Originally Posted by Sleeping Dog

Per info that Dutch provided earlier in this thread, I have done some more research on the WRT54G family of wireless routers. I found what appears to be good comparative model descriptions and differences in version numbers at:
http://www.sveasoft.com/modules/phpB...asc&highlight=

I also found a short yet informative discourse on power-boosting these routers. It is as follows:

Legality And Power Limits:

The stock firmware radio output power is fixed at 28 mw by Linksys. The Sveasoft firmware allows adjustment of the power from 0 to 251 mw.

The legality of changing the power depends on the local regulations and the antennas used. In some areas using the full 251 mw and the stock antennas is illegal. In others it is still far under the allowable limits.

Some examples:

EU countries limit the maximum radiated power to 20 dBi. The stock antennas are 2.2 dBi and this means a maximum power setting of of 17.8 dBm for the radio. The maximum radio power setting is thus 61 mw for a total of 20 dBi.

North America limits are much higher and the maximum allowable radiated power for point to multipoint links is 36 dBi. In the US with the stock antennas and 251 mw you will produce just over 26 dBi. Thus you can add much stronger 12 dBi antennas and still meet the 36 dBi limit.

The higher power settings do not generally mean higher throughput. But for long links they can mean the difference between a working link and none at all.

Needless to say, it would appear that I have some experimenting to look forward to on the firmware side as well as the hardware.

I am now leaning toward the WRT54GS model. It has a faster processor and twice as much RAM as the "G" and they only costs about ten bucks more each. Thanks to the suggestion that I consider the Rootenna instead of the Yagi, I now have that 20 available in the budget.

If anyone is interested, there is a short description and a good picture of the `guts' at:
http://www.sveasoft.com/modules/phpB...pic.php?t=1178

Thanks to your help, I am now VERY excited about and motivated to move forward with this project. (Kinda' like a four year old a week before Christmas.)

Sleeping Dog