On Mon, 4 Apr 2011 11:33:39 -0700 (PDT), Jim K
wrote:

trying to tweak my wifi signal to reliably get to the garage - will
adding a longer aerial (ebay £10) increase the range noticeably? or is
it snake oil?


Not necessarily snake oil but given the length (short) and diameter of
the ele's (chubby) just looking at it one wouldn't expect it to break
any records, and that's been my experience.

OTOH usually from the same suppliers on EBAY a couple of quid dearer
printed arrays of dipoles are available (they are square and usually
have a plastic front shell with a metal back) these give 14 - 18 db of
gain and I've used them to very good effect being equivalent to 2 - 3
11" brick walls.

The long range (high power) usb network adapters also work.

Derek G