Boat names on WiFi list. How?

[Bav34]

Sitting in a French marina with free wifi.

Yay.

Got a full 3 bar signal but can't connect.

Boo.

This is really common for us ... Cherbourg, Beaucette, Binic, Lezardrieux this year and other ports every year.

But we often see the names of boats on the wifi list.

What have they done? I would be amazed if they were using some sort of phone cellular data package as some are on 24 hours a day.

 

[KevinT1]

their Multi Function Display ( Chartplotter ) is broadcasting a wifi signal so that they can replicate on an IPad / Tablet / Phone - you probably can't connect as their will be security on the wifi connection

My Raymarine E95 is set up that way and also allows me to connect to the Marina Wifi for updates

Kevin

 

[BlueChip]

They are using a wifi repeater/router on board.
We use one to connect to the marina wifi which only allows a single connection, then any device on board can share the rebroadcast connection.
The router will transmit their SSID whether its connected or not.
Something like this - http://www.wifi-antennas.co.uk/alfa-r36-2-4ghz-wifi-3g-router-repeater-with-wan-lan-sockets.html

 

[Lucky Duck]

Possibly from their chart plotters or similar if they have taken the trouble to change the network name from the default one (mine is still the default!)

Edit - beaten to it, see above

 

[Jamesuk]

10 years ago it would have been the on board router a bit like what you had at home with BT, Telewest, Virgin NTL etc.

We currently have a Yachtspot which gives us internet, we then direct that connection through a Wifi enabled router (like your BT Router at home) we simply changed the name of the router from BT to the boat name. This router stays on 24 hours per day. Depending on our connection it will or will not have internet connectivity.

In Portugal for 15 Euro you can get a 15GB SIM card, so unless you have 4 people on board using iPlayer then it should be just enough for one person to enjoy usual internet and an episode of top gear.

I have often wondered why people would put boat names on a wifi it just gives a hacker a physical target to look into.

If you want to have this type of system I can sell you one for £250 ono with yachtspot.

 

[nigelmercier]

If you were near my boat you would see two SSIDs: one from my 3G router, and one from my PC repeating the weak Wi-Fi signal from the marina bar.

 

[Heckler]

Sitting in a French marina with free wifi.

Yay.

Got a full 3 bar signal but can't connect.

Boo.

This is really common for us ... Cherbourg, Beaucette, Binic, Lezardrieux this year and other ports every year.

But we often see the names of boats on the wifi list.

What have they done? I would be amazed if they were using some sort of phone cellular data package as some are on 24 hours a day.

In Portugal, went to the MEO store to see what they are offering. A free sim card this month with 2.50 free calls and 3gb of free data for a month. So, Samsung phone set up as a hot spot, seen as Android around my boat, and fast 4g connection 24/7 until the 3 gb used up. Should last the month.
Stu

 

[han34]

I am using an Alfa Ariel Booster and Router to re-broadcast the marina signal, that way we get a stronger signal to our devices. Many other boats do the same. People can try to hack into it in the same way they can try to hack into any other WPA\WEP protected router.

 

[laika]

I have often wondered why people would put boat names on a wifi it just gives a hacker a physical target to look into.

If you're suggesting that they'd break in and nick your access point wouldn't that technically make them burglars rather than "hackers"*?

(*and I'm sure this forum doesn't care about the hacker/cracker distinction...)

 

[RichardS]

If you were anywhere near me you would see the wifi SSID from my AIS transceiver and the SSID from my tablet acting as a wifi hotspot.

Richard

 

[Yngmar]

Don't forget to also include this Unicode character in the SSID:


Sailboat
Unicode: U+26F5, UTF-8: E2 9B B5

Looks like this when in use (except on devices with poor Unicode support):

 

[Bav34]

Interesting thanks.

I liked the idea of it being people's MFDs, the range on my GoPro is supposed to be 600 feet so I suppose it is possible, but would so many people really leave them on 24 hours a day? In one port I think I saw 8 boat names.

Many years ago I had a booster which connected by USB to my laptop, then there was a 2 foot long piece of thick wire that connected to a small black box, then an aerial that you had to put up through the hatch.

It was rubbish. The wifi seemed no better, the aerial would fall over and the little black box swung around in mid-air.

Even though I don't understand many of the words in the Alfa link :nonchalance: I did see "Can be used with items" ... say what??

WAN/LAN/3G/Hot Spots/Dongles/Ethernet/Single 12v PSU to run both R36 router and USB device/ADSL or Cable Modem having both Ethernet WAN and LAN ports!!!

All I want to do is buy 'a box' that I plug either into 240v or 12v and can then cook a chicken in the resultant waves of power. Or surf the net

It is REALLY frustrating seeing the three or sometimes five wifi bars and being unable to connect.

Will the Alfa do that? Do I need any other black boxes of complexity? Wires? A Degree?

And as for "Unicode: U+26F5, UTF-8: E2 9B B5"

Good grief

 

[MountainGoat]

Interesting thanks.

I liked the idea of it being people's MFDs, the range on my GoPro is supposed to be 600 feet so I suppose it is possible, but would so many people really leave them on 24 hours a day? In one port I think I saw 8 boat names.

Why not? Plenty of people leave their AIS transponders on in marinas.