite apparent to me that antennas make a significant difference, compared to notebook PC cards or internal wi-fi cards in notebooks. The antenna isn't more than about three inches tall on the USB adapter, yet that little antenna makes a big difference, compared to the notebook PC card, which barely sticks out of the Cardbus slot.
You can buy third-party antennas for wi-fi networks. There are many places to buy these antennas, and there are a lot of different types of antennas you can buy. You can buy rather short antennas (a couple-three feet), you can buy longer antennas (6-12 feet), you can buy roof-top antennas, you can buy directional antennas (antennas dedicated to sending a signal in one particular direction, as opposed to the other, "omni-directional" antennas, which are default on access points and adapters).
I read PC Magazine, as well as several other prominent computer magazines, and they generally agree that internal wi-fi cards in notebook computers do not perform nearly as well as external PC cards or USB adapters. It also matters which brand of computer you buy. I've seen benchmark tests run by PC Magazine over the past couple of years, and HP is almost always ranked near the bottom, in terms of performance, so I suspect that is why I'm having problems getting decent signals with my Compaq notebook. You can probably access these benchmark tests if you register for a free account at pcmag.com. If not, maybe go to your local library and look through copies of PC Magazine for those tests.
All in all, though, I'm not sure if I would buy this signal booster, now knowing what it can apparently do, if I wanted to enhance the roaming abilities within my home. That was the point of buying this signal booster. The other option is to put access points around the house, but that gets expensive and it can be a real pain to set up access points around the house. If you want the best results, you'll need to hard-wire the access points, as opposed to putting them in "bridge mode," which means that the access points would simply try to draw the signal wirelessly from the router/access point, and make it dedicated to the room where the new access point is located. Hard-wiring access points, to me, rather defeats the purpose of having a wireless network. After all, if you're going to hard-wire rooms for access points, why not make the hard-wire connection conveniently located in the room so that you can plug in whatever device and go ahead? Well, having an access point in any room is very handy, however, as then you can use it for a Tivo, a Replay, another network device, and a laptop, all in the same room.
It can be complicated to configure your wireless network the way you really want it. All in all, I'm satisfied with our home network. This is partly due to our original infrastructure, as it was formerly a hard-wired network. We still connect four devices by Ethernet, which runs to three rooms in the house. Still, I'm thinking about routing more Ethernet into other rooms and placing access points. I'm just not sure how much we're going to use them, so I'm holding off.
...
Before I conclude, I'd like to digress from the main point of this review to that of the wireless standards. I'd like to comment a bit about the different wi-fi standards out there and how they might best suit those who are looking to set up wi-fi networks.
The trend right now is for people to go with the 'g' standard. That's 802.11g. The original wi-fi standard is the 'b' standard - 802.11b. There's also the 'a' standard - 802.11a. The 'b' and 'g' standards are broadcast over the 2.4 gigahertz spectrum band, while the 'a' standard is broadcast over the 5.7 gigahertz spectrum band.
The problem with the 'g' standard is that if you have any 'b' standard products on the 'g' network, the 'g' network will slow to the 'b' standard capabilities. The 'g' standard is capable of 54 mbs speeds, while the 'b' standard is capable of only 11 mbs. Now, I don't think there is a material advantage to having that extra speed, by jumping up to the 'g' standard. For one thing, it won't help your broadband connection. For another, how often does the typical consumer move files around the home? For most people, the wi-fi network is in place to share Internet connections. The only benefit I see, in going with the 'g' standard, is that you gain headroom in losing signal rates. That is, if your signal is only 50%, you're still drawing enough of a connection to get your full broadband Internet connection. And by the way, actual speeds of these standards are around 2-4 mbs for the 'b' standard and somewhere around 11 mbs for the 'g' standard (the rest is overhead for broadcasting, signal interference with other radio waves, etc.).
Finally, the 'a' standard. The 'a' standard is also capable of 54 mbs per second, and if you really want that speed, I would go with the 'a' standard. Although you won't be able to use any 'b' standard products with it, you won't have to worry about the whole network slowing to 'b' standard speeds. This is what I don't get - the industry is endorsing the 'g' standard for everybody, yet by FAR, most devices in use today are of the 'b' standard. With all these 'b' standard devices out there, and with most public hotspots setup with the 'b' standard, what good are 'g' devices? They're going to slow to 'b' standard speeds anyhow. It's a waste of money and it was a poor design of the standard, if you ask me. You can get 'b' standard devices for around 60% of the price of 'g' standard devices, and you'll get about the same functionality. Unless you go with the 'a' standard, I would just stick with the 'b' standard until a new standard comes out that is much more capable and fuller of advantages. New wi-fi standards are in the making, and in fact at least one of them will emerge sometime over the next 18 months. Chances are, a new standard or new standards will be far superior to the 'g' standard.
That's my take.
...
As for the signal booster, it's a far cheaper alternative than buying several access points and properly installing them throughout your home. It's probably worth the $80 it's going to cost you to at least try it out and see if it makes your roaming abilities better. Chances are, you'll see at least some improvement, and for $80, it's probably worth it.
Check pricegrabber.com and find the Linksys Wireless Signal Booster (WSB24) for around $80, shipped. You can go to Best Buy and get it for $100, but you'd be wasting twenty bucks, and you'll have to drive there to get it.
Yours, brad.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 80
Driver Availability: Windows only
|
|
|
|
Epinions.com ID:
brad
|
 - Top 500 |
|
Member: Brad Engelmann
Location: Helen Township, MN
Reviews written: 161
Trusted by: 94 members
About Me:
brad@engelmann.us (email address)
|
|
|
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.