passive reflectors

[Timothy Murphy]

I'm fascinated by all this esoteric information.
(I'm just a pure mathematician, for whom dB is a foreign word.)
Would anyone recommend a book on the subject?

But dare I ask a very elementary question in such company?

I don't want to get through mountains,
just one more (thick) wall in my house.

I'm using Proxim Symphony cards (PCMCIA and PCI).
The PCI card has a small antenna with a cable about 2ft long.
Basically I want to increase the range from about 8m to 10m,
but going through a very thick (1ft) granite wall.

I did get advice on this,
but it all involved what to me
would be a major engineering job --
unsoldering the connector on the PCI card, etc.

I'm just wondering if I couldn't increase the range
by just getting a slightly larger antenna,
or one of a different model?
I see "range extenders" occasionally on Ebay.
Would these do the job?

Maybe this is on a FAQ somewhere?
Any suggestions or advice gratefully received.