Working From Home? Use a Kitchen Pot to Improve 3G Modem Performance

Problem: You're working from home, using a USB modem to connect to the company network, and reception is terrible. Like, sapping-your-productivity terrible.

Solution: Drop that baby in a kitchen pot. No, really. As the following video demonstrates, you can gain a considerable signal boost this way. Take a look:

If you want to give this a try, you'll no doubt need a USB extension cable to run your modem away from your PC and into your cookware. Don't worry, they're cheap: Monoprice has a 6-footer for a mere $1.31 (plus shipping).

I haven't had the chance to put this to the test myself (yet), but the theory is sound: The pot provides a parabolic surface for focusing the antenna's signals. (Or something like that -- dammit, Jim, I'm an English major, not an engineer!)

If this works for you (or doesn't), hit the comments and let us know!