One of the dirty secrets of 802.11, I have found, is that your home network doesn't always reach throughout your home. (This is Linksys' 802.11g router, from its Web site.)

Radio waves are slowed by walls and what's in them. Once they reach your outer perimeter, however, they tend to run until they hit a tree or your neighbor's wall. If his PC is set up near a window he might be on your network right now.

The permanent solution for this will involve mesh networks and cognitive radios, giving you alternative routes around the house when someone turns on a device using the same frequency space, and keeping the radio power tuned down to just what's necessary for moving data.

The quick, dirty fix is to either turn up the radio or get a fancy antenna. Both are now being tried.

A few months ago we mentioned how 2Wire was pumping up the volume on its radios, and described the danger from that. Now word comes that Linksys is offering the fancier antenna.

When I did my gateway project early this year I was told, emphatically, that aftermarket antennae would not be allowed by the FCC. Apparently Linksys has gotten around this (they're strictly legitimate businesspeople there), by charging for them out the wazoo.

For the roughly $90 you'll pay for a Linksys fancy antenna and stand, you can buy a second wireless router. (It took me 20 seconds to find the 802.11g router linked-to above.)

This is no bargain.