Why? A standard Wireless-G network adapter can communicate at 54mbps under ideal conditions. An older Wireless-B adapter can communicate at a maximum of 11mbps. But most broadband Internet connections are much slower than either one- DSL and cable speeds are usually between 1-3mbps, well below the maximum speed of even the slower Wireless-B technology.

So even if your current speed is 25% to 50% of what the router can support, it’s still faster than your link to the Internet. Having a faster wireless connection would only matter for doing stuff on your local network, like copying big files between your own computers.

Now if your signal is fading in & out entirely, a range booster might make a big difference in performance, but from personal experience I’ve found them to be a little flaky.

As the previous poster explained, features like Rangemax (from Netgear) & Speedbooster (from Linksys) only work if devices at both ends support it. So getting a Speedbooster wireless adapter does nothing when connecting to a non-Speedbooster router.

Check your signal strength from your wireless adapter software- if the signal is good to excellent, there’s no need to get a range expander, you’re probably limited by the speed of your connection to your ISP.

If the signal is poor, then you could consider a range expander or even better, use powerline adapters instead of a wireless connection. Those allow you to connect your router and computer using the standard electrical outlets in your house, and regular CAT5 network cables. With those, you have no issues with signal strength, wireless interference from cordless phones, microwaves, neighbors etc.

If you do choose a range expander, you’d place it in the middle- somewhere in range of both rooms.

To get a faster wireless connection a Speed Booster router/card will get this done. You need both a Speed Booster router and card to receive any benefit. If you have wireless built into your laptop Speed Booster will have little or not benefit.

A range expander just extends the range of an existing wireless router. If signal is your problem this could help.