Hi all.

I have been experiencing poor connectivity with the router at home since getting back from uni. Some days it will be connected perfectly all day and others it will drop and not connect or drop and reconnect temporarily for a few hours. When its first connects i get very good signal strength but still at random i could drop, wether just watching something on youtube, gaming or just ideling.

I tried changing the channel as there are a few wifi signals inthe area

Setup:

Belkin G 802.11g USB adapter
Netgear DG834G (supplied by ISP SkyBB)
Distance from router to USB aprox 5-7metres

I have tried alsorts, complained to sky so many times now it ridiculous thinking it could be the cheap router, moving the USB to various locations, changing Wifi channel.

So if any one has any suggestions to maybe remedy the random drops or suggest a new peice of equipment i woudl greatfully appreciate it. I was also looking at MIMO-N recievers to see if this helps but i am uncertain which brand to go for was looking at Netgear and belkin but they are quite pricey also found a Linksys USB but the reviews are quite dim.
http://www.ebuyer.com/product/126592

Many many thanks.

Seems odd that you are getting such poor results so close to the router despite changing channels. Did you choose one sufficiently far from the strongest neighbouring wifi.

Personally I don't trust USB and if laptop I would get PCMCIA (aka PC card) or if desktop go PCI.

Not much point in going MIMO or N as the Netgear DG834GT is 802.11G.

Incidentally, it's not a bad router -- I use one in an amazingly wireless-busy neighbourhood and it's one floor down and at least 40 feet from the wireless adapter (which is Netgear WG311 PCI usually, though currently a cheap Dynamode PCI adapter).

Also try changing the angle of the antenna on the router and moving the USB wireless adapter using a USB extension cord (usally provided).

thanks for the replies fihart. I have been messing about little more with the adapter, it seems to improve the signal if i leave it dangling over my desk via USB extension . And i just realised teh router is a DG934 not 834 but there almost indentical. It dosent have any antennea though. and i'll look into buying a PCI adapter .
Im still looking at getting a new router for when i go back to uni so if anyone could suggest a good model it would be greatfully appreciated

i have seen a plexus W302R which is perfect for my budget but wether its a good router or not im not entirley sure. Thanks for the help.

With the Sky DG934 your options are limited by the internal antenna but changing the angle of the router may help reception.

As for a new router, presumably not for Sky as there are problems with using non-Sky models.

Almost any router will do, they all work and many use the same chipsets. Brand name versus no-name comes down to support -- choose Netgear, Linksys, Dlink and you can count on lasting on-line support and firmware updates.