Wireless Issues: Suggestions?

Posted:
in General Discussion edited January 2014
I've never gotten good reception on my MacBook Pro. My husband can be sitting right next to me on the couch with his non-Mac laptop and gets at least twice the signal that I do. What are my options for strengthening my wireless abilities without altering router?

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 10
    mydomydo Posts: 1,888member
    Yea. My wifes Macbook kicks my MBP ass. I've looked for upgrades and never found one. You'll have to live with it unless you upgrade the wireless router.
  • Reply 2 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by mydo View Post


    Yea. My wifes Macbook kicks my MBP ass. I've looked for upgrades and never found one. You'll have to live with it unless you upgrade the wireless router.



    have you heard anything about these products: http://www.quickertek.com/



    i've been looking at that, but can't really find any reviews on them....so i don't know if i should drop the money on it, or what
  • Reply 3 of 10
    mydomydo Posts: 1,888member
    That's just adding another wireless card to your computer. Which I wouldn't bother with personally.





    It doesn't sound like you're suffering much from it anyway. Who is to say that his bars are the same as your bars?
  • Reply 4 of 10
    Well, our wireless signal has good days and bad days. We're...sort of borrowing an open wireless signal from somewhere in our neighborhood...so the signal is unreliable at best (for me anyway - my husband seems to always have a strong signal while I constantly drop it).



    So...yeah. I'm looking for something that'll make that better. lol
  • Reply 5 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JuneBerry View Post


    Well, our wireless signal has good days and bad days. We're...sort of borrowing an open wireless signal from somewhere in our neighborhood...so the signal is unreliable at best (for me anyway - my husband seems to always have a strong signal while I constantly drop it).



    So...yeah. I'm looking for something that'll make that better. lol



    How about paying for your own connection?



    Ok in the short term fine but it sounds like you are doing this long term. Do you pay your neighbor a portion of their bill? If not then this 'borrowing' is actually stealing. You are using a service you are not paying for.



    Once you get your own connection, I'm sure your signal will be fine.
  • Reply 6 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    How about paying for your own connection?



    Ok in the short term fine but it sounds like you are doing this long term. Do you pay your neighbor a portion of their bill? If not then this 'borrowing' is actually stealing. You are using a service you are not paying for.



    Once you get your own connection, I'm sure your signal will be fine.



    Actually I've done the research, and as long as I don't hack a password-protected signal, then it's free game and not in the least bit illegal.
  • Reply 7 of 10
    MarvinMarvin Posts: 15,309moderator
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JuneBerry View Post


    Actually I've done the research, and as long as I don't hack a password-protected signal, then it's free game and not in the least bit illegal.



    Doesn't really matter if it's legal, it's unethical and it doesn't say much for you as a person when you call it 'free game'. Most likely it's people who don't know how to encrypt a signal or leave it unencrypted because it's less hassle to connect mobile devices. It is most likely not that they don't care about people stealing their bandwidth, which they have to work to pay for.



    If someone leaves a mobile phone lying around by accident with a full contract they are paying for, do you see it as 'free game' so you can make as many free calls as you want?
  • Reply 8 of 10
    areseearesee Posts: 776member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by JuneBerry View Post


    Actually I've done the research, and as long as I don't hack a password-protected signal, then it's free game and not in the least bit illegal.



    Not in Michigan. (see http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=1640) and there was a case in Florida a couple of years ago.



    The War Driving community and most wifi users would agree with you that it legal to piggy back on someone else's unsecured signal. But the legal community is saying other wise. They see this high-jacking of someone's network as being no different from hacking into a computer.



    Marvin is right in bring up the ethics of using an unsecured wifi signal. The consensus as I can see, is that unless the owner explicitly invites you onto the network you should stay off.
  • Reply 9 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by aresee View Post


    Not in Michigan. (see http://blogs.zdnet.com/ip-telephony/?p=1640) and there was a case in Florida a couple of years ago.



    The War Driving community and most wifi users would agree with you that it legal to piggy back on someone else's unsecured signal. But the legal community is saying other wise. They see this high-jacking of someone's network as being no different from hacking into a computer.



    Marvin is right in bring up the ethics of using an unsecured wifi signal. The consensus as I can see, is that unless the owner explicitly invites you onto the network you should stay off.



    Good thing I dont' live in Michigen then.



    If somebody doesn't want other people using their signal they should protect it. The end.



    And unless you're going to help me with my problem, I'd prefer you didn't post.
  • Reply 10 of 10
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by Marvin View Post


    If someone leaves a mobile phone lying around by accident with a full contract they are paying for, do you see it as 'free game' so you can make as many free calls as you want?



    No, but they shouldn't be surprised when it goes missing either. Most wireless routers ask if you want to put a password on your signal when you set it up. Ignorance isn't a good enough excuse for me.



    Also, I didn't come here to talk ethics with you. If you're not going to help me boost my wireless reception, don't bother posting.
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