On 28 Mar 2006 at 18:51, Paul A. Shippert wrote:

> I am a bit surprised that you could pick up a wireless signal at 1000
> feet. My guess is that your laptop NIC is not a G, but maybe a B or A
> wireless adapter. It is my understanding (and I could certainly be
> wrong) that the G standard (whether wired or wireless) only has
> approximately half of the effective range of regular ethernet or
> wireless B or A networking, due to the compression scheme used to
> increase the transmission speed.  It may be necessary to add more
> repeaters between the signal source and the intended destination, in
> order for wireless G receivers to get a signal.  Hopefully more
> members can correct any mistaken conclusions I've made and provide
> some more wisdom. 
> 
> Paul A. Shippert

  The 802.11g standard includes a variety of data rates using different 
modulation schemes; lower data rates are able to carry for longer distances 
or cope with noisier airwaves.
  The modulation schemes G uses for rates of 11 Mbps and below are precisely 
those used for 802.11b.  So although G offers much better data rates at 
short distances under good conditions, its long range performance is exactly 
the same as B.  And, unless specifically excluded, B devices can 
interoperate with G devices and services.
  (A offers similar rate/range performance to G, but because of its higher 
frequency it uses more power to achieve that, and A gear is typically more 
expensive than G.)

  I believe the current record for a B signal, using directional antennas 
under optimal conditions, is about 25 miles.  I routinely see usable signals 
at about 1000 feet.

David Gillett

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