WIFI boosting- wireless router?

Carolwildbird

Carolwildbird

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HI all

I'm thinking about installing a repeatit antenna to boost wifi signals (seems to be one of the the recommended bits of kit for this purpose). Question is... I think it normally works by plugging into a usb port on the computer. As we will have two computers on board, I wondered if there was an option of sticking a wireless router on the end of it, so we could both connect to wifi at the same time via a wireless option.

I'm not a techie, so be kind to me!
 
I want to buy SWMBO a USB 'plug-in' antenna for use with our home hub. Her lappy doesn't have a built in aerial which means she's restricted to being plugged in all the time.

Does anybody have any recommendations?

Sorry for the slight thread drift Carol. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Point one - It would help us to help you if you would describe what you've got.
For now I'm assuming you've got a dongle or datacard plugged into a usb port on your PC.
If so, no you can't share the connection between two boxes (easily)

Point 2 - What you want as an extension antenna is available here, for a lot less money

Point 3 if you have a mains socket (even if it's via an inverter) then This very versatile thingy can act as a router to let you share the connection between two PCs. It doesn't take a whole lot of power either.

Both from the same supplier and there are idiot videos available as well.
 
It will be worth the expense, I have a couple of antennas onboard, not repeatit. It's just so simple to each have your own antenna. You can buy directional ones quite cheaply, just a bit of a pain swinging around at anchor /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Trueblue- I have an orange 3g dongle for direct mobile broadband (which works very well here on the south west coast)- but that's not what I'm talking about. I'm heading south to spain and portugal (and eventually across to the carribean) and I don't want to use the dongle- exorbitant roaming charges.

Instead I want to pick up local marina (or other, cough cough) wifi. Currently I don't have an antennae booster so signals are weak unless I'm very close.the repeatit (see here for description) seems to be what has been suggested by lots of people as a good solution.

Sarabande- thanks for the wifispark suggestion - excellent- I'll have a chat to them
 
I have a Repeatit works well but I have to say there isnt a lot of cough,cough WIFI about these days - most people have got the message and loaded their systems up with protection. So most times it lies unused in the aft cabin while I cycle down the local internet cafe. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif
 
I have an old Dell without a wifi connection and I bought a Belkin wifi adapter from PCworld. Not USB, plugs into the PCMCIA slot, works fine. About £15 if I remember.
 
The best ones for local use are the Belkin plug in sticks as they get better signals I think than card versions. I have a Belkin stick that pllugs into a little stand and has a USB cable to connect it to the computer. This works OK on marina WiFis if the lead is extended to put the stick outside but I also have the Hawking mini-dish which for that job is very much better pulling in signals from a long distance. At home with the Hawking I can get 17 signals without even moving the dish. For really long distance there are expensive aerials (over £200) from the USA which are higher power than is allowed over here (they have to transmit as well as receive) and if we were taking off over the pond I would probably get one.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I have a Repeatit works well but I have to say there isnt a lot of cough,cough WIFI about these days - most people have got the message and loaded their systems up with protection. So most times it lies unused in the aft cabin while I cycle down the local internet cafe. /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I was surprised by the amount of "cough cough" wifi available last summer along the South coast of England, through the Scillies and into Ireland. Of course it wasn't available everywhere and we had an 3 dongle as back up but it was there in a lot of small places. I also have a Repeatit - they do work well. Of course I am not the kind of person to use any of the "cough cough" wifi - I was just testing for "scientific purposes"

Of course we were in different areas so it might be completely different but I can see a couple of open networks from my house too. Having shallow draft we were often at the front of anchorages - maybe that helps ?

To answer Carol's original question - it certainly is much easier to by two antennas - the only suggestion I can see for "sharing" in any other way is some software like this and a parallel to parallel cable.

No recommendation though - just found it on the net.
 
Hi Carol, you are asking how to connect two computers to one WiFi antenna. The simplest way is to connect your computers together with an Ethernet cable. Then create a local area network. Win XP will automatically start a network wizard, follow the instructions and both computers will be able to access the internet and swap files etc.
 
I think the Repeatit is a directional antenna. If you hang around mostly in marinas that's fine. If you are at anchor it is a pain. I note you are planning to go to the Caribbean, where most people anchor. Wifi is widely broadcast into the popular anchorages there now (though rarely free).

I have had good (albeit so far limited) results with the Wave RVII from RadioLabs(.com) in the US. This is an omnidirectional antenna. You may want to consider that.

BTW so save money, your other option might be to simply network your two laptops together rather than use a router. Not sure if this would work, but maybe you could then share the device. This would also save on subscription costs over having two devices, since most Wifi hosters work off the MAC number.
 
Just found the link to the omnidirectional antenna I have clicky it works well but it's not cheap.
ZDIGWL200.jpg
 
Confusion abounds amongst the posters, some are talking about WiFi and some about mobile phone access - and getting their devices mixed up. The equipment is different (poor analogy, but as different as analogue tv or freeview tv)

Most of the WiFi solutions including the popular one are USB.

I now see that you want to use WiFi and to split the signal between two pcs

You need:-

an "access point"

an outdoor antenna choose from the selection. Get one that gives the most gain.

A length of cable with the right connections at either end(stick the antenna as high as you can)

a hub (to distribute the signal between the two pcs

Ethernet patch cables to connect the pcs etc together

Slightly messy, but a one stop shop, does what you want and still for less cost than the WiFi Spark.
 
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