Wireless Network Trouble

[hismajesty]

I've been on a wireless network for about 5 months. It's run by a Linksys Wireless-G Broadband Router and has one computer that actually uses the wireless part of it. It's the families computer and is downstairs and it's _very_ unreliable. It'll go down for a long time then may come back up (and be horribly slow.) I know that wireless is already unreliable/terrible/etc. but I was wondering if there was anything I could do to fix the downtime without changing to a switch network setup. That's what I want to do but my mom doesn't want a wire running from the stairs to the computer (it'd only be visible for about two feet before the couch head it but whatever.) I recently transfered all the stuff I didn't want my isp to see  (music, ebooks, movies) to my external harddrive so I no longer have a problem calling Cox. I plan on doing that anyway since my internet is still slow/drops sometimes, although not as much as when I posted about that about a month ago. So, is there anyway I can fix this and would calling my isp help any? The guy at Best Buy told me when I bought my router and stuff that I need to call my isp, I didn't do that since I didn't think it was needed. Perhaps I should have?

[Thing]

Going through walls with the signal is one thing but going through a floor is much harder.  It really cuts the signal down a lot.  Metal objects, such as a furnace, between the computer and wireless router will further degrade the signal.  If the wired computers are working fine then try moving the the wireless points closer to each other and/or eliminate walls between them.

[muert0]

Could also make an antanae for your modem. Should be able to find plenty of plans to make a cheap one on google.

[iago]

You should make a Pringles-Can-Antenna.  Somebody mentioned that yesterday, I hope it's somebody from here and I hope he posts it

[muert0]

Wasn't me but here:
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448

[hismajesty]

Would it make any difference if I added a WAP outside of this room so it only had to go downstairs (through one wall) and then after that it's just about 10 feet from the computer.

right now it's like this

router |
______________
        Other Computer

would it be better if it were

router      |     WAP
_______________            
                   Other Computer

| = a door

_______ = floor

[muert0]

With a straight shot down the stairs to the computer?

[Adron]

Try moving things around and see how it affects throughput and packet loss. Perhaps you just have one of antennas in a black spot with near zero radio coverage, and moving it 10 cm in some direction will make things much better.

[hismajesty]

With a straight shot down the stairs to the computer?

Yea, it's in the living room:

[stairs] | [table/lamp] [couch] [computer]

| = door

[muert0]

I forgot about this until Yoni posted the link for the shredder:
http://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/security/5a42/