Info on Range of 2.4G Wireless Routers

Question

Can somebody give me some simple stats on how far a signal can go outside of a house? I can clearly find the signal of the guy across the street, for example.
    How far down the street would it be feasible for a signal to go? (Also, affected by trees? Stucco walls? etc.)
    Just looking for a rough idea.
    Thanks.
         Frank
    P.S. Assume signals are WEP encrypted.

Answer 1

Radio signals travel pretty much forever, but obstructions (trees, buildings, etc.) do absorb some of the signal.  The range of the radio signal is primarily limited by how big and sensitive the antena and receiver is that is catching the signal.   If you really wanted to catch signals, and you are willing to spend a lot on a big antena and a high end receiver, you could probably pick up these 2.4 GHz network signals from several miles away.
Most home users will have equipment similar to yours.  In this case the maximum range is probably about 300 to 1000 feet.  (Note that this is not the same as the working range of the router, which is typically 30 to 100 feet.)
Obviously you are concerned about security.  WEP is no longer recommended.
The FBI has demonstrated that WEP can be cracked in just a few minutes using software tools that are readily available over the Internet.  Even a long random character password will not protect you with WEP.  You should be using WPA or preferably WPA2 encryption.
To implement wireless security, do the following:
First of all, to set up wireless security, you must use a computer that is wired to the router.
Pick a unique SSID.  Don't use "linksys".
Next, encrypt your wireless system using the highest level of encryption that all of your wireless devices will support.  Common encryption methods are:
WEP - poor  (see note above)
WPA  (sometimes called PSK) - good
WPA2  (sometimes called PSK2) - best
WPA and WPA2 sometimes come in versions of "personal" and "enterprise".   Most home users should use "personal".  Also, if you have a choice between AES and TKIP, and your wireless equipment is capable of both, choose AES.  With any encryption method, you will need to supply a password (sometimes called a "key" ).
The wireless devices (computers, printers, etc.) that you have will need to be set up with the SSID, encryption method, and password that matches what you entered in the router. 
For additional security, on many routers, you can limit wireless access to just the MAC addresses of the wireless devices that you own.  If possible, you should also use this feature.
And don't forget to give your router a new login password.
Picking Passwords: You should never use a dictionary word as a password.  If you use a dictionary word as a password, even WPA2 can be cracked in a few minutes. When you pick your login password and encryption key (or password or passphrase) you should use a random combination of capital letters, small letters, and numbers.  A login password, should be 12 characters or more.  WPA and WPA2 passwords should be at least 32 characters.
Most home users should have their routers set so that "remote management" of the router is disabled.  If you must have this option enabled, then your login password must be increased to a minumum of 24 random characters.