Mini-review: DLink Omni-Directional 7dBi Indoor Antenna

As promised, here's my mini review of the DLink Omni-Directional 7dBi Indoor Antenna, mentioned in my previous blog entry.

I had wireless connectivity issues with my living room desktop--connected to my Linksys WRT54G router via a Zonet(?) Wireless PCI card--and figured, for ~$5 after rebate and Google Checkout, I would give this item a try. The antenna is impressively large, much larger than the pathetic antenna that came with my PCI card. The base is magnetic, which, I suppose, has its uses; just keep the base away from any electronics.

Hooking up the antenna + base to my PCI card, I went from a weak, 2-3 bar, 24-36Mbps connection, to a very stable 5 bar, 54Mbps connection. Part of the reason for this, though, may be due to the fact that the base allows me to extend the antenna away from the computer and allow the antenna a better line of sight to the router. To test this theory, I attached the antenna included with the PCI card to the Dlink base, and got about a 4-5 bar signal strength.

I then tried replacing one of the antennae on my WRT54G with this Dlink antenna. I had certain "dead" spots in my house, most notably in the far corners of the living room, as well as the master bedroom. I ran a crude experiment using my sister's Dell Axim X51, measuring the signal strength in a number of areas. I noticed an improvement of 1-2 bars of signal strength in most of the areas I tested, as well as a weak signal in the "dead" spots. Also, in all the bedrooms, I noticed a more stable, less flaky, internet connection.

For ~$5, I really can't complain, but I'm quite satisfied with the performance of this product.

In other news, my laptop is continuing to act up here at my parents' place. The darn thing has restarted by itself four times, and BSOD'ed twice, in the past hour. I'm still not sure what is causing the problem in this house, and what's really strange is the fact that I was able to use the laptop just fine in the living room for several hours earlier today...

No random thoughts today, as I am still trying to diagnose my laptop's problem.