I am looking for a signal booster that will play nicely on my laptop which has Vista.

January 16, 2009 5:45 PM

I am looking for a signal booster that will play nicely on my laptop which has Vista. People recommended EnGenius USB Device but from what I gathered on Amazon, it does not work past XP. I basically need something that I can take with my on the go. Intel GMA 4500MHD / Intel Wi-Fi / 10/100 Eth is what came with my laptop. Is there a signal booster compatible with Vista?
posted by cheero to computers & internet (6 answers total)

Boost what signal? Can you clarify what you're looking for? Is it an external antenna to attach to your wifi card?
posted by PueExMachina at 9:11 PM on January 16, 2009

It sounds like you are looking for an external usb WiFi device that will work with XP, and I would guess one that has an external antenna. If you do a search on 'usb xp wifi compatible' you will probably find plenty of devices like this.
posted by zippy at 9:37 PM on January 16, 2009

I like the Alfa USB Wifi Adapter, which I use on my laptop running Vista. It has greater output and more sensitivity than the cheaper USB Wifi Adapters. All I know is, when I use this baby, I get much better connections than with the wireless built into my (Toshiba) laptop. Like, a two-bar connection becomes a four-bar connection. Like, I can connect to signals my laptop can't even detect. It's small enough you can carry it around with you in your laptop bag. You can find it online. Just Google Alfa USB Wifi Adapter. (Disclaimer: Although this may sound to some like a paid promo, I'm really just a very satisfied customer.)
posted by exphysicist345 at 11:36 PM on January 16, 2009

Sorry, I meant Vista in my note above.
posted by zippy at 1:39 AM on January 17, 2009

Is this a wireless reception issue? If so, your integrated wireless has an internal antenna that runs up the monitor's bezel. You cant add anything to this nor can you mount a stronger antenna on there.

What you should do is find a way to move the router closer to you or you towards the router. If you cannot do this then you can try an external wifi adapter with a directional antenna like this hawking. (newegg). It has vista drivers.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:44 AM on January 17, 2009

There are FCC limits to how "boosted" a signal can get. Your options are to either install a hacked firmware (you'll need one for both the router and the wireless card/adapter), shape (focus) the signal (which doesn't help much when your problem is caused by walls & floors), or using a repeater.

Google wireless extender (aka repeater). Newegg sells a lot of different brands. I have the Linksys WRE54G and it works fairly well.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:21 PM on January 17, 2009