How to increase wifi speed for laptops

Now, Let me explain the situation.

I am having a query regarding Wi-Fi network. I am having PC & laptop.

I requested my Wi-Fi providers that I want connection in my PC. So that - Wi-Fi provider set up an Antenna on my building Terrace - They joined a cable to pc & that Antenna. ( I think using RJ45 connector ) - The reason behind this - my does not have a built in Wi-Fi adapter.

Now - almost laptops have built in Wi-Fi. Now - On terrace there is Wi-Fi with superb speed. But on my flat - Wi-fi comes with low speed.

So, when ever I use internet on my pc - it has great speed - but my laptop works with low speed.

The reason behind this - PC is catching wifi from terrace & laptop is catching the wifi from it's own place.

Now, My question is something like this.

Can we place an antenna or something like that & connect it to laptop for better wifi speed? ( I am not technical person - Please add comment for down vote - if any ) ( Please add comment for more explanation of my Problem )

Thanks in advance for sharing your knowledge.

Sagar

Sagar R. Kothari

Posted 2010-03-19T04:55:48.527

Reputation: 4 267

Identical duplicate of http://superuser.com/questions/121646/wifi-as-lan-is-it-possible-how

– Benjamin Bannier – 2010-03-19T04:59:05.100

@honk: I tagged the other one as a duplicated and already edited this one. – Josh K – 2010-03-19T05:06:14.227

Answers

What you're looking for is an external Wi-Fi Antenna.

Directional Antennas WiFi Yagi Antenna ----- Directional antennas are used for Point-to-Point or sometimes for Multi-Point systems depending on the setup. If you are trying to go from one location (say for instance your router), to another location, this is the type of antenna we recommend. Directional antennas are Backfires, Yagi, Panel and dish type antennas.

Omni-Directional ---- This is the common “Base” antenna used for Point-to-Multi-Point or can be an omni-directional antenna for your car. An Omni-Directional antenna would serve as your main antenna to distribute the signal to other computers or devices (such as wireless printers, PDAs, etc) in your workgroup. You can use 2 Omni-Directional antennas for a point to point system, but this is usually not recommended because there is no real point to distributing your signal all over the place when you only want to going from point A to point B. Please refer to Directional antennas above. Typical Omni-Directional WiFi antennas consist of Vertical Omnis, Ceiling Domes, Rubber ducks, Small Desktops and Mobile vertical antennas.

Point-to-Point ----- Point-to-Point systems usually involve 2 different wireless points, or building to building wireless connections. But there are exceptions to every rule. If the access point is across a long valley and the owner of the system wishes to share the connection with multiple users on the other side of the valley. This would be a point to Multi-Point system but using directional antennas.

From Selecting a Wi-Fi Antenna.

There are also people who have modified their computer to accept coaxial type connections for the purpose of increasing the range of their Wi-Fi cards.

Josh K

Posted 2010-03-19T04:55:48.527

Reputation: 11 754

From my understanding, you want to utilize the cable connection the desktop is receiving to provide wireless access for your laptop? easy enough.

You can buy a basic wireless router with LAN ports, then put the cable connection that is currently in your PC into the router's WAN port. Connect your desktop to one of the LAN ports, and use the router's wireless capabilities for your laptop. Your laptop will now pick up another connection, the one your router is broadcasting. Make sure you give it a recognizable SSID so you know which network you're connecting to.

John T

Posted 2010-03-19T04:55:48.527

Reputation: 149 037

Yes ! Router is the solution - I know. The other solution can be "Just plug that antenna cable to my laptop" - But the thing is Can we go by an antenna some where connected to laptop to increase my laptop wifi speed? ( sorry for being ridiculous ) – Sagar R. Kothari – 2010-03-19T05:15:48.493

I thought he was asking how to use the same antenna. – Josh K – 2010-03-19T05:17:08.990

Your laptops speed or it's range? Remember, these are 2 completely different things. If it can't pick up a specific faster connection, it's probably out of range. If it's using the same connection as the desktop, but receiving slower speeds, there could be various problems. Wireless by nature will have lower speeds than wired. There is more overhead to process in an RTS/CTS environment. Wireless communications use a different access method called CSMA/CA to try and avoid collisions. – John T – 2010-03-19T05:20:00.183

My original answer dealt with an external USB wireless adapter which may be what you're after: http://www.linksysbycisco.com/US/en/products/WUSB54G Although after rereading the question I thought otherwise.

– John T – 2010-03-19T05:23:29.520

I've had issues (speed wise) when connecting to networks that are farther away. I assumed this was the case here, he's connected to the network but it's an unreliable one. – Josh K – 2010-03-19T05:40:20.727

Several makers have/had PCCard WiFi adapters that accept an external antenna. Buffalo AirStation 54Mbps Card was one. There are plenty of hacks online as well.

Dave M

Posted 2010-03-19T04:55:48.527

Reputation: 12 811