philipm
Well-Known Member
The WiFi coverage in our marina comes and goes which I know is a common complaint in marinas generally. Does anyone have any recommendations for boosting the signal? I see some boosters on Argos which are inexpensive.....
How to improve WiFi in marina - any suggestions
- Thread starter philipm
- Start date
GHA
Well-Known Member
Alfa seem to have a good reputation, I've a couple and a big antenna which never gets much use anymore with mobile data being an easier option.
alfa wifi high power - Google Search
alfa wifi high power - Google Search
KompetentKrew
Well-Known Member
I would start by figuring out how close you are to an access point.
At my last couple of marinas the disconnections would happen regularly for a few hours at a time during the day, but the wifi would be perfectly reliable in the middle of the night (say 3am), which tends to suggest to me it's other clients causing the problems.
This despite the AP being literally two metres from the end of my boat, in one case.
It would be a hassle, but maybe worth it, to take your laptop and visit other access points and see if it's more reliable there. An anecdote I read recently suggested that one marina had a "master AP" and computers connected to that (because they're close or using a directional aerial) got much faster speeds than those connected to the subsidiary AP'. This suggests that the other APs are connected as a mesh at that marina, not using wired ethernet - that might be something you could ask the marina staff about; someone might remember if ethernet cables were laid when the APs were installed.
At my last couple of marinas the disconnections would happen regularly for a few hours at a time during the day, but the wifi would be perfectly reliable in the middle of the night (say 3am), which tends to suggest to me it's other clients causing the problems.
This despite the AP being literally two metres from the end of my boat, in one case.
It would be a hassle, but maybe worth it, to take your laptop and visit other access points and see if it's more reliable there. An anecdote I read recently suggested that one marina had a "master AP" and computers connected to that (because they're close or using a directional aerial) got much faster speeds than those connected to the subsidiary AP'. This suggests that the other APs are connected as a mesh at that marina, not using wired ethernet - that might be something you could ask the marina staff about; someone might remember if ethernet cables were laid when the APs were installed.
Last edited:
DipperToo
Well-Known Member
I use an Alfa R36 with an external Alfa Tube U(N) which works very well. These Alfa units are geared to very specific USB aerials from Alfa.
I have found that in some marinas where they allow only one login, the Alfa gets around that as its own IP is logged and 'clients' can login via the Alfa hotspot. YOu do need to scan and connect to networks using a web browser though.
I have just purchased a newer version of the R36 which is the R36A which has a simpler interface and is apparently a bit faster.
I bought mine from WiFi Antennas ALFA R36A 2.4GHz USB WiFi and 3G Router / Repeater with WAN / LAN Sockets and they also do complete kits with the Tube N, cabling, mounts etc.
No affiliation - just a happy user for many years of the Alfa kit.
If you have a strong mobile signal, some providers offer really good video streaming data allowances for iplayer, Netflix, Amazon etc for a single monthly payment.
GHA
Well-Known Member
Somewhere stashed in a locker I've an unused r36 - turned out a raspberry pi could do the same plus a million other things for about the same price and less power consumption
Poey50
Well-Known Member
Big ditto for the Alfa R36a.
philipm
Well-Known Member
Cheers. I'm looking to boost marina wifi signal on our ipads and iphones - would the Alfa kit work for them? I'll take a look at that website anyway.
AntarcticPilot
Well-Known Member
As others have implied, you and every other boat in the marina are sharing a fixed bandwidth. The solutions suggested will improve signal strength, but the bandwidth will remain the same. It is unlikely that the marina has any more total bandwidth available than a domestic or small business has - that is, a few tens of megabits per second, if the marina is on a fibre connection (many in remote locations won't be!). So, you and everyone else in the marina are sharing a fixed asset, and so you don't get as fast a service as you do at home, where you are probably the only user, with a much lower contention ratio.
Further, the signal strength at my marina varies quite a lot with the state of the tide - worse at low tide!
Further, the signal strength at my marina varies quite a lot with the state of the tide - worse at low tide!
Poey50
Well-Known Member
Having tried to watch the FA Cup Final at Bembridge Marina on Saturday with a boosted signal, I heartily agree. Your only hope sometimes is that everyone without a booster gives up leaving you to hog it.
Tempus
Well-Known Member
Get a mifi dongle and an all you can eat data plan from voxi. Only pay for it during the summer and say goodbye to poor marina wifi for ever!
duncan99210
Well-Known Member
Wot he said. I gave up on wifi several years ago, using my iPhone as hotspot to provide a connection to all the various gadgets on board.
JumbleDuck
Well-Known Member
I have an Alfa Tube antenna which I use directly with my laptop, and which is spectacularly good at picking up signals. On the other hand, I have never found a marina with decent wifi, probably because, as AntarcticPilot says, they have lousy backhaul. The only really good wifi I know is at Carrick Castle, and I can pick that up on the visitor moorings - fibre connection, I think.
Otherwise I have a Mifi with external antenna which is OK.
Otherwise I have a Mifi with external antenna which is OK.
philipm
Well-Known Member
Does using an iphone as a hotspot achieve the same result as a mifi dongle?
NotBirdseye
Well-Known Member
Yes.
philipm
Well-Known Member
I may as well try using my iphone as a hotspot then. I had a hunch that wifi with a booster would give better service than using my iphone as a 4G hotspot but that was not based on any science.
stu9000
Well-Known Member
Are these different to a mobile phone hot-spot? My phone works fairly well on the Medway. But not everywhere has as good a 4g signal?
philipm
Well-Known Member
That's what I was asking in my last post because, if so, that's worth a try first provided you have a decent data allowance on your phone contract.
anoccasionalyachtsman
Well-Known Member
The advantage of using a mifi is that it can be hoisted up a mast in a plastic bag (best with a USB cable to power it for longer periods than its internal battery allows) to boost reception in areas with poor signal. You could do the same with a 'phone, but then you can't talk on it.
As far as choosing a cheap data plan goes, use a network signal check website to make sure that the provider's network has a good signal where you're most wanting to use it.
Iliade
Well-Known Member
Don't forget a downhaul line, or at the very least tie the usb cable to the uphaul ;0)
jordanbasset
Well-Known Member
I was looking at this deal on ebay, seems almost unbelievably good, am sceptical but the seller has very good reviews
Edit, link removed, there are extra costs, including paying £35 rental per month, not a good deal
Edit, link removed, there are extra costs, including paying £35 rental per month, not a good deal
Last edited: