Marine wifi question

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Oscarpop

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In preparation for hopefully long term cruising we are looking at ways of staying in touch.
Ideally I would like to set up a wireless network in our boat in order to use iPads, iPhones etc.

I have found this

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Alfa-Waterp...=UTF8&colid=1ZX5YL73R811&coliid=IBAEEA33E9HI1

It seems to be good value and works well. However does anyone know if you can just connect this to a wireless router and be don't with? Or does it have to be plugged into a USB port on the laptop?

Ta
 
That unit replaces a wifi card it allows you to access remote wireless networks not the other way around. Alfa says it has aUSB connection to the PC

Whare is your base internet connection coming from? With this unit you could pick up distand wifi signals and then with the help of another wifi 'access point' retransmit your internet connection to devices onboard.
 
We have a mifi unit that works really well.

The idea is to pick up Internet signals while at anchor. I then need to create a wifi access point, but am not sure how to do it with this device
 
My experience of fiddling around trying to get a wifi signal suggests that the most important factor is a wifi aerial outside the cabin and in the clear - preferably up the mast. Even then I think you might be better off with a mifi 3g modem capable of turning a 3g celll phone data signal into a wifi hotspot inside the boat. Data only sims are cheap. Lots of marina wifi systems are overloaded and even not free.

But tbh you can have both easily enough
 
We have had a mifi for a year now.

However we are planning on being in Europe for at least a year and even the unlocked mifi will cost heaps to get data.

So we are going to explore free wifi hotspots using the system described . Just need to get it wireless inside the boat
 
Alpha make long range wifi units that use USB to connect to a PC.

They make as separate unit that produces a local wifi hotspot from a USB connection.

These two units are intended to connect together to give a long range wifi unit with a local wifi hotspot to connect to any wifi computer or pad, instead of a USB connection. I believe that you can connect units to each other locally through the wifi hotspot.

I don't know the part numbers, but try browsing the Alpha website. Or try the Wirie site to help identify the units. Mine were supplied by Wirie.

Just a Wirie customer.
 
Chalker said:
Alpha make long range wifi units that use USB to connect to a PC.

They make as separate unit that produces a local wifi hotspot from a USB connection.

These two units are intended to connect together to give a long range wifi unit with a local wifi hotspot to connect to any wifi computer or pad, instead of a USB connection. I believe that you can connect units to each other locally through the wifi hotspot.

I don't know the part numbers, but try browsing the Alpha website. Or try the Wirie site to help identify the units. Mine were supplied by Wirie.

Just a Wirie customer.
Click to expand...
Alfa units are likely to be:
AWUS036H 1000mW (around £24)
AWUS036NH 2000mw (around £24)
R36 (around £40)

Lots of options with other kit as well but with the Alfa units above you can:

1) Plug a AWUS036H or AWUS036NH into a PC's USB port
Improved longer range Wifi. Don't be fooled into thinking 2000mW NH model will be better than 1000mW H model. The AWUS036H usually locks on to weaker signals better than the NH version.

2) Plug AWUS036H or AWUS036NH into the R36
You access the R36 via Wifi (laptop, phone etc.) and the R36 handles the link to the local Wifi (marina etc.). I haven't used an R36 but assume that it "remembers" the logon/config. details for a given hotspot (setup via admin page using laptop/phone wifi).


You can also use option 1 and setup a virtual hotspot so that the Alfa AWUS036H/NH actually re-broadcasts the Wifi signal to provide a local link to other devices.
Cheaper than option 2 but you need to have a PC running to provide the virtual hotspot.

I bought some Alfa kit from http://www.crucialwifi.co.uk and it seemed to be genuine (there were a lot of counterfeit ones being sold on-line a while ago).
 
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Mistroma said:
Alfa units are likely to be:
AWUS036H 1000mW (around £24)
AWUS036NH 2000mw (around £24)
R36 (around £40)

Lots of options with other kit as well but with the Alfa units above you can:

1) Plug a AWUS036H or AWUS036NH into a PC's USB port
Improved longer range Wifi. Don't be fooled into thinking 2000mW NH model will be better than 1000mW H model. The AWUS036H usually locks on to weaker signals better than the NH version.

2) Plug AWUS036H or AWUS036NH into the R36
You access the R36 via Wifi (laptop, phone etc.) and the R36 handles the link to the local Wifi (marina etc.). I haven't used an R36 but assume that it "remembers" the logon/config. details for a given hotspot (setup via admin page using laptop/phone wifi).


You can also use option 1 and setup a virtual hotspot so that the Alfa AWUS036H/NH actually re-broadcasts the Wifi signal to provide a local link to other devices.
Cheaper than option 2 but you need to have a PC running to provide the virtual hotspot.

I bought some Alfa kit from http://www.crucialwifi.co.uk and it seemed to be genuine (there were a lot of counterfeit ones being sold on-line a while ago).
Click to expand...

I have this exact setup on the boat (R36+AWUS036NH). The R36 takes a 12v input so I've wired this direct into the boat electrics and comes on when I switch on the boat power. The R36 saves different wifi hotspots as "profiles" and remembers the last used profile used.

So far, it has worked well.

I also have a compatible 3G USB dongle that can also be plugged into the R36 if there is no wifi hotspot available.
 
Oscarpop said:
We have a mifi unit that works really well.

The idea is to pick up Internet signals while at anchor. I then need to create a wifi access point, but am not sure how to do it with this device
Click to expand...

In many places, there will be no WiFi signal. Certainly places where you anchor (as opposed to marina berths) are very unlikely to have WiFi.

In many places, you're lucky to get a plain GSM mobile signal!

By the way, watch out for WiFi enhancers that transmit an enhanced signal - they may well be illegal in many jurisdictions. For example, in the UK, A WiFi adaptor may not transmit more than 100milliwatts. US rules allow more - but it isn't legal to use it in the UK.
 
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Cardo said:
I have this exact setup on the boat (R36+AWUS036NH). The R36 takes a 12v input so I've wired this direct into the boat electrics and comes on when I switch on the boat power. The R36 saves different wifi hotspots as "profiles" and remembers the last used profile used.

So far, it has worked well.

I also have a compatible 3G USB dongle that can also be plugged into the R36 if there is no wifi hotspot available.
Click to expand...

Ta for that info. Just ordered one from the crucialwifi link from mistroma, handy site ta for that as well. Along with a waterproof +8dBi antenna :cool: :cool:
 
Only Antarctic Pilot seems to have understood the question inferred by the OP.

If at anchor WiFi signals will, in 95% of cases, be unobtainable. Many people seem to spend lots of ingenuity, money and energy on boosters to try and pick up weak signals.

Far simpler, cheaper and more reliable to use mobile 3 (or4)G connection with a MiFi device which produces a little local WLAN for your boat.
 
Oscarpop said:
We have had a mifi for a year now.

However we are planning on being in Europe for at least a year and even the unlocked mifi will cost heaps to get data.

So we are going to explore free wifi hotspots using the system described . Just need to get it wireless inside the boat
Click to expand...

Not sure about the rest of Europe but we are paying 9euro's a month for unlimited internet on a Orange 'Mobicarte' using the 'internet max' tariff. This is considerably cheaper than the marina wifi in our limited experience.
 
charles_reed said:
If at anchor WiFi signals will, in 95% of cases, be unobtainable. Many people seem to spend lots of ingenuity, money and energy on boosters to try and pick up weak signals.

Far simpler, cheaper and more reliable to use mobile 3 (or4)G connection with a MiFi device which produces a little local WLAN for your boat.
Click to expand...

Not sure what it's like in the med but round the Atlantic I found the opposite, wifi all over the place. After Spain / Portugal i never bothered with a local sim for data. Even uploaded a youtube anchored up off a beach in Senegal!

The alfa R36 seems best of both worlds. Will find out in a day or 2 :)
 
sam_uk said:
Not sure about the rest of Europe but we are paying 9euro's a month for unlimited internet on a Orange 'Mobicarte' using the 'internet max' tariff. This is considerably cheaper than the marina wifi in our limited experience.
Click to expand...

Some cruisers anchor in line of sight to the big hotel for a reason ;)
 
charles_reed said:
Only Antarctic Pilot seems to have understood the question inferred by the OP.

If at anchor WiFi signals will, in 95% of cases, be unobtainable. Many people seem to spend lots of ingenuity, money and energy on boosters to try and pick up weak signals.

Far simpler, cheaper and more reliable to use mobile 3 (or4)G connection with a MiFi device which produces a little local WLAN for your boat.
Click to expand...

We came down the East coast of Ireland, Cornwall, Brittany and Atlantic Spain last year and had Wifi almost every day. I wondered about getting a SIM for use when Wifi wasn't available but decided it wasn't worth it. There were always hotspots if you wanted to pay but we didn't every need to pay for access. So I'd revise 95% unobtainable to 5% when at anchor (with correct kit, costing about £25). Little ingenuity, money or effort required.

Perhaps it is very different in areas where you are sailing.
 
charles_reed said:
Only Antarctic Pilot seems to have understood the question inferred by the OP.

If at anchor WiFi signals will, in 95% of cases, be unobtainable. Many people seem to spend lots of ingenuity, money and energy on boosters to try and pick up weak signals.

Far simpler, cheaper and more reliable to use mobile 3 (or4)G connection with a MiFi device which produces a little local WLAN for your boat.
Click to expand...

Looks like you completely missed it Charles.

The op already has a MiFi for 3g access.

So to get internet from hotels or home or shore side restaurants several solutions have already been posted. A long range receiver and an access point placed back-to-back. Exactly how it's achieved depends on the particular components purchased and it's up to the OP to decide. I use my Bullet2 an hub and a standard access point but that's just my solution. Last season in the Ionian I managed to survive without a 3g connection for most of my sailing, picking up wifi from more than 3 or 4 miles away at times.

Most of the discussions here seem to dissolve into slanging matches over time as people are convinced that their particular solution is the best. After 30 years in IT I can guarantee that there are precisely 'n' ways of skinning a cat as far as IT is concerned.
 
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Like to see you pickup even 3G off the west coast of Scotland, marina wifi - yes, however.
Its quite possible to install a higher gain antenna and more sensitive, higher output wifi device to make use of weak wifi signals.
A wifi router costs £25 but does require an ethernet connection not usb.
 
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