Long Range wifi?

[john_morris_uk]

There was a thread a while ago about 'booster devices' that one can buy (mainly mail order from the USA if I recall) that allowed one to access wifi from a greater distance than normal. Does anyone know what the latest technology or recommended make and model might be? If you think this is non-boaty - I am referring to when one is at anchor.

Or would I be best asking on the live-aboard forum?

 

[Conachair]

i use one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8

Not 100% sure of the legality of 1000mW in uk though.

 

[sarabande]

I have had one of the Repeatit antennae for nearly four years. Ace piece of kit.

Typically it pulls in usable signals from the horizon, when the laptop wifi only picks up in the marina.


Excellent and cheerful support.

http://www.wifispark.com/wifi-produ...1wifi-networking/repeatit-usb-hotspot-booster

I believe there is a version which now runs under W7, but it's worthwhile checking with WifiSpark.

 

[Juniperskip]

I have one from 5mile wifi in the States. Brilliant bit of kit. Had a small dish which would get me 3-4 routers at anchor, plug in the 5mile wifi and you could see 10+. Not cheap but as usual you get what you pay for.

Search Digital Yacht in the UK. They do a similar device but I believe the US one is more powerful.

Didn't mount it as recommended - we hoist on the flag halyard at anchor. Works well.

 

[Playtime]

I have had one of the Repeatit antennae for nearly four years. Ace piece of kit.

Typically it pulls in usable signals from the horizon, when the laptop wifi only picks up in the marina.


Excellent and cheerful support.

http://www.wifispark.com/wifi-produ...1wifi-networking/repeatit-usb-hotspot-booster

I believe there is a version which now runs under W7, but it's worthwhile checking with WifiSpark.

I had one of these for several years. It was a great piece of kit until I dropped it and it stopped working. Despite my best efforts I couldn't get the electronics working again and the supplier didn't want to know so I bought one of these. . . .

i use one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8.

. . . fitted it inside the Repeatit case and wired it to the Repeatit hi gain antenna. Works even better than the original Repeatit now.

The transmit power (an illegal 1000mW flat out) is software adjustable and it runs OK under W7.

 

[timchapman]

I've tried lots of different gadgets but this is my latest, has everything you want in a tiny package and no RF cable which is where the losses occur.

http://www.wifigear.co.uk/ubiquiti-bullet-m2-hp-24ghz-access-pointcpe

 

[ianj99]

Edimax do a USB dongle with an external aerial/antenna socket.

http://www.edimax.com/en/produce_detail.php?pd_id=361&pl1_id=1&pl2_id=44

This works well on my laptop with the dongle plugged into a USB extension cable and the aerial lead fed through a hatch to the 12" omnidirectoinal whip.

An aerial on the mast would be the best option and something I hope to try this month.

I also have a Repeatit but it is quite directional so not ideal on a boat.

I

 

[Blue5]

i use one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-AWUS036H-802-11b-Wireless-network/dp/B002WCEWU8

Not 100% sure of the legality of 1000mW in uk though.

Just bought one of these after reading some good reviews.

 

[Playtime]

I also have a Repeatit but it is quite directional so not ideal on a boat.

Agreed. If the boat is yawing around then reception will be affected. In a marina or on a stable mooring, though, it is fine.

 

[Sy-Revolution]

I posted this before some time ago:

We use one of these:
http://freedomyachts.org/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=10145&hilit=bullet

Sometimes Ned Kelly style, although right now connected to free marina wifi 250 meters away. Best range I've had was using Queens hotel Brighton wifi whilst in the marina. About 2k away. Sometimes we've had to pay for the connection but at least when we do we stand a much better chance of getting a good signal.

There have not been many times during our sails from the UK through French west/north coasts, +northern/western Spain and Portugal where we've been without some sort of connection.................

You need the bullet, an ariel (or two) and the POE injector. A bit more initial layout than the Hawkins things though but IMHO, worth it.


Available through these people:

http://www.wifigear.co.uk/ubiquiti-bullet2-24ghz-access-pointcpe

 

[ocgrant]

I had been checking into this for quite some time and gave a few different things a try to various degrees of success. What I have found to work best is the following:

Hawking HW2R1 Dual Radio Smart Repeater:

http://www.hawkingtech.com/products/productlist.php?CatID=32&FamID=105&ProdID=400

8db Outdoor antenna:
http://cgi.ebay.com/8-dBi-Hi-Gain-O...287?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item53e6db5c67

I have the antenna mounted high on my radar arch and the cable ran down into cabin and connected to the smart repeater. Very easy to set up and I am able to find wifi from over a mile away with no issues. I have it programed to connect to various wifi points at different marinas and anchorages when I visit. The nice thing is with the repeater feature (creates my on wifi point on my boat) it allows for all of my kids to use their iPads on the boat and multiple laptops. My neighbors love me also as I have given them accesst to my wifi point as well so they get great signal on their devices.

 

[Pagetslady]

Hi as interested as I am in the extended range of WiFi at the moment I am using 3G in Jersey on a Airtel-vodafone sim card at 1p per Mb when around the uk I use a 3G Vodafone sim card at 1.5 p Mb I appreciate this is most likely more costly than free WiFi would you consider it worth me buying one of the systems suggested here.
Mike

 

[sarabande]

having looked at the specs and performance details of some of those devices, I think the Repeatit is now outdated.

 

[VicMallows]

Hi as interested as I am in the extended range of WiFi at the moment I am using 3G in Jersey on a Airtel-vodafone sim card at 1p per Mb when around the uk I use a 3G Vodafone sim card at 1.5 p Mb I appreciate this is most likely more costly than free WiFi would you consider it worth me buying one of the systems suggested here.
Mike

That's £10 / Gb which is about par for the course on 3G if you want simple PAYG. Probably fine for email and surfing but gets expensive if you want to, for example, stream radio all evening. Forget streaming TV.

I use a cheap (c. £10 on ebay) USB 'high power wifi adapter'. Perched on the coachroof it's flat-plate antenna usually finds an open wifi signal or a BT OpenZone anywhere in the Solent. If moored somewhere sufficiently static, I swap the flat-plate for a 13 element YAGI antenna as high as I can get it. Several miles is not uncommon, but swinging the antenna to find the signal can take some time.

Vic

 

[BlueChip]

Originally Posted by Conachair
i use one of these
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-AWUS036.../dp/B002WCEWU8

Not 100% sure of the legality of 1000mW in uk though.

Just bought one of these after reading some good reviews.

I also got one of those with the optional directional antenna after reading good reviews here a few months ago.
Very impressed with the performance and remarkably easy to setup.

 

[adrianevans]

Check out BadBoy wifi range extender from the US. Very neat and compact long range wifi router. Supplies Ethernet connection so can be fed into another Access point to give ship wifi to supply Internet to multiple devices simultaneously.

Thoroughy recommended.