Need help with wireless, please!

So I posted a few weeks back and got help, so I figure maybe I can get some more...

Okay. We've got a two-story house, both computers are on the main floor, on opposite ends of the house. The main computer (an older Dell, running XP-SP2) is in the dining room, which is also where our Modem/Router are set up, and the comp is connected via wired connection.

The second computer is in my bedroom, with a few walls between it/the router. It is a brand new Dell destop XPS running Windows 7 Premium. I want internet on this computer.

Our ISP is Century Link. We called them and they originally sent us a Westell 7500 Model router, which, using this: Newegg.com - Rosewill RNX-EasyN1 IEEE 802.11b/g/n USB 2.0 Wireless-N 4.0 Dongle (1T1R) Up to 150Mbps Data Rates WPA/WPA2 (AES, 64,128-WEP with shared-key authentication) WPS PIN, PBC (Hardware WPS Button) QoS-WMM (recommended to me by someone on this site) picked up 0 to 1 bar in my bedroom with a connection that kept dropping every few minutes (I couldn't even activate my anti-virus software).

I didn't figure it was the Rosewill adapter because a test with my Kindle device picked up only 1 bar on the Westell network as well.

So we bought another router. Now, running a Belkin High-performance N wireless router, my Kindle/Rosewill picked up 2 bars in my bedroom; the connection was no longer blinking on/off, but any browser run crawled along slower than a dial-up connection and I -still- couldn't activate my anti-virus software (though i did get farther than the first time)

I'm sitting here, pulling out my hair. I don't know if my new Dell is in the middle of a dead spot or what? I'm a writer; I need the computer in my room because my family = freaking LOUD, 6-10 people in my house at one time and writing in the kitchen does not work. The desk is massive and cannot be moved to another place in my room as my room is small and we had to do a lot of moving of furniture to get it to fit there in the first place. And I need to be able to email stuff--I didn't spend 1000+ bucks to have a computer setup that's only good for writing.

What are my options? We really have our two computers in the only spots they fit in, else we would've moved them already, and our house is older and really not set up well.

Is there any way to 'lengthen/strengthen' our wireless signal so that I get a better signal in my room? Do we need to try a different router? Is there a certain type that's better than everything else out there?

I found this: Amazon.com: Hawking HWREN1 Hi-Gain Wireless-300N Range Extender: Electronics on Amazon. Would something like this even work, or is it a waste of money/time?

Or should we figure out a way to run a giant ethernet cable from one side of the house to the other and run a wired connection, because I'm seriously nearly fed up with wireless. I'm not at all technologically-smart and this is beginning to stress me out majorly.

Thanks in advance!
-kodi

We I could possibly move it to the living room, or perhaps the garage? (It wouldn't have so many walls to go through that way?) -- but we'd have to run the wires through the ceiling. Do they sell longer ethernet cables/how much do they typically cost?

What kind of wireless security encryption are you using- WPA2, WPA, WEP? Try running the wireless unsecured to see if that makes a speed difference- ya, ya i know, just as a test. Also try switching between different protocols.

It can also be a driver issue. Check to see you have the latest drivers.

You could try getting a wireless N card for the old Dell and then site the modem/router closer to your other room. If you put too long a cable on your XP machine you will end up with similar problems on it which is why I suggest wireless networking.

wilywombat said:

You could try getting a wireless N card for the old Dell and then site the modem/router closer to your other room. If you put too long a cable on your XP machine you will end up with similar problems on it which is why I suggest wireless networking.

So run both new and old Dell wirelessly and use no cables?

Can you explain to me how I'd do that?

In general terms you fit the new wireless card to the old Dell and follow the setup procedure for the card. I would recommend that you disconnect your cable to the router first so that you system doesn't get "confused" as to the way it should connect to the network. Once you have got the old Dell wirelssly networked, you can then move your router to the alternative location.

p.s Don't forget to setup your wireless security (should be WPA2)