Long-Distance WiFi Device

[captfolly]

hey Chris...

the antenna is an L-Com 4 db omni, very well made, maybe should have gone for the 6 or 8 db ones but the 4 db has worked well for us...here is the L-Com page for the 4 db...

2.4 GHz 4 dBi Omnidirectional Antenna - N-Female Connector - HGV-2404U

the antenna is mounted directly to the bullet2 N connector...no cable losses...

George

[gilarad]

hi,i intend sailing from chicago to mediterrene.i am looking for a partner.
email:mizkoviz@yahoo.com

[hellosailor]

grunzster, Wifi can be a good reason to buy a longer cable sometimes. I just replaced the Wifi module in my laptop. Not because I can prove it was defective, but because the laptop sometimes just drops WiFi from more than one router & location, and the only culprit in common is the Wifi module in the computer.

Diagnostics, logging, all can be real long processes so I played the warranty card. (How else do you fix something that's invisible?!)

[off-the-grid]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

grunzster, Wifi can be a good reason to buy a longer cable sometimes. I just replaced the Wifi module in my laptop. Not because I can prove it was defective, but because the laptop sometimes just drops WiFi from more than one router & location, and the only culprit in common is the Wifi module in the computer.

Diagnostics, logging, all can be real long processes so I played the warranty card. (How else do you fix something that's invisible?!)

I think it's just a software issue. My marina changed their hardware recently. I think I may still be connecting to the old network...which is still visible for some reason. The internal antenna was doing the same thing from inside the marina, but once I connected to the new network I was on. Just need to try the same thing with the Alfa from the boat...but considering my part time heat scheme, due to my last electric bill. I think, I'll just sit in the marina office to use the internet until spring.

[Therapy]

I don't know what to do for the future.

I have a Hawking dish (HWU8DD) and we have tried it twice and found a few non-encrypted sites while anchored but could not connect with them. All looks fine on the dish and it's software screen but no workee.

Would the more expensve set up be different?

[hellosailor]

" and it's software screen "
There's often a conflict between the "native" WiFi control software in an OS, and any third-party WiFi control software that may be installed. If you are using XP or Vista, try just using what comes with the OS, see how that works without any "helpers".
Too many cooks spoiling the broth, and all that good stuff.

Using a dish, or any other simple antenna, shouldn't require extra software. Somehow...WiFi control software (and Windows networking setup) still manages to be a PITA at times. Or (as I suspected with mine) it could be a problem in your computer, even something as simple as a loose antenna cable on an internal WiFi card. (They just snap on, not very impressive or robust looking.)

[Therapy]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

" and it's software screen "
There's often a conflict between the "native" WiFi control software in an OS, and any third-party WiFi control software that may be installed. If you are using XP or Vista, try just using what comes with the OS, see how that works without any "helpers".
Too many cooks spoiling the broth, and all that good stuff.

Looked at that too.
Can't figger it out.

[W32PAMELA]

Originally Posted by Therapy

I don't know what to do for the future.
I have a Hawking dish (HWU8DD) ...
Would the more expensve set up be different?

Get an EUB362 or similar USB adapter and enough cable to hoist the adapter at least 10' off the deck. You will probably get better results and won't have to spend much. If this works you can decide if you want improve on this by adding a high gain antenna and or waterproofing or if you want to move to a more expensive router based system.

[hellosailor]

Therpay-
With 30 pages of posts in this thread...how about start a new one, with exactly what you've got (hardware, software, OS, problem) and we all try to resolve it there?

This is on the Jon boat, right? :-)

[LuvToSail]

Ubiquiti BULLET2 AP or CPE Outdoor 802.11b/g ($39)
UBIQUITI BULLET2-HP 800mW WIRELESS AP or CPE OUTDOOR 802.11b/g ($79)
Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP Outdoor 802.11n 802.11g ($79) Ubiquiti BULLET-M5-HP Outdoor 802.11n 802.11a ($79)
BULLET5 WIRELESS AP/CPE, OUTDOOR 802.11a 150mW ($59)



...I assume that the Bullet others have had success with is the 2-HP 800mW b/g model...it appears that one can't 802.11 a/b/g/AND n

What wireless standard b/g or a/n is better?

[hellosailor]

b was obsoleted by g was obsoleted by n. As best I recall:

Backward compatibility means any "n" device works with "g" and "b" and any "g" device works with "b".

"n" an also use 2.5GHz or 5GHz bands, but the vast majority of it only uses the 2.5GHz band that b and g also use.

802.11a is entirely different from the others, aside from using the 5GHz band.

So you don't choose "b/g" versus "a/n". You choose the oddball "a" that you won't find any public support for, or "n" which will fall back to work with all the common g equipment that's out there on 2.5GHz. And might work with most the the "draft n" equipment that's been sold in the past couple of years. "Finalized standard n" has only recently started shipping. Performance may vary more for draft equipment.

Ubiquiti's data sheet on the "M5 HP" adapter indicates is it 802.11n on 5GHz only. NOT a+n, and no support for the 2.5GHz/n equipment that's in common use. Another piece of oddball gear--according to them.

[Extemporaneous]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

b was obsoleted by g was obsoleted by n. As best I recall:

Backward compatibility means any "n" device works with "g" and "b" and any "g" device works with "b".

"n" an also use 2.5GHz or 5GHz bands, but the vast majority of it only uses the 2.5GHz band that b and g also use.

802.11a is entirely different from the others, aside from using the 5GHz band.

So you don't choose "b/g" versus "a/n". You choose the oddball "a" that you won't find any public support for, or "n" which will fall back to work with all the common g equipment that's out there on 2.5GHz. And might work with most the the "draft n" equipment that's been sold in the past couple of years. "Finalized standard n" has only recently started shipping. Performance may vary more for draft equipment.

Ubiquiti's data sheet on the "M5 HP" adapter indicates is it 802.11n on 5GHz only. NOT a+n, and no support for the 2.5GHz/n equipment that's in common use. Another piece of oddball gear--according to them.

I always thought it was 2.4GHz not 2.5GHz.
Ooops.

Extemp.

[LuvToSail]

thanks Hellosailor
so I have narrowed my choice to:

UBIQUITI BULLET2-HP 800mW WIRELESS AP or CPE OUTDOOR 802.11b/g

or

Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP Outdoor 802.11n 802.11g


my understanding of these two options is one has support for the newer 802.11 n equipment (and b and g backwards compatability)...the other doesn't have n but has greater power??

[W32PAMELA]

Get the Bullet2HP rather than the BulletM2HP if you have the option. The M series was designed to work with other "n" mode devices and while it is backwards compatible you'll be better off with the B2hp. For public internet access the "n" mode does not offer any benefits.

[Not Sure]

Its usually better to have a wifi access point on the boat configured as a 'client' to connect to the marina's (or whatever) wifi access point. Your laptop onboard becomes just a part of your boat LAN. That way, your 'client' remains essentially dumb, and connects to what you tell it to connect to, and the Windows OS on your laptop is ignorant of what is beyond your LAN, and doesn't try to reconfigure everything as Windows is wont to do.