From: noone@invalid.invalid.com   
      
   Winston wrote:   
      
   > I previously replied with suggestions that began:   
   > >> If the router has more than 1 antenna [...]   
   > >> The antenna on your adapter [...]   
   >   
   > to which "Yes"  replied:   
   > > There's no external antenna on the router that I can see.  It's a   
   > > Gateway router   
   >   
   > [If you feel like posting the model number, it'll be easy to see   
   > whether  it's supposed to have an antenna, etc.]   
   >   
   > >                provided by AT&T as an enticement when I originally   
   > > switched from DSL to their internet service (about 4 or 5 years   
   > > ago).  I have it sitting horizontally but it can be placed in an   
   > > upright position.   
   >   
   > [You might try that, just to see if it makes any difference.]   
   >   
   > Look on the back of your router.  Is there a screw-on connector where   
   > an antenna is supposed to be attached?  If you've lost the antenna,   
   > you can buy one fairly cheap: search for "replacement wireless router   
   > antenna".   
   >   
   > Lots of routers have removable external antennas.  Some have internal   
   > antennas.  I don't know of any (intended to have any decent range)   
   > that have no antenna.  The main ones with internal antennas that I   
   > see are the tall, cylindrical shape routers, although there are   
   > routers like the TP-Link TL-WR840N that have internal antennas and   
   > sit horizontally.   
   >   
   >   
   > [In a separate article, you said your adapter was an Edimax   
   > "nano"-style unit]   
   >   
   > If there's no antenna at either end, I'd expect the distance at which   
   > you can get any connection at all to be limited, and the connection   
   > speed to drop off rapidly with distance.   
   >   
   > If all else fails, there are lots of Wireless nano USB adapters, some   
   > with antennas and some without, for under $10 at both Newegg.com and   
   > Walmart.com, among other places.   
   >  -WBE   
      
   Unable to answer your question about the router.  It was provided to   
   entice switching to AT&T internet service.  AT&T chose it, not me; for   
   all intents and purposes, it's a black box to me.  AT&T was pretty   
   closed mouth about it.  I know where and how to change aspects of its   
   operation, but not the manufacturer.  It has no discernible antenna.   
   Both the Ethernet ports and the wi-fi component work.  I have a Roku tv   
   that uses the wi-fi signal.  It is situated next to the spot where I   
   plan to put the pc .  I have not noticed wi-fi reception problems on   
   the tv.   
      
   Getting another USB adapter is not in the cards until I feel   
   comfortable understanding the wi-fi tech and can make a more informed   
   choice.  I'm getting there but not yet.   
      
   Anything that goes on the pc must be supported by the manufacturer to   
   work with a Linux/Ubuntu 16.04 LTS O/S.  The adapter I have is the   
   second one I've gotten for this pc.  Regarding the first one I bought,   
   I found quite a few posts from users who got that make and model to run   
   under linux and Ubuntu; the posts described how they got it working.   
   Sadly, I discovered that they didn't work, and I'm still too new to   
   programming and the linux and Ubuntu environment to implement the steps   
   they took.  I chose the Edimax because users and the company both   
   confirmed it was explicitly supported for Linux.  That was a good   
   decision on my part because it worked straight out of the box with no   
   special tweaking needed on my part.   
      
   I think I mentioned it, but just to set things straight.  The Edimax   
   adapter works albeit not to my satisfaction.  It's a small dongle that   
   fits into the USB port.  It has no place to attach an external antenna.   
   When I first used it with the pc in the spot where it will be   
   "permanently" situated near the tv, the linux command reported signal   
   strength was 48%.  Some users reported a problem with disconnects,   
   which is what I was experiencing.  I moved the pc to a spot next to my   
   router for more testing.  The linux command reported that signal   
   strength is now 100%.  The frequency of disconnects has dropped to   
   practically zero.  The video streams perform comparably with those on   
   my main pc which is connected to the router via wired Ethernet.   
      
   The intent of my original post was to learn what things I should   
   consider and be aware of when I read manufacturers' ads and technical   
   specs in order to select equipment.  I've only been more serious   
   learning about wi-fi since I built the pc within the last month or so.   
   It's unknown territory to me, and definitely a lot of new verbage and   
   concepts to juggle.  I'm starting to get to the point that I can narrow   
   down what I need to know in order to evaluate how I might connect the   
   router and the pc and what to watch out for.   
      
   John   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)