Wireless Network Hints and Tips?

I am setting up a home wireless network. So far I have only one wireless connection and the performance is rather marginal. Although the router is only about 10 m away from the wireless adaptor, there is a corridor and a room in between so the signal has to pass through three walls and perhaps for this reason it is weak to the point that connection drops quite frequently.

Things I can think of to try include:

Repositioning the router (although my scope is limited)
Repositioning the wireless adaptor (USB on a 1 m cable)
Changing the wireless channel
Changing the orientation of the router antennae

My problem is that the readout of wireless signal strength fluctuates quite a lot anyway so it is difficult to spot small changes and there are a lot of parameters I can fiddle with whilst I only have limited time. Can anyone tell me or refer me to any hints and tips on improving the performance of my wireless link? I should add that at this stage I am ruling out buying extra equipment. I just want to 'tune' the equipment I have.

Went through all this before giving up and going wired. Started with ( and you need another person to monitor signal strength) moving the router about and moving the aerial - result marginal improvement. Then went for the usb dongle and put a 1 metre extention cable on it - moved it about and you have to be slow and use very small movements. Got a perfect signal by taping the dongle to the wall at a 35 degree angle about a foot above the computer.
Gave up on wireless as kid need to skype girlfriend and I was on a clan practise - I lost and when I investigated found the tape had given way. Go to Cableuniverse and send a fiver on an RJ45 and get peace. You can then forget wireless security as well.

Hi,

Which router?
Which USB Dongle? (These are particularly bad i've noticed ....)

Changing the channel is normally good .. you should jump around in 3's to avoid someone being on the same channel, and indeed on ther adjacent channels.

I wouldn't have thought the walls/room were an issue, more likely the dongle/router combo. - Reason being, I can connect to an unsecured wireless network which is 2 external walls, and 2 internal walls, and across the road away ... mind you, at low strength and 1Mb/s throughput, whereas at my girlfriends, we have 2 internal walls, and a bit of space, and her usb dongle drops constantly.

Give up on wireless and use these - www.homeplugs.co.uk. Easy to install, no security issues and completely hassle free. I had the same problems as you and someone on here suggested using these devices that use your home electricity ring main as a network, allowing you to connect anywhere near a power point.

I see there is a lot of scepticism about wireless. It does seem to be VERY difficult to tell if wireless equipment is working properly. I was trying to connect a laptop yesterday and the internal wireless just could not find the signal from my router in the room I wanted to use. Then I plugged in an external wireless adaptor and this had no trouble at all! Maybe the laptop internal wireless is faulty or just no good' but how on earth can you tell?

Anybody know if you can buy a wireless network calibrator?