PC help: Improve wireless reception

Q I recently installed a Netgear wireless router. I then found I was getting poor to zero signal reception via the wireless USB adapter in my PC. I live in an old house with stone walls, and there are several rooms between the router and the computer.

In an effort to improve reception, I bought the Netgear WGXB102 Ranger Extender, but the signal is still not reliable. The wireless network will need to grow when my children get their own computers.
Ian Pettigrew

A Thick walls are very good at blocking wireless signals, and it’s not just wireless networking, Dect phones are affected as well. Installing networking cable is the ideal solution from the point of view of the network but not necessarily for the look of the house, or your wallet.

A good alternative is to use Homeplug devices to connect the computers together, as these use the mains wiring in the house. The signals are blocked at the meter so other people can’t listen in or use your broadband connection. If wireless is important, there are Homeplug wireless access points that will give wireless access within a room.