linksys worse than thomson? that's odd
anyway, have you tried changing the channel? since many stuff can be interfering with the signal, e.g cordless phones, especially if it is a channel 6, which is the default channel for many wireless devices, plus, check what is the most common channel for your neighbors' wif's and make sure you are not on the same one (i recommend
http://www.softpedia.com/get/Network-Tools/Network-Monitoring/NetStumbler.shtml << this tool for the job. make sure you have the latest drivers and firmware, and if nothing works, change your antenna!