Linksys Boosts the Range

Irvine, CA-based Linksys has begun shipping it’s Wireless Signal Booster (model number WSB24), an add-on for the company’s 802.11b-based access point (WAP11) or router (BEFW11S4) that uses power amplification to boost signal transmission. It’s not a repeater, that extends range by sitting halfway between the transmitter and receiver, but instead boosts the signal from the originating point.

The Booster stacks on top of the access point or router and attaches directly to the product’s antenna connectors. The antennas are transferred on to the Booster itself.

Linksys spokesperson Karen Sohl says the company isn’t claiming any specific range increase with the booster because “everyone gets something different” based on their location and setup. She says, however, that the Booster will at best double range or the performance. The unit will also filter out noise and interference from other products using the 2.4GHz radio frequency shared by 802.11b.

The WSB24 Booster is only FCC certified to work with the two Linksys products at this time. The street price is expected to be $99.