Using a USB adapter w/SMA antenna

[JH32552]

Good Morning..... total Newb here that needs help.

I am wirelessly networked with my neighbor who lives about 250 to 300 feet away. We are using a Belkin G+ MIMO router with a "perfect" range of 1000 ft. Now that the leaves are coming out, my signal is dwindling. I purchased, on eBay, a USB adapter with a SMA connector and a 23db antenna. I installed the adapter last night, but my internal wifi card keeps connecting and I am having a problem choosing the USB connection. Both connections give the same connection name, and I am also having a problem figuring out which is which. Is there a way to disable my internal wifi card? I tried turning off the switch for wifi on my Toshiba L355D-S7815 laptop to no avail. Has anyone used one of these adapters, and if so, how did you connect?

I'm so Confusssssssssed! UGH!

any help would be appreciated 🙂
Jackie

 

[Guest]

Go into Control Panel, Hardware, Device Manager and disable the inbuilt wireless adapter there.

You may have to delete the existing connection from Windows Network Settings before installing the USB device.

If none of this works, you may have to physically remove the laptop's wireless adapter -- tricky with static issues even if it's a standard mini-PCI or similar device -- and be very careful to unhook the antenna wire (if indeed it will).

 

[JH32552]

I am running Vista. If I disable the internal wifi adapter, will I be able to enable it again via the device manager? The option to disable is there, but will it change to enable afterwards?????

Thanks!

 

[Guest]

I don't use Vista but I'm pretty sure it will allow you to re-enable later.

In theory you should be able to use any number of different devices together -- but wireless may be an exception because it pulls a lot of current -- also causes and is subject to, interference.

So I would remove the USB device before re-enabling the internal and certainly avoid having two wireless devices running at the same time.

 

[JH32552]

Thanks fihart, and yes, it will allow me to re-enable the internal adapter.

Now, if you or anyone else knows why my desk top computer gets a better signal wirelessly than my laptop in the same spot with the same USB adapter. The desktop is XP and the laptop is using Vista.

Thanks so much!
Jackie