Long-Distance WiFi Device

[GordMay]

Magazine links
Blue Water Sailing: Blue Water Sailing Magazine
Ocean Navigator: Ocean Navigator

[phiggins]

I bought a
USB WIRELESS LONG RANGE adapter w/ 2 EXTERNAL ANTENNAS

from www.rokland.com . It works with PC. MAC or Linux. It only costs me 42.97 plus $7 shipping to Canada. BTW they are on sale right now for $38.67.

I got to try it last week when we were sailing from Toronto to Kingston. As we were sailing past Cobourg 1/2 mile out I was able to get Cobourg marina's wireless signal quite well. I also notice when I use it at my marina, my VPN always works where before the internal wireless worked only occassionally.

Paul

[BinghamN]

The 5milewifi unit sounded like an answer to my dreams being able to reach those stations that are always just on the edge of connection.
The 5milewifi unit I purchased is either faulty or doesn't perform, the internal card on my laptop draws in more signals. When I asked 5milewifi for a solution after many emails they suggested it may be faulty, OK I said send a replacement, NO they said send the original back, and we will repair or replace if we deem it to be faulty. OK I said who pays for the shipping YOU DO they said.
All in all there is no support if it doesn't work throw it away it will be cheaper. My unit cost $399 US plus $188.60 shipping plus € 165 import taxes into Europe. They won't refund the shipping charges if I send it back and I'll probably end up paying import duty again on a new unit.
Their support is not helpful and they seem to feel thet can send out product that is faulty and expect the customer to pay !!

Originally Posted by jcmoon

Howdy,

www.5milewifi.com

I have been looking at wifi booster systems and this one looks pretty interesting. I have tried radio Labs Wave RV and it does not work very well for us. It has very low power 200mw compared to this gadget. has anyone tried one of these?

thanks

JC

[chucktro]

Originally Posted by Ram

I also have Engenius EUB 362 and have attached 3 usb cables with some kind of amp on each one, I think they are 12-15 feet long and mounted a 9db antanina on my spreader it has picked up as far as about 2 miles in some cases,

What kind of cables are you using which contain an amp?

[W32PAMELA]

He is using USB active extension cables such as THIS ONE

[john Fussell]

Originally Posted by Gashmore

The best solution is to get a high power waterproof wifi router/bridge and mount it on a spreader or at the masthead. Run an Ethernet wire down to your PC or an access point for local wifi. Power is supplied to the router up on the mast through the Ethernet line using POE (Power over Ethernet) from a little injector in the cabin.

Next best is a 200mw eub-362 and a 15' USB cable. When you want to use the Internet place the 362 on the cabin top with maybe 5' of LMR250 coax to a 9db marine antenna mounted on something like a Bimini bow. You will not get the eye popping range of 400 mw at the masthead but it will serve well out to maybe a mile or so from a good shore signal.

The idea is to send your data the longest distance through the ethernet or USB cable which do not loose power and keep the coax run as short as possible.

I agree with Gashmore. The range with a POE bridge is much further than using a USB wifi device. But there is a problem. I bought an Airbridge with really good range, then out came the new standard with WPA instead of WEP security and my Airbridge would not work with WPA. So I ended up going back to a cheaper USB solution. New standards come out all the time WPA WPA-2 and now the N protocol. I think that buying a new cheap USB based solution every few years seems better and more cost efficient. There is no point in having 5 mile range if it becomes obsolete every few years.

[Rangiroo]

I can attest that the Radiolabs antenna is absolutely awful and not worth a dime...the built-in wifi on both my mac and my pc laptops pick up way more stations than the radiolabs antenna....they should be shot for selling such a piece of crap...be warned!!

[W32PAMELA]

Originally Posted by john Fussell

I agree with Gashmore. The range with a POE bridge is much further than using a USB wifi device.

If the specs of a POE bridge and a USB device are equal there is no reason to expect that one will have a greater range than the other.

Originally Posted by john Fussell

I bought an Airbridge with really good range, then out came the new standard with WPA instead of WEP security and my Airbridge would not work with WPA.

WPA or WEP security are of little concern to most cruisers since they generally connect to open hotspots. If you encounter security at a marina hotspot it will usually be WEP or MAC filtering unless the provider is using server authentication. I am not familiar with the manufacturer of the Airbridge but most bridge manufacturers will continually upgrade their firmware to add new services to their equipment. Likewise USB device makers add new services when necessary by providing new drivers. Did you check to see if Airbridge had any firmware upgrades for their equipment that may have added WPA?

Bob Stewart

[ernoquic]

I tried everything, the antenna from radiolabs and the saneo external router.
But the best is an good 1 watt inline amplifier from shireeninc.com this connected to an 15 dbm omni antenna from fab-corb.com and this all connected to an engenius 362 ext usb adapter.
I have wifi connection almost the hole caribbean.

Good luck with it!

Best regards,

Erno Straatmann
S/V TARA

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by ernoquic

I tried everything, the antenna from radiolabs and the saneo external router.
But the best is an good 1 watt inline amplifier from shireeninc.com this connected to an 15 dbm omni antenna from fab-corb.com and this all connected to an engenius 362 ext usb adapter.
I have wifi connection almost the hole caribbean.

Good luck with it!

Best regards,

Erno Straatmann
S/V TARA

Thanks for that info!!!

[Hal]

Lets see, 1 watt transmitter times 9dB gain gives 8 watts eirp. 3dB loss gives 4 watts eirp. That just makes the limit. If you do not have the 3dB loss you might be illegal.

Some of the channels used are in the Amateur Radio 2.4 GHz band. If you exceed the legal EIRP, you need a Ham license and need to Identify your transmission with your callsign.

When using higher gain for greater distance, range is limited by the turn around time off the system software. There is presently no way to change this that I know of. Just because this equipment is made and sold doesn't mean that it is leagle to use it without the proper license.

[grunzster]

Originally Posted by Beausoleil

I opted for the Engenius EOC-8610S-EXT wireless client bridge/access point, which is IEEE 802.11/a/b/g capable (2.4/5GHz), in the off chance I come across an 802.11a system. Like the EOC-2610 and others, it's remotely powered via its Ethernet connection (POE).

I just got this unit, but haven't installed it yet.

Is there a special type of Ethernet cable you need to use with it?
If not, is there a preference to cat5, cat5e, or cat6?

Also, did you get a higher gain antenna, or just use the wimpy little one that came with it?

[Gashmore]

Regular CAT5 cable will work but for a boat I would recommend a gel filled direct burial CAT5 to eliminate moisture problems. The only complicated part is that you have to thread the cable through the rubber seal and screw on cap before installing the RJ45 plug. You can buy an RJ-45 crimp tool at Radoi Shack for $10-$12.

[grunzster]

Originally Posted by Gashmore

Regular CAT5 cable will work but for a boat I would recommend a gel filled direct burial CAT5 to eliminate moisture problems. The only complicated part is that you have to thread the cable through the rubber seal and screw on cap before installing the RJ45 plug. You can buy an RJ-45 crimp tool at Radoi Shack for $10-$12.

Rather than spend the money on a crimp tool that's likely only going to be used once, I was thinking of just buying a finished cable, cutting one end off to plug it in and then splicing it back together.

Do you really think there's that much of a chance of moisture getting in?

After all one end is going to be plugged into the unit with the seal protecting it, then run through the mast, with the other end inside the cabin. I'd think if moisture does get in, it would most likely be because of a tear in the shield, in which case you'd want to replace the cable anyway. And if it was to get in from inside the cabin, then you'd probably be getting moisture in the power injector too, which would mean bigger problems.

[oceansoul63]

Anybody ever use a "cantenna?"

A friend of mine uses one on his boat and says it works great.