Tom,
There are a few options - 
You may be able to hardwire your router closer to your workshop, depending on your provider cabling.  You could hardwire a second router closer to your workshop, give it a different id and password than the primary router and you can selectively connect to it.  Even another 15 feet or so might be enough to boost the signal.   Cisco-Linksys might have an auxiliary/larger antenna available that would fit your existing router.  I've seen them for other brands.   There are also external wireless cards available.  See: http://compnetworking.about.com/od/hardwarenetworkgear/ss/wirelessadapter_3.htm  You could add maybe 10 feet of usb cable from your workshop to one of these, or maybe the antenna by itself would be more powerful than your existing Netgear wireless card.
Paul Hachmeyer

-----Original Message-----
From: Personal Computer Hardware discussion List [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tom Waddell
Sent: Friday, March 11, 2011 3:02 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [PCBUILD] Extending wireless range

I have a computer in my workshop, about 50 feet in a straight line from the home desktop router. In a straight line the signal would have to pass through a house wall, a mudroom wall and a garage wall, all insulated but none with foil backed insulation. The signal strength is always "very low" and often drops out completely. How can I improve the signal so I can listen to on line content while I work?

Router:
Cisco-Linksys E2000 wireless N router

Home Computer:
AMD 3+ GHz dual core prosessor, 6 GB RAM, Win 7.

Workshop Computer:
3 GHz P4 processor, 2 GB ram, Win XP, Netgear wireless G card

I can hardwire but distance around walls would be about 100+ feet, some of it outside. 

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