High gain WiFi antenna advice sought please

Hi,
Please can somebody help me find a high-gain wireless antenna which will help my laptop receive a slightly higher signal from a nearby wireless source?

It does not have an SMA socket.

Maplin have an excellent DISH but here's the problem...I am running Windows 7.
There are no Windows 7 drivers for the device (I have searched high and low) and it does not work with XP/Vista drivers.

Please can I have suggestions - other than bin Windows 7 ?

Thank you for your help

http://www.hawkingtech.com/support/details.php?CatID...

Vista follow the links it should then work on 7

Edited by deleted (Fri 14-Aug-09 20:00:39)

try edimax ew-7318usg
works with win7 (vista driver) and has external rp-sma

mine came from morgans, but I dont think they list them now.

or move/ put a different antenna on the 'wireless source'

Firstly let me thank you both and tell you that I am actually in a tent on a campsite trying to utilise their WiFi
There is nothing wrong with the network as I am able to connect at times but the signal is so weak that I am having the problems outlined in my previous post.

The USB adaptor with the SMA connector could be useful but I wonder how much better signal I would achieve with the standard whip antenna compared to the laptop's internal antenna?
However thank you very much for the heads-up as this certainly seems a viable alternative.

My preference though, would be with the dish as this appears to give a fair amount of gain over other antennas.
The issue is with drivers.
I have tried the XP AND Vista drivers but to no avail ( so I believe).
When I use the Vista drivers, the dish 'network adaptor' DOES appear correctly in Device Manager.
However, I do not appear to be able to receive ANY signal whatsoever through it (unless something is configured wrong in Windows) and also the dish indicates a FULL signal strength at all times (no matter where it is pointed) on its 5 LED indicator (number 5 - max strength is illuminated).
I have disabled the internal wireless network adaptor to avoid any confusion. However I simply cannot get a signal to appear on "connection 2" which is the Dish network adaptor.

Any ideas please?

Adendum to previous post.......

It may be that I didn't reorder the priority in "Manage wireless networks" and that the laptop was looking for a connection on the internal adaptor (which I had disabled) before it looked at the Dish's adaptor.
Could this be the problem?

If so how could it be explained that the Dish's LED indicators were displaying a Maximum signal strength in ALL direction?

Had a similar issue with campsite wifi, I gave up this year and went mobile BB a huge improvement in my location.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Adendum to previous post.......

It may be that I didn't reorder the priority in "Manage wireless networks" and that the laptop was looking for a connection on the internal adaptor (which I had disabled) before it looked at the Dish's adaptor.
Could this be the problem?

If so how could it be explained that the Dish's LED indicators were displaying a Maximum signal strength in ALL direction?

Hi, from within your tent, use Windows (WZC) Wireless Zero Configuration service (or whatever the equivalent in Windows 7) to help you locate the problem and to manage your wireless network, a fantastic programme supplied with windows XP and Vista.

For Windows XP.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870702

http://www.home-network-help.com/wireless-zero-confi...
------------------

For Windows Vista.

http://www.home-network-help.com/wlan-autoconfig.html

http://www.home-network-help.com/wireless-adapter-co...

I bought an Alfa adapter and extra aerial. To be honest, I don't really think you need the extra aerial, the adapter by itself worked very well. It picks up distant WiFi spots.

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-indoorantenna-omni...

http://wifi-warehouse.com/index.php?act=viewProd&pro...

Tincan.

Tin can cut open can do wonders