Rating: 
Summary: A no-brainer purchase and install
Review: The reality of WiFi is that just about everyone I know is not getting as solid a signal as they'd like. I've been frustrated by dead spots in the house, and I'm sure we've all done strange "rain dances" with our notebooks, cables, antennas, etc. to try to improve the signal.However, my WiFi network did not seem as zippy as my Ethernet when using our cable modem, even though the bandwidth of both networks dwarfs the cable modem. Well, instantly after installing the booster, I got noticeably better response in a room where the signal used to be so weak that Linksys' own utility would show no signal strength (even though I could surf from there). The WSB24 is trivial to install (180 seconds and that was because I didn't know you had to push the cable onto the connector pretty firmly). If you were a LinkSys pioneer and bought the early access points, you owe it to yourself to upgrade with this booster.
Rating: 
Summary: It does what it's supposed to
Review: I have a Linksys BEFW11S4 v.4 router connected by RJ45 to my PC in a corner room of the 2nd floor of my house. My second PC is two floors below in the basement, attached to a Microsoft MN-510 wireless adaptor. I don't have any handy utilities to measure signal strength and quality aside from the Microsoft adaptor software, but the MS software says I typically get 4 out of 5 bars of signal strength WITHOUT the booster. That sounds pretty darn good, but I get only about 1/4 of the download speed (300-400 Mbps) that I get on the PC physically wired to the router (1000-1300 Mbps). Note that I am going through 2 floors, a wall, a kitchen and some ductwork. Considering the situation, that isn't bad really. But I bought the WSB24 to see if I could improve it. The installation went fine, except I found I had to push back the rubber "boots" on the antennas so that they could be screwed onto the WSB24 antenna connectors. No big deal. Installation took about 5 minutes. With the booster, download speed was much improved, from 300-400 Mbps without the booster to around 600-700 Mbps. I don't have a laptop, so I could not tell if the range had been extended or if simply the signal quality was improved within the same range. Since the MS signal monitor still reported 4 out of 5 bars in signal strength even with the booster operating, I'd be inclined to assume the latter. That's fine with me, since two floors of coverage is more than enough range. So, the improvement in range/signal quality, while it didn't knock my socks off, is what I expected and seems reasonable for the price. The unit stacks right on top of the router, which is a real strong point for me. It keeps things tidy. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. If it gave a little more performance it would have gotten 5, but I am happy with it.
Rating: 
Summary: A piece of junk, twice over
Review: I purchased a WSB24 from Amazon, hoping to improve the signal strength from my Linksys wireless router. With the "signal booster" in place, my signal became extremely erratic, even in my home office, where the router is located (there is an 8-ft clear-sight gap from the router to my laptop)! The office used to get link qualities and signal strength > 85%, but with the booster in place it was not uncommon to see the strength dip down to 0%. I sent the original booster back to Amazon for a replacement unit, but I now am experiencing the same behavior with the second unit. Needless to say, I've taken the "signal booster" out of my system, and I will return it for a refund. Twice burned is enough, I won't get a third one. BTW, I note that a greater preponderance of the newer reviews are reporting negative results with the booster. Perhaps quality has dropped in the past few months?
Rating:
Summary: This booster really works!
Review: Well, I'm quite impressed with the Linksys WSB24. I thought that the claims of up to 14 dBm signal boost by Linksys were probably for ideal conditions, but I'm seeing close to that in my home (about 12dBm). Be aware that I'm using this booster in conjunction with an early model WAP11 (version 1.1) which is known to be a little weak compared with later versions. My reason in purchasing this booster was to increase my wireless coverage to a deck in my back yard. Without the booster, I would get a weak signal about 60 feet from where I needed to be. After installing the booster, I get a fairly strong signal on the deck and probably could go out further if I needed. Some may say that the Linksys accesss point or router should by default have good range making the booster redundant, however, if you look at similar solutions by companies such as Cisco that have excellent range out of the box, the cost of these solutions is more than twice the cost of the Linksys AP/Router combined with the booster. I highly recommend this device, especially if you have an earlier model Linksys WAP11 or BEFW11S4.
Rating:
Summary: Add this to your Linksys Access Point if you need range
Review: I used this to boost reception in a small wireless 802.11b network set up in a duplex (about 2200 sq feet total, 2 stories, wood-lathe-plaster construction). Initially I set up a Linksys BEFW11S4 Cable/DSL Wireless Router, and was getting only fair reception at the periphery, about 50 feet through walls from the BEFW11S4. The WSB24 installation took less than 60 seconds It sits on top of the router -- same footprint. The signal strength improved to good to excellent at the periphery. Eight computers, both Macs & PCs, have excellent internet connections through a single router and DSL interface. PRO: Small footprint, works as advertised, easy & fast to install. CON: Cost, another power brick, it probably won't boost reception through walls with high interference if you don't have some reception to start with (see Tip #2, below). Tip # 1, for router placement: Place the router as high as possible in your room or structure--it will significantly improve signal strength. Tip # 2, It's a two-way street: The wireless adapter in each computer acts as a transmitter back to the wireless router. Poor placement of the computer or antenna results in poor reception, even with a signal booster like the WSB24. Try repositioning the computer, or get a Wireless USB Adapter (like the Linksys WUSB11), which can be placed closer to the wireless router because of its USB cable. For poor reception on a laptop with an internal wireless card, replace it with a PC slot wireless card. The antenna extends out of the PC card slot for less interference. In my experience, the best is the Cisco Aironet 350, which has 100mW of transmit power (the average laptop card has 30mW) and a diversity antenna, which aligns to the router in any postion.
Rating: 
Summary: Not bad, but...
Review: ...there's a better way to handle the wireless range problem, and for less money. I have used my WSB24 for a few months, and probably have seen a 25% boost in thru-put at the far ends of the house (important as we're now running 3 thermostats, 2 TiVos, a variable number of laptops & the new 802.11b Linksys camera, all via wireless).
Anyway, recently I added 2 more BEFW11S4 combination routers (wired and wireless) and instead of plugging my ethernet cable into local PCs, I've plugged them into the supplemental routers and then used one of the 4 ports on these for the local PC. The effect is that the local machine still gets the benefit of hard wired network access, while the wireless end of the routers supplies broader areas within the house with a full signal.
I guess that's an obvious solution (though it took me a while to figure it out), but with the router price just a little more than half the price of a wireless access point/bridge (WET11) and less than the cost of this booster, this approach has solved all my issues handsomely. Access anywhere is just as robust as it is at the (still in use) WSB24.
I am now in Networked Nirvana!
Rating:
Summary: Booster restores my faith in Wireless hardware.
Review: I have had both an A&B based wireless network in my new home only to find the both of them have about 15' range indoors due to the solid nature of the walls. Wireless routers work excellent in wooden modern homes, but in the stone walled home that I am in now, the wireless transmitter worked only in the living room which is obviously a waste of money seeing as how there are 3 computers upstairs. For a time I went back to my trusty 10/100 ethernet setup, but when I found that Linksys offered a signal booster I jumped on it. I am in fact a big "Neo Geek" but I'll give you all the short version of my review. Installation was simple, (5 minutes) and it boosts the signal quite a bit just as advertised. If you suffer from low signal strength this item WILL help. If you have no signal strength this item WILL MOST LIKELY help by providing a usable connection. I highly recomend it.
Rating:
Summary: A no-brainer purchase and install
Review: The reality of WiFi is that just about everyone I know is not getting as solid a signal as they'd like. I've been frustrated by dead spots in the house, and I'm sure we've all done strange "rain dances" with our notebooks, cables, antennas, etc. to try to improve the signal. However, my WiFi network did not seem as zippy as my Ethernet when using our cable modem, even though the bandwidth of both networks dwarfs the cable modem. Well, instantly after installing the booster, I got noticeably better response in a room where the signal used to be so weak that Linksys' own utility would show no signal strength (even though I could surf from there). The WSB24 is trivial to install (180 seconds and that was because I didn't know you had to push the cable onto the connector pretty firmly). If you were a LinkSys pioneer and bought the early access points, you owe it to yourself to upgrade with this booster.
Rating:
Summary: i bought one and it did not work for me
Review: I bought one of your linksys booster, and it did not work out for me. I dont really know what is wrong with it i tryed it with a linksys assespoint, but it did not work as well.I am not happy with this product beacuse i cant use it and my money is gone what can be done.
Rating:
Summary: Improved signal..less variance in power...better overall
Review: I was very skeptical about buying this product. I already had good transmission rates in my townhome (60% being the worst, 100% being the best). I have my wirelress router in the ceiling of the attic of my house, thus, I get great reception both inside and outside my house. However, with the advent of wireless being cheaper, my neighborhood has become populated with wireless-lans (exposed and unprotected I might add...something that is useful for me in a pinch). However, the problem that I was suffering was that I get great reception from my router in some parts of the house, however, two floors down from the router, I was actually getting better reception from a neighbor's house. I also had interference from 2.4GHz phones and even the microwave oven (which sometimes caused dead-spots in my living room when running). All of these problems are gone now that I have the booster. I read quite a bit about this unit before buying it. It is straightforward enough. It takes the average router TX/RX power from 5W to 15W in terms of average power. The other thing it also seems to do (according to my wi-fi measures) is it significantly cut down the "variance" of reception. If you have a good signal - you have it all over the coverage area. Don't necessarily expect to see a 80% signal go to 100%. But, do expect to see a much larger 80% cone in your coverage area! Similarly, if you have a poor signal - it goes from poor to good within that area, and the cone will be much larger. Finally, before with linksys routers, my "signal strength" gauges would bounce up and down... now they hardly move at all (another measure of variance). If you already have very good reception and line of sight in your WLAN - I don't recommend this product as you are unlikely to see any of the alleged speed benefits. However, if you are contending with significant interference (from 2.4 phones, other WLAN's, etc.) this product does a good job at increasing signal reception in hostile wireless environs. This product also does well in penetrating drywall, flooring, concrete (since I can get reception from my router outside my house standing inside a concrete shed... although it is only 20%!), and other types of building materials. Under these circumstances, the extra bucks in the form of a booster may be a better solution versus WLAN bridges/repeaters. Overall, worth the price, but, you really don't know what kind of improvements you will get beforehand. I recommend you buy the booster if you have less than 80% signal strength (or signal strength jumps from 40-80%), but otherwise, save the money. The speed improvements are not really noticable if you already have a good signal. However, if you have interference (from building materials or other sources) - this may be a good stop-gap measure before investing in repeaters, bridges, and the like.
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