Problems loading driver for external antenna

[John Everard]

> From: clanlaw at googlemail.com
> Date: Mon, 20 Dec 2010 14:16:31 +0000
> Subject: Re: Problems loading driver for external antenna
> To: ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> 
> On 20 December 2010 14:01, John Everard <johneverard at hotmail.com> wrote:
> 
> Could you not top post please, it makes it difficult to follow the
> thread.  Insert your post at appropriate points in previous message.
> Also it is preferred not to post in html format, straight text is
> preferred.  Thanks
> 
> > If I right click the applet and select Connection Information it tells me
> > that I am connected to the right SSID with a speed of 48 Mb/s.  Big
> > breakthrough - I actually managed to load a page this morning!  But it is
> > very, very slow and I have not managed to repeat this feat.
> > I think, with everyone's help (many thanks!), that the basic connection
> > problem has been solved, but I cannot now figure out why the connection is
> > so very very slow - it keeps timing out and giving up on loading pages.  Any
> > suggestions from anyone, please?  With an external antenna the connection
> > should be fast - and on the little Windows machine which sits next to my
> > main computer and on which I am typing this, they are.
> 
> On the windows PC are you using the same hardware (ie have you moved
> the external wifi kit it from the Ubuntu to the Windows machine)?  Can
> you remind us why you are using the external kit?
> 
> Are there any other wifi signals about?  If so perhaps they are not
> sufficiently separated from yours in channel number.
> 
> Can you temporarily move the PC nearer the wifi base station (or vice versa)?
> 
> Does it work fine if you connect by wire?
> 
> Colin
> 
Sorry for posting in the wrong place.  I am posting from a hotmail account so that I think I am condemned to send in HTML - if there is a way of posting in straight text, please tell me.  
This all started when I found that the wireless signal was too weak for my main (Ubuntu 10.10) computer's Ralink antenna, so I bought a GSI external antenna with a Realtek 8187 chip to try to solve the problem.  It didn't work, and there were no installation instructions for Ubuntu machines.  After many exchanges it now looks like Ubuntu had installed the right driver and with Nils' help I have entered the SSID in the right place.  I have managed to download a couple of pages but it is still so slow that Firefox usually times out before it can display a page.  
I am typing using the external antenna on a little Windows machine which sits next to my main computer.  I had it up and working within moments, and it makes a difference to the signal received.  I don't have a wired connection that I can try out.  There are quite a few wireless signals around so I suppose it might just be a channel clash - but if it were then I would expect this to affect my Windows computer too, but it doesn't seem to.  
I have moved the antenna and computer around the room but this seems to make only a marginal difference.  I cannot move the base station.  
Might you be able please to suggest what I should try next?  
John 		 	   		  
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