Internet Ubiquiti Bullet - Any Good ?

[Velocir]

I've read all the multitiudes of wifi opinions and strong emotional feelings on the subject, but, in particular, has anyone used the bullet? What are your opinions on and experiences with the product? Thank you!

[Benebobby]

I have a bullett with an 8dbi ant mounted 8 ft off deck and pull in wifi from 2 miles away. I pick up 30 locations where before I got 3

[Auspicious]

I have a Bullet2HP and Air 802 antenna (9 dbi I think) that I have been thrilled with.

Most of the cruiser-focused resellers are providing Bullet systems. wififorboats and islandtimepc are both pushing the Bullet, for example. That doesn't make it bad - it works.

[svcambria]

Got a Bullet 2HP with a 14dB parabolic antenna. I don't know over what distance it will work, but it does pick up stations the lap top itself does not. The attraction of the Bullet is you can leave (your choice of) a weatherproof antenna fixed outside and have small, low-loss (Cat 5) cables run out to it.
In software, I did not find it to be "plug-and-play". It took a fair amount of tweaking from default values to make it work. It is also more difficult to switch from one wi-fi station to another - it goes through a web browser page. Had external (made for indoor) systems that were powered by USB cable which always suffered from not being stowed in time before a thunderstorm...

Michael

[ScuzzMonkey]

I regularly use a one on a five-mile link with a 24dbi antenna; it's shore-based but an over-water shot. I imagine you would be very lucky if you could hold such a tight beam from a boat but with a different antenna you should be fine. It's held up very well in the marine environment over the past two years.

The web-based configuration is a little annoying, but for the basic configuration settings I didn't have any trouble with it.

I could imagine it might take a little engineering work to get the power supply sorted out; it uses a single-cable POE supply that plugs into AC power by default, so you would either be running it off an inverter and handling the subsequent conversion power loss, or fiddling with it to provide a direct DC input. You can get outdoor Ethernet cable that is gel-filled and has a tougher sheath for better protection of the external part of the run, but I've just been using a plain ol' spare patch cable I had laying around and it's had no trouble yet.

[senormechanico]

12 db masthead antenna with Bullet, max over water so far has been about 7 miles while sailing (trimaran, no heeling to speak of).
Not plug and play, but after setup and a little familiarization, it works great.

[Patrick_DeepPlaya]

My bullet works great, you can see my whoel setup and how I mounted it on my mizzen masthead in my blog S/V Deep Playa – Pearson 424 - DIY Wi-Fi System

-p

[MollyBloom]

I have a bullet that I have been using for 2 months. It worked great for a while (and it is tedious to set up). I am cruising in the carribean now and had a problem with the bullet 'loosing itself'. Wifi for boats was responsive and helpful, except for the fact that they cannot get their hands on replacement units or parts until mid June. The problem is that I am not in the US, not returning soon, and NEED wifi - so it hasn't been the right solution for me. I replaced my bullet with wirie - much easier to use, more waterproof, and replacement parts are readily available. Once my replacement Bullet is received by a friend in US - I will be selling it - at a discount.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by MollyBloom

Once my replacement Bullet is received by a friend in US - I will be selling it - at a discount.

If it is a Bullet2HP I'll take it.

[MollyBloom]

It IS a Bullet 2hp and it also comes with a wireless hotspot. Here is exactly what it is. I bought it from wifi for boats and this has been pulled from their website. I understand that none are available until Mid June so you would have to wait that long for it. I could actually get the replacement sent directly to your address if we could work out a price. This unit will be BRAND new and never used and I would like $300 for all. You can see that I paid $400 for it.

Let me know if you are still interested and we can make arrangements

Marie

msflsunshine at gmail dot com



Complete Wi-Fi System
15 db Wi-Fi Antenna &
Onboard Hot Spot

• <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  15 db Omni Directional High Gain Antenna.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  1000 mw Bullet 2hp Wi-Fi Station/Router.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  100 mw PicoStation Wi-Fi Bridge/Router.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  WPA2 Hot Spot Encryption Security.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  2 Power Over Ethernet Injectors.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  2 36 inch 12VDC pigtails for Power Injectors.
  <LI style="COLOR: #000000; FONT-WEIGHT: bold">
  12 inch Cat5 Crossover cable.
• 5ft of Cat5 Patch Cable.
• 50ft of Cat5 Antenna to POE Ethernet Cable.
• Complete Instructions and Backup CD.

Price: $395.00

Originally Posted by Auspicious

If it is a Bullet2HP I'll take it.

[R2boat]

Well, any good?....we got a jet blue hot spot one day in the Chesapeake, now where do you think that came from....how about open WiFi when 3-5 miles offshore...we love it...Kindle works on it as well with a router...

[brankin]

The 2hp can be bought all day long for $79.00
Ubiquiti Bullet M2, 2.4 GHz (BulletM2HP)

[avb3]

Originally Posted by brankin

The 2hp can be bought all day long for $79.00
Ubiquiti Bullet M2, 2.4 GHz (BulletM2HP)

Being a neophyte and totally ignorant, my question would be are we comparing apples to apples (Seller advised hotspot addition).

With this discrepancy in price, I am sure someone can comment and clearup.

[Auspicious]

Originally Posted by MollyBloom

It IS a Bullet 2hp and it also comes with a wireless hotspot.

Hi Marie -- My apologies - I thought you were only talking about the Bullet, not the antenna, wifi router, and so on. I'm just interested in the Bullet itself for a project I'm working on.

I have a Bullet2HP, Air802 12dBi antenna, and Linksys WRT54GL router on Auspicious that provides outstanding service. Great set up.

[DotDun]

I suggest all Bullet owners upgrade to the latest firmware. I thought mine went south as it refused to show any networks (and the laptop inside the boat would). Apparently there was a bug where a scan wouldn't display any networks.

Mine is working now.