how to boost signal

[Bryan Irvine]

I've got my AP in the garage (a WAP54G) but the signal is pretty
dismal everywhere except the garage.  I was wondering if there's
something simple I can do to boost the signal.  Especially in the
upstairs bedroom, and the living room. (works great in the driveway
though!  :-)

Since the WAP54G has 2 antennas, I was thinking it would be neat to
get a couple of small-ish dishes, point one at the upstairs, and one
into the living room.

Or I could go with a bigger omni.  I've seen those 7dbi boosters at
the store for $50, but I wanna be more geeky about it (which means I
don't have $50 :-p), and I'm not even sure that those things work very
well.

Anyone have ideas?  Possibly equipment?  I have lots to trade if you
got some antennas lying around.  I've a couple of sun boxes, a couple
of summit extreme LAN switches (48 port with backup battery).