[SGVLUG] Cheapest way to extend laptop wifi range?

[Dan Kegel]

(Not sure if the socal wireless users' group is still alive.)

I am one of the happy few to have a time warner hotspot
*right outside my house* (there's a map at
http://www.timewarnercable.com/socal/learn/hso/wifi/ ),
but can only connect from the kitchen, it doesn't reach to
our living room.

I recently noticed that Culver City has free wireless near
Culver and Venice (for coverage map, see
http://www.culvercity.org/en/Government/IT/WiFi/WiFiAccess.aspx )
and could see the ssid, but wasn't able to connect to it.

So I looked around to see what I could do to increase range.
The very cheapest usb wifi adaptor with a connector for an
external antenna and said to work in Linux
is the noname http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002VX0GJY
for $9.   It worked with Ubuntu 12.04 first try (yay!),
but didn't improve my range at all over the laptop's builtin wifi.  Happily,
replacing its included antenna with a real 5dbi antenna
( http://aaxeon.com/products/industrial-wireless/accessories/bluetooth-zigbee-accessories/464
)
I had for a bluetooth card gave me a range boost,
and let me connect to the Time Warner hotspot from my living room.
Dunno yet whether it will let me connect to Culver City's wifi,
I'll check next time I'm over that way.

Total cost, something like $20.
Does anyone have a cheaper solution?
- Dan