Router connection and amperage reduction

[Simon 420]

I am installing a ZTE MC801A router. Says on the box, and on the transformer plug, that it requires 12V and 1.5 Amps. I have a spare 12V supply on the boat (which I know works because it feeds my TV signal booster) and connected the router to it yesterday, after checking that I had correctly identified the positive and negative wires on the feed why are. No power light on the router at all – despite it working perfectly from the plug and subsequently when I reconnected it to the plug.

Measured my supply. I’m getting 14.1V and 12.7amps. I wonder, therefore, whether there is something in the router that stops it from working if there is too much current. If so, what do I need to get it working? Some kind of resistor or perhaps a fuse?

 

[[194224]]

The router is drawing 12.7A from your supply? If that really is the case then there is something very seriously wrong. What exactly is the "spare 12V supply" you're using? The delivered current is a function of demand constrained by the capabilities of the supply. Is your supply driving anything else apart from the router to account for that surprising current draw?

 

[Refueler]

Can you explain your 14.1v and 12.7A a bit better ??

14.1v sounds like voltage from a charger source ...

12.7A ?? usually an item will draw the amps it needs unless a short occurs. So if your Router draws 1.5A at 12v ... then it would be drwaing ~ 18W total input ...

After you found the 12.7A .... was the router still able to work from the 'plug' as you call it ? If not then somethings blown inside.

 

[BabaYaga]

Post deleted.

 

[RobbieW]

It may well be that it is fussy about the actual voltage and not designed to work on a range. I cant find a spec sheet for that device so if you havent got an inverter on the boat I'd take it home and see if it still works there. The current is a red herring, the device will draw what it needs up to 1.5A.

On a boat its often better to use USB powered devices

 

[Gumpy]

I always use these
DC-DC 5-32V to 12V3A Automatic Voltage Stabilizer Power Converter Regulator | eBay
To power anything that needs 12volts but is not designed to be powered directly from boat/caravan/car electrical system.
If you need more power then these work well.
8-40V to 12V 10A DC Voltage Stabilizer Car Power Supply Regulator Waterproof UK | eBay
Takes the worry out of it all.

 

[Simon 420]

14.1v sounds like voltage from a charger source ...

12.7A ?? usually an item will draw the amps it needs unless a short occurs. So if your Router draws 1.5A at 12v ... then it would be drwaing ~ 18W total input ...

After you found the 12.7A .... was the router still able to work from the 'plug' as you call it ? If not then somethings blown inside.

 

[dune16]

I had a huawei router (same stuff as zte) and it was sensitive to voltage. Ended up using the devices Loddon noted and it solved the problem. Not worth risking blowing your router (if you haven't already)

 

[lustyd]

Or get a router designed for the environment Routers

 

[Gumpy]

Or get a router designed for the environment Routers

Maybe designed for the environment but they are all Cat4 and Cat6 routers so slower than a slow thing.
My present Huawei B818 is Cat19 and returns speeds of 120Mbs whereas the old B535 Cat7 used to get 30mbs at best

 

[lustyd]

It works to stream a couple of HD channels simultaneously so generally enough for us, but yes they are slower than normal mobiles and definitely good to point out. They definitely fit better into boat systems though, as demonstrated by all of the boat router manufacturers using them inside their housings. If I just wanted Internet on board I'd probably tether to my phone and put it on charge, but this connects the plotters etc. in a nice network too in a robust package.

 

[Gumpy]

I just get frustrated when things don't come up instantly, hence my choice to run 5g at home as its faster and cheaper at 250+Mbs than local cabled internet

 

[dune16]

I run an openwrt based router with a USB 4g dongle, all powered from a single USB. Super flexible router. Runs my monitoring and cctv 24/7 from the marina WiFi and automatically fails over to the 4g dongle if marina WiFi isn't available.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/aw/d/B09N72FMH5?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

 

[dune16]

Nice and compact

 

[lustyd]

I just get frustrated when things don't come up instantly, hence my choice to run 5g at home as its faster and cheaper at 250+Mbs than local cabled internet

Ah then you're very much barking up the wrong tree in that case, faster is all relative. Cabled internet will almost always have better latency than any kind of wireless setup, and fibre better still (light is faster than electricity). The lag you experience is usually due to DNS, so instead of using your ISP DNS in your router use 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 on your device and things will load much faster (albeit tracked and monetised). The bandwidth is almost irrelevant for load times these days, and a cat4 will load sites at the same perceived speed as any other device on an LTE connection all the way back to 3g and all the way to the most capable 5g device. All of these will be notably faster than Starlink too for load times.
If you're downloading or uploading large files it's different, but for load times bandwidth isn't an issue.

 

[Gumpy]

Ah then you're very much barking up the wrong tree in that case, faster is all relative. Cabled internet will almost always have better latency than any kind of wireless setup, and fibre better still (light is faster than electricity). The lag you experience is usually due to DNS, so instead of using your ISP DNS in your router use 1.1.1.1 or 8.8.8.8 on your device and things will load much faster (albeit tracked and monetised). The bandwidth is almost irrelevant for load times these days, and a cat4 will load sites at the same perceived speed as any other device on an LTE connection all the way back to 3g and all the way to the most capable 5g device. All of these will be notably faster than Starlink too for load times.
If you're downloading or uploading large files it's different, but for load times bandwidth isn't an issue.

DNS has been set as 8.8.8.8 or 1.1.1.1 for years depending on my mood. There was a time years ago when I hosted my own DNS server but got bored with that. As for latency it averages out about 34 which is acceptable.
I do use wires inside the house, Cat6 gigabit ethernet, It have yet to find someone that has fibre connections around the house.
I get 100mbs anywhere in the house on any device over WiFi some devices are quicker but that is normally due to being wired.
Radio waves and light waves travel at the same speed

Just to add it's costing me £15 a month, even the cheapest fibre comes out at £25 a month round here.

 

[gregcope]

I always use these
DC-DC 5-32V to 12V3A Automatic Voltage Stabilizer Power Converter Regulator | eBay
To power anything that needs 12volts but is not designed to be powered directly from boat/caravan/car electrical system.
If you need more power then these work well.
8-40V to 12V 10A DC Voltage Stabilizer Car Power Supply Regulator Waterproof UK | eBay
Takes the worry out of it all.

Do you use the top one for a B818 on board?

I have a 2nd hand B818 which I plan to install to WFB.

 

[dune16]

Do you use the top one for a B818 on board?

I have a 2nd hand B818 which I plan to install to WFB.

The b818 is 12v 2a so that regulator will work fine

 

[Gumpy]

Do you use the top one for a B818 on board?

I have a 2nd hand B818 which I plan to install to WFB.

Yes I have been using it for a while.
I only posted the 10A one because my soundbar makes the 3A one get warm.

 

[gregcope]

Thanks both @dune16 and @Loddon. Ordered one.