WiFi signal booster

[petedg]

Our boat is moored just on the limit of the WiFi signal in the marina, sometimes we pick up a signal sometimes not and when we do it's very slow.
Can anyone recommend a good solution, signal booster,range extender? We tend to use an IPad but could also use a laptop.

 

[Yngmar]

For just the laptop, this would do: http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-rocket-bgn.html

It's a USB wifi adapter integrated in a big antenna (big compared to the one in your laptop). You can mount it somewhere at the level of the marina AP or just raise it up a signal halyard when you want it. If you need longer cable runs, they sell an active USB extension for cheap too.

If you also want to use the iPad, you can additionally get this: http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-usbwifirpt-3000.html

Then you plug the Rocket into the router's USB port and it will use it as the WAN side and present a new wireless (and optionally also a wired) network on the LAN side to which all your other kit can then connect to.

Works well for me, except for the marina Wifi being utterly useless even if you have perfect reception to it (they seem to throttle heavily or have a completely inadequate internet connection).

 

[Spi D]

Despite upgrades to the equipment in our marina, improving the wifi connection, the actual throughput is annoyingly low.

An inexpensive subscription plan on my 4G mobile, then used as hotspot, is a better solution. Delivers 30-70 mbit depending on things out of my control but it is plenty for all we do.

 

[KellysEye]

A high gain antenna would do it 12db or more. Also we tied ours outside on the boom for the best reception in a steel boat. If it rained we covered it in a plastic bag.