WI FI Extender Not Logging On

[SJFK]

Hi,
I wondered if anyone had experienced the same difficulties I have had in getting my £440 wifi extender system to work.
I have a macbook pro, using Chrome to initiate the connection, and then using safari to search the internet. Many providers now do not ask for a WPK password at the outset, but ask for a code they give you to populate a pop up screen when you connect. The problem I have is that my system for whatever reason never gets the pop up screen so can not apply the code.
Does anyone out there have some experience of this and how they resolved the issues part from ripping out the whole system and throwing it overboard?

Many thanks

SJFK

[lifgun]

What kind of extender we’re talking about??

[lifgun]

Sounds at least much to expensive [emoji6]

[markfsanderson]

Questions For You:

• Brand and Model?
• Have you verified that you have installed the latest firmware available for that unit?
• Has it ever worked?
• If it has worked, what has changed on your end since it last worked. Don't assume anything, name them all.
• We can find Wifi Extenders here in the states for $100.00 and less. What make this extender so special? What bands and protocols does it extend? (2.5g, 5.0g, b,g,n,ac)
• Is this an extender or an Access Point (AP) - there is a difference.

Where is the extender plugged in? Have you ensured that it is plugged into high quality power source?

Mark

[lifgun]

Sharp questions [emoji106]

[lifgun]

Was spending most of my life with not working WiFi extenders...[emoji23]

[lifgun]

Normally it’s some cabling problem/ or poE problem

[lifgun]

The price mark....

[markfsanderson]

Originally Posted by lifgun

Sharp questions [emoji106]

Thanks!

[lifgun]

Check ubnt website.... bullet m

[SJFK]

HI, and many thanks for the feedback. To answer some of your questions:

I have a HUAWEI 4g enabled router with an Alpha 2.4Ghz modem and a high gain antenna.
The router is connected to an ethernet switch so I can switch between 4g and wifi.
It has worked before, twice, and having made a connection it remained good until the next morning when we slipped our lines.

It is an access point with a high gain antenna so should pick up signals from a distance.

We have changed marinas, and we are now Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Before this we were in Gibraltar and Madeira.

The modem detects the network, and indicates the signal strength. It seems that after we select a network at for example -76Dbm, and as soon as we try to connect, the signal strength drops to -96Dbm and so is too weak for the modem to use.
There is nothing special about this system. It is a a number of different elements pulled together by one company and sold under their brand name. I bought it for the convenience factor, but it has not been convenient at all!

It is so frustrating, but I wonder if there is something I am missing or not doing to capture the stronger signal.

Any advice is welcome,
Best regards to all,
SJFK

[LoudMusic]

Unfortunately wifi is not an exact science (it is, but from the user's experience, it isn't). There are a lot of factors that manipulate wifi quality. And being on the fringe of coverage makes it wildly unpredictable. Anything over -60dbm starts to be extra sensitive. Anything over -65dbm and you're pushing it. You're in the upper 70s, so reliability is going to get real bad.

On top of that, if the wireless access point you're connecting to has too many users on it, you'll get really lousy performance.

If you're on the fringe of being connected, it might not even respond to you.

Just because you are in range of it, doesn't mean it is in range of you (or visa versa, however you want to read that). You have high gain, but maybe it's a cheapo access point.

[SV Coronado]

Make sure you’re not initially going to a site that is using SSL, in other words, a site that starts with “https”. Many sites will redirect you to their SSL site automatically, for example, if you type in http://www.google.com it will redirect you to https://www.google.com. I run into this issue a lot. I typically use http://www.espn.com and then the WiFi router will send me to the login page where I can enter my WiFi password.

[markfsanderson]

Originally Posted by SJFK

HI, and many thanks for the feedback. To answer some of your questions:

I have a HUAWEI 4g enabled router with an Alpha 2.4Ghz modem and a high gain antenna.
The router is connected to an ethernet switch so I can switch between 4g and wifi.
It has worked before, twice, and having made a connection it remained good until the next morning when we slipped our lines.

It is an access point with a high gain antenna so should pick up signals from a distance.

We have changed marinas, and we are now Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. Before this we were in Gibraltar and Madeira.

The modem detects the network, and indicates the signal strength. It seems that after we select a network at for example -76Dbm, and as soon as we try to connect, the signal strength drops to -96Dbm and so is too weak for the modem to use.
There is nothing special about this system. It is a a number of different elements pulled together by one company and sold under their brand name. I bought it for the convenience factor, but it has not been convenient at all!

It is so frustrating, but I wonder if there is something I am missing or not doing to capture the stronger signal.

Any advice is welcome,
Best regards to all,
SJFK

Tell me about this 'high gain ' antenna? Is it flat? Does it look like a miniaturized version of a old fashion directional TV antenna? Also, this question is hard to phrase but here goes: Playing like you are looking from the top (god view) of down towards your boat, does the antenna 'look' across the same section of boat in both ports? That is, for example maybe your antenna is mounted on the aft stays and 'looks' dead aft in your original port. Does it now 'look' through some stays, masts and etc now in the new port? Is it on top of the main mast? Is the antenna directional; can it be steered towards the highest gain? Distance to marinas antenna in new and old port? Can you determine the brand/model of the new and old marinas access point? Sometimes this makes a difference . . they might be a version or two behind on their firmware upgrades . . .

Mark

[Escapaide]

On my system I need to attempt to open a new page on my browser which then brings up the login page for the internet provider. Sometimes I need to try more than once to get there.