best antenna to go through walls?

i am trying to extend my wireless network's range so I can work by the pool in my building ;) Currently I have a WRT54G (running tomato) with the standard antennas and I've been looking for replacement antennas to accomplish this.

Here is a sectional drawing showing my current router location and the patio/pool area I want to reach:'loft section'

Note that this is an old building and the walls are thick. The walls adjoining the hallway are covered in marble on one side, though the front door to each unit is etched glass.

I have no access from my unit to the outside, and I face the opposite way so it probably wouldn't do much good. However there are electrical outlets in the patio area, so FWIW I can plug-in a small range extender when I am out there.

Hawking makes some high-powered directional antennas that are less intrusive-looking than the typical Yagi designs. I've been looking at these two: '15 dB corner antenna'

,'14dB outdoor antenna' Is one of these a good choice for accomplishing this? Would an omni antenna be better? I'm not sure how narrow the band is with a directional, and I haven't found any omni-directional antennas that are very powerful. Also, I will probably want to position the antenna on the opposite side of my loft from my router (a 25' cable run, see drawing). Do I need a special cable for this, and do I need a 500mw booster?

Thanks for any help. I really appreciate it.

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Posted 5 years ago by nirad in Wireless Networking

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