I mean, does it have the output power to drive an external antenna. I'd guess not.

From what I've observed, simple antennae tend to produce about the same amount of gain as a 7-meter cable will lose. That's enough distance to enable one to choose a location that maximizes reception at the desired remote end, BUT ... if the driving device doesn't have the power to drive the antenna+cable, it's not likely to work well.

The AP2100 is similar to the DWL2200AP that I have recently ordered. My goal is simply to avoid having to route a cable from the office upstairs to the lab downstairs, as that's a long cable run unless I drill a hole, in which chase it's still 15 meters or so. There are configuration differences between a repeater and a WDS (Wireless Distribution System) but the hardware, I believe, is quite similar. I'm having some difficulty understanding what the source of the Raghunathan's trouble with his existing hardware is, but ... frankly, I may encounter similar difficulties myself. Now, a WDS is different from a repeater, in that it is specifically intended to replace a run of cable. However, for a simple configuration, I believe a repeater will provide the same benefit.

I don't believe the risk of making Raghunathan's router unuseable in the future is warranted by the likelihood of successful "modification" of its antenna.

RE