I’m in the market for a new 802.11g adapter for my wife’s PC.  I started out with a Linksys USB adapter, but it gets horrible reception. I ended up taking one of the SMC wireless bridges from one our Tivo's and putting it on here PC. The SMC bridges get incredible reception, but they are twice the price (or more) of a decent 802.11g adapter. One a week, I take the bridge off the PC and slap on the Tivo so it can phone home and get the latest program updates. Hawking just announced a new 802.11g adapter with a directional antenna, the HWU8DD. It looks like a cheap TV antenna but they are claiming a 8dBi gain in signal strength. In comparision, most 802.11 g adapters have a 1 or 2 dBi antenna. As you can see from the picture, the adapter has a small dish on it. This is a directional antenna, you get a better signal because you are aiming the adapter at the wireless access point and/or router. I may have to get of these puppies when they hit the retail market.

I have one of their Hi-Gain laptop cards and it gets an incredible signal, largely due to it's directional antenna. If you need to add a wireless card to your notebook, you will be hard pressed to find one with better reception than this one.