I agree with you, it should be independent of the modem. Even with no modem attached it should send a wireless signal that can be picked up by a receiver in the computer. It is a max power wireless router, according to the box, but the antennas don't come off so I can't try bigger ones. I was thinking I could wrap the antennas with aluminium foil, build them up to longer lengths, to maximise the signal, or would that in fact mask the signal? I also saw a system of putting foil behind the antennas to make a directional antenna out of them, but have not tried it. One of my laptops has no trouble with the system and reads it well, but none of the fixed PCs can see it at all, not even well enough to identify it. Another laptop cannot see it at all. I suspect there is some security or ID system at work, and that even though it is supposed to be backward compatible it is not.