Tightwad lesson #1,293

Sometimes inexpensive stuff just costs too much   Got a great deal on an Asante wireless 802.11-g router. Works just fine (although I found the configuration software made it difficult to block specific ports—warning sign #1... firmware upgrade helped).  Backward compatible with 802.11-b, so tried it out on a computer downstairs (router upstairs, roughly 15' above the downstairs computer) with an 802.11-b adapter that had worked in the past. No joy.  Apparently signal strength issues.  Can probably fix that with this, but hey! That's a significantly more than the router cost to begin with!   If I can't come up with a better solution, when my daughter comes to visit she's just going to have to   1.) Sit in my office (a couple of feet from the router) and use her lil notebook there 2.) Sit where I can reach her with an ethernet cable or 3.) Use one of the other computers   to connect to the internet, check mail, etc.   The last option is not cool.  Sure, she can use a USB drive to transfer files, but sneakernet is just so uncool compared to the real thing.   *sigh*   Sometimes cheaper (even from a good company) just is not less expensive.   Lesson re-learned... I hope.   Still, even if I have to get the hi-gain antenna, it will have been a relatively inexpensive solution,  overall.