WiFi repeater or range extender

[Kalrog]

One other option is to change your router's firmware and simply boost the power that way:

http://www.dd-wrt.com/dd-wrtv3/index.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Captain Matt]

I can't do anything with the actual router.

It's a community access point so I don't have the ability to upgrade the primary router, change the antenna, or even move it. I do have permission to connect and they don't mind if I run my own repeater to extend their signal.

[NcongruNt]

How far away is this dock?

Another solution would be to put an AP with a high-gain directional antenna pointing in the direction of your dock. This would not only increase signal to the dock, but the high gain antenna would be much more sensitive to the signal coming from your laptop. A relatively simple solution would get a simple wireless AP (not router), put it in a waterproof antenna/enclosure on a wall or something outside facing your dock, and run an ethernet cable back to your router. Power is done over Power Over Ethernet, which requires plugging the little injector box into the cable you ran, then running a cable from that into your router.

I've had good experience with these antennas: http://www.netgate.com/product_info.php ... cts_id=523" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.netgate.com/product_info.php ... cts_id=524" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; as I use them in my work environment. Any AP that will do POE and has an external antenna connector will work, and you simply need a pigtail cable to run from the back of the AP to the antenna connector on the inside of the antenna enclosure. Normally, I use these units: http://www.netgate.com/product_info.php ... cts_id=361" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; but that would put you out of the price range you stated, and that much power isn't really needed for the situation you described (I use them in my work to create links over a distance of MILES).

[LaUser]

Buffalo made a router/bridge. But they were successfully sued and stopped making them. You can find them on eBay, such as this Buffalo Wireless G MIMO Router WHR-HP-G54 802.11g. You get two. One is the router that you hook up to your cable/dsl modem. The second is a bridge that communicates back to the router and extends the range. They have four (4) Ethernet ports and you can connect to them via Ethernet cables if you want. If you have a PC that does not have a wireless card, but has an Ethernet port, you can plug the PC into the Router/Bridge with an Ethernet cable. I use this set up at home. That was before the law suit.

Before I switched to Buffalo, I used a Linksys range extended. It was their first iteration and a BIG PITA to set up. Maybe the newer generation of the Linksys range expander is easier to set up.

Other than that, you can get the same thing with Linksys but you have to burn DD-WRT. It would take some research on the net to learn everything you need to know to do this with Linksys.

Now if you have more money to play with, Apple Airport Extreme and Apple Airport Express would work perfectly. It does not require Apple Mac to set up or use. The Apple Airport Extreme would be the router and the Airport Express units would be the bridges. The Airport Express plugs in any power outlet. It has a single Ethernet port, a USB port, and one audio output jack used with iTunes and remote speakers or stereo system. eBay is a good place to look for used units at more reasonable prices than Apple, who does now allow discounts on new equipment.

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Hail to the Cheese
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[Captain Matt]

I can't do anything with the actual router.