Wireless relay station possible?

Question

I'm a complete networking novice, so please ignore my Level 4 rating and respond in words of one syllable if possible. I haven't known which of the Airport forums to post in, so pardon me if this isn't the best place.
I have a home network that's used only to share a cable internet connection among my wife's Dell PC hardwired to an Asante 802.11G wireless router that sits beside it in one corner of the first floor; my own Titanium Powerbook G4 with original Airport card, connecting wirelessly from my upstairs office; and from time to time, my son and daughter who have, respectively, an Aluminum PB G4 with Airport Extreme card, and a Titanium PB G4 with Sonnet Aria Extreme card. The Sonnet card uses Airport driver software transparently. Neither the Albook nor (during its current visit) the Tibook with Sonnet card is reliably able to connnect to the router from more than about 8 feet away. My own Tibook has far more range than either of the other PBs: up to 50' in some locations in the house. Its normal position is about 20-25' (straight-line distance) from the router, and I connect and stay connected very dependably.
It would be very helpful if I could install a wireless relay station or signal booster somewhere that would enable my son and daughter to connect wirelessly from their own rooms (which are farther from the router than my office), instead of having to camp with their Powerbooks in my wife's crowded office to go online. Moving the router isn't a good option; the geography of the house would make it very awkward. Running ethernet cable from my wife's office all through the house is an extremely unappealing last-resort option that I'd have to hire someone to do, since I don't know how to snake wires through walls. But I could run a cable to the other end of the first floor without too much difficulty, if driven to do so. I would prefer to plug something into a wall outlet on the second floor, set up any necessary software, and have things just start working for the kids in their rooms. Is that a possibility?

Answer 1

Neither the Albook nor (during its
current visit) the Tibook with Sonnet card is
reliably able to connnect to the router from more
than about 8 feet away.
If this is the case it sounds more like an interference issue.
AirPort: Potential sources of interference
http://docs.info.apple.com/article.html?artnum=58543
My own Tibook has far more
range than either of the other PBs: up to 50' in some
locations in the house. Its normal position is about
20-25' (straight-line distance) from the router, and
I connect and stay connected very dependably.
What happens if you switch the router to b mode only with the flaky clients?
Running ethernet cable from my wife's office
all through the house is an extremely unappealing
last-resort option that I'd have to hire someone to
do, since I don't know how to snake wires through
walls. But I could run a cable to the other end of
the first floor without too much difficulty, if
driven to do so.
This would be the best choice as it would ensure best possible reception.
I would prefer to plug something
into a wall outlet on the second floor, set up any
necessary software, and have things just start
working for the kids in their rooms. Is that a
possibility?
You can't use an Airport Express to extend the router you currently have.
In theory you could get two Airport Express units, wire one to the router and configure the other to extend the new Airport network.
Not used it myself, but this could be an option.
http://www.netgear.com/products/details/XE102.php
iFelix