I have a Linksys broadband router, model WRT54G Version 5 and I'm wondering why my laptop, which uses a cardbus adapter card pick's up the signal 5 feet away but not any farther. Is the problem the card or the old router?
the wrt54g's are some of the most reliable and user friendly routers on the market. you can flash them with the DD-WRT firmware to adjust the power output and actually increase the functionality of them, or put on a set of larger external antennas to increase the range. If you're having problems at 5' away, try picking up a cheap key-chain type wifi detector to see if it recognizes the signal anywhere else in your house. it may be likely that your pcmcia wireless card is not functioning correctly as well. unless you have another wifi connected device like a laptop, wifi enable phone, or wireless enable console, there isn't an easy way to determine the actual cause of the problem.
generally, routers have a higher power output than your wireless cards do, so your laptop should be able to see your router, even if it cannot connect to it.
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