USR 8054 vs LinkSys 802.11b

I replaced my LinkSys BEFW11S4 v.2 with a US Robotics 8054 about 4-5
months ago. I took my laptop to the garage ~35yards today and I got
"Wireless Network unavailable". Went back up to my deck and waited until it
picked it back up and went down again with the lid open and 5 seconds after
I stepped in the door it went unavailable again. I am a little disappointed
since I could always get a signal with my LinkSys BEFW11S4. I can't
remember if I could ever get a signal in the garage with the USR router but
I was thinking I could but I updated the firmware recently and wondered if
this made a difference. Anyone got any comments? Does 802.11b signal
travel further than 802.11g?

Daniel Carwile