Enhancing wifi below decks

[MiracleMaud]

Are you sure you have an active USB extension cable?

By that, do you mean one that works? If that is the question, then both cables I tried have been in use recently, with other pieces of kit.

 

[MiracleMaud]

Are you sure you have an active USB extension cable?

Having googled the term, I now fully understand the question, but the answer is the same. Both the extension and alternative, slightly longer usb/mini usb cables have the active blob on them.

 

[nigelmercier]

Having googled the term, I now fully understand the question, but the answer is the same. Both the extension and alternative, slightly longer usb/mini usb cables have the active blob on them.

Not sure what you mean by a "blob". An active repeater cable has a distinctive large USB socket:

http://amzn.to/1kB87te

I remember when these were over £30, now under a fiver.

BTW, you can get longer ones, but the price increases roughly in proportion, and it is better to extend USB in 5m hops anyway.

 

[MiracleMaud]

Not sure what you mean by a "blob". An active repeater cable has a distinctive large USB socket:

http://amzn.to/1kB87te

I remember when these were over £30, now under a fiver.

BTW, you can get longer ones, but the price increases roughly in proportion, and it is better to extend USB in 5m hops anyway.

That's what we have. I have now tried a further extension cable, also with repeater, just to make certain the first wasn't defective.

Surely, it must be possible to separate the router and card.

 

[nigelmercier]

Surely, it must be possible to separate the router and card.

Is this an Alfa Wi-Fi receiver plugged directly into an R36?

 

[MiracleMaud]

Yes, it is.

It works really well, but, practically, would like to have them further apart.

I'm sorry if I "sound" grumpy. It seems so simple, and it's incredibly frustrating!

 

[VicMallows]

It sounds as if your R36 cannot supply enough power for the active USB cable. You do mention a 'problem' with the PSU plug (maybe also causing high resistance?).

 

[MiracleMaud]

Thanks Vic. Any further suggestions?

 

[nigelmercier]

It sounds as if your R36 cannot supply enough power for the active USB cable...

That was my first thought, although the USB repeater cable doesn't use much power. You could prove it using an external 5V supply, from another USB socket perhaps. To do this you will need a couple of spare cables, one with a plug and socket Type A, the other just a plug Type A. Make up a lead so there is a break in the 5V core on the A-A lead, and piggyback the 5V from the other lead to the socket. If you don't follow what I mean, I'll do a diagram.

 

[Drews]

I bought the iNAVConnect from digital yacht, great bit of kit to provide wifi throughout the boat.

 

[Talulah]

A question on the installation.
With the aerial mounted permanetly on the pushpit with the Alpha Tube(N) screwed to the base of the aerial how do you protect the metal terminals. Do you just wrap in almagamating tape or is it ok to leave exposed?

 

[MiracleMaud]

That was my first thought, although the USB repeater cable doesn't use much power. You could prove it using an external 5V supply, from another USB socket perhaps. To do this you will need a couple of spare cables, one with a plug and socket Type A, the other just a plug Type A. Make up a lead so there is a break in the 5V core on the A-A lead, and piggyback the 5V from the other lead to the socket. If you don't follow what I mean, I'll do a diagram.

Just for completeness, this seems to be working now, with an existing 5m active USB cable, proven to be working elsewhere on the boat, so either the cables we were trying were defective, or not good enough quality. The Alfa site refers to budget cables not being up to the job.

Thanks again everyone for your input.