Packet loss with new router?!!

ok, very strange deal here. I sent my wrt54g linksys router in for warranty service (lightning hit). I get it back today, plug it up, works great-EXCEPT!, on my 2 wireless computers (both G, if it matters) i get packet loss through the nose! (i found it by typing netstat -s) Its not on the wired computers just wireless. Also i found it was very strange
that while in the same room, my signal bars jump from 2 to the max which is 5. And the rate going anywhere from 54 to 5.5 within a period of 5 seconds sitting still. What is going on?! when i go to the far end of the house, i still have a 'very low' signal as i did before i sent it in, but whereas it used to be a rate of 36 or 48 is now 1, or 2. I tried flashing my router with HyperWRT and cranked the power all the way up to 100% which did absolutely nothing, so i flashed it back. Can anyone help me? I have to click links 6+ times to get them to go and the reload button is getting hit more than 'start'!

 

For some reason this worked: I downloaded Sveasoft's Satori firmware and the problem is fixed!

 

.......or so i thought......http://forums.majorgeeks.com/images/smilies/mad.gif