ipad wifi booster

[DavidJ]

Hi
I'm from the motorboat forum but thought that you guys will be more "up" on these things.

I link my laptop onto my marina (weak from my location) Wi-Fi with the aid of a Repeatit booster and it's USB lead.

I have an ipad which I would like to start using on the boat but as you will know the ipad doesn't have USB to connect to.

I was thinking of using one of these wi-fi gateway thingies.....

http://www.ruckuswireless.com/products/mediaflex-home-products/7200-series

.....but I might have a misconception of what it is, will it work?

Help!

 

[duncan99210]

Looks like something the marina would install to provide you with the wifi signal, not something that you would hook up to an iPad. I think you probably need something like this: http://www.maplin.co.uk/3-ready-to-go-mobile-wi-fi-3gb-347520 .

 

[maxi77]

I am not really up on such thing but neither really seems tosolve your problem, your device is for some one trying to set up a big wifi network and the other one is a mobile internet dongle which you will have to pay into to get any service. I believe lappy's working with windows 7 can reradiate a wireless signal but have no experience (always one step behind)

 

[Paulok]

If you already have a laptop on board with a USB booster you can use Connectify to share this with your Ipad. http://www.connectify.me/

Regards
Paul

 

[DavidJ]

If you already have a laptop on board with a USB booster you can use Connectify to share this with your Ipad. http://www.connectify.me/

Thanks guys I don't have Windows 7 but Connectify is a good reason to upgrade. I was kind of hoping that the Ruckus device (£70 from Camberley computers) would pick up a standard wi-fi signal but I think it only picks up their own version (Metro wi-fi??) from an "access node"

I've already exceeded my comfort zone limits!!

 

[tri39]

The other mystery is how you'll get GPS into your iPad when out of range of wifi (or 3G if you have both). Apparently there is now a GPS add on called Bed Elf GPS particularly useful for all those first generation wifi only iPads (I may have to get one!).

http://bad-elf.com/products/gps/

also http://xgps150.dualav.com/

 

[Paulok]

You can also use the Linksys WRE54G Range Expander. You basically connect this to your laptop and configure it from its own web interface and then disconnect it. I have used this in the past before we upgraded our marina wifi network to a proper outdoor solution. Should be about $90 from Amazon.

 

[Paulok]

You can use a Bluetooth GPS reciever with first generation IPAD. This combined with the Inavx Application and Navionics charts gives you a great chartplotter for very little money.

Bluetooth Here around $99
http://xgps150.dualav.com/

Inavx here Approx $40 us for the app and $29 for a chart subscription (2 years)
http://www.inavx.com/


I Have a Raymarine E120 on deck and this down below. 1500 for a slave ramarine unit seemed a bit too much.

Add the Apple TV and you can stream music and video to your onboard TV. Only problem then is you are going to be too busy to actually sail ;-}

 

[nimbusgb]

"1 - iPads are useless in the sunshine. Not often a problem in the UK but they are pretty c**p even in 'outdoors' light anyway

What you are trying to do is to extend an existing WiFi network coverage. It's no good extending the base station range without extending the reach of the iPad. You end up seeing the network but can't connect because the ipad cant tx to the base.

A solution that includes a laptop or a mobile phone to repeat the signal is kind of dumb since you'd just use the laptop anyway.

What you need to do is set up a wifi 'bridge' or 'bridge router'. A lot of access points and wireless routers can do this these days BUT sometimes it can only be done with similar wifi systems from the same manufacturer and sometimes administrative access is required to the base station. So step 1 is to find out what equipment is being used at the base station. If you can't find that out then you could end up spending money with little of no result.

Once that is done investigate the manufacturers support of network bridging.

We use ( professional exhibition wifi networking for data capture at events such as the NEC, Earls court and Excel as well as outdoor trackdays and 'farmers field' based events ) an EnGenius ECB3220 combined with a netgear 604 router and iPads as the data capture units.

The netgear gives us about 150m line of sight range from the antenna to each iPad. The Engenius is connected to an 8 dbi Antenna, basically a 25mm or so diameter 600mm long grey 'broomstick' and will pick up and 'bridge' the weakest of remote wifi signals. My best being about 2.5 km over a stretch of water. So basically what you get is a 150m diameter patch that is useable for wifi devices, located up to say 2km from the wifi station that actually has b/band connectivity.

PS don't try to play 1st person shooter games. The lag will get you shot dead straight away

 

[DavidJ]

Thanks Nimbus for an informative reply. Not sure I can get the information needed from the "source" so I'll just carry on with the 'ol laptop. I've learnt a lot from all the answers, thanks!

 

[Paulok]

I agree that the Ipad is not much use in Sunlight and here in the Middle East we get plenty of that. ;-} I use mine as a plotter/entertainment device in the saloon and it works very well. The combination above turns the first generation Ipad into a pretty reasonable plotter. IF you have the 3g model or get one of the new ones you many not need the GPS but it will entirely depend on where you are sitting down below.


We use Engenius WIFI mesh products to deliver wireless to the marina area and again it works very well once installed properly. I am getting about 500M range at the moment. It could well go farther than that but I have reduced the transmission levels to try and keep it 'within' our boundaries.

 

[KlassifiedK2]

Ipad wifi booster

We had problems with our ipads and bought one of the following
NETGEAR-WN2000RPT-Universal-Range-Extender
Not cheap but has worked for us.

 

[maxy]

WiFi repeater

Actually what you need is this.

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-outdoor-bridging-eoc-2611p.htm#SPECS

This will collect the internet from a local access point and then rebroadcast it. Its at its best with an Omnidirectional antenna in addition.

A more elegant solution would be to use the above in conjunction with a wireless access point connecting any wifi device on your boat. Like this http://www.faculty-x.net/tp-link TL-WA501g.htm

If you are able to connect effectively with your marina hot spot (access point) with your laptop and dont have any plans to connect where distance is an issue. You will be able to do all you want with the second device alone.

You might need some help configuring it all. PM me if you need more help.