Enhance Weak Marina WI-FI

[Snore]

I really don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so here it goes.

The free marina Wi-Fi signal is marginal in my cabin. What is the most cost-efficient doo-dad I can buy to receive and repeat the signal. I have several theories, and would like to hear some real world experiences.

Remember cost-efficient (Cheap). I am doing another 8 days in quarantine and want to see Netflix at night

Thanks

[Nicholson58]

We use a RedPort Halo WIFI extender. It is easily stored below and hoisted at anchor. In Dominica we get good signal up to about 200 yards from three shore stations. About $400 US

Semantics. The item you want is an Extender, not a booster. Oddly, it is used to boost a weak signal.

Marine Satellite Internet Network Management - Ship to Shore

[Woodland Hills]

Are you sure the marina WiFi will support streaming? It would be a shame to spend money to boost the signal if it is too slow to give you what you need....

[Montanan]

Originally Posted by Woodland Hills

Are you sure the marina WiFi will support streaming? It would be a shame to spend money to boost the signal if it is too slow to give you what you need....

Exactly, first determine if you have a weak signal issue or if there is a bandwidth limitation. A strong signal or a signal enhancer / extender will not resolve limited bandwidth. Recommend that you take your wifi connected device so as to be as close to the source wifi antenna and perform an internet speed test to determine if there is adequate uploading and downloading speed. Then start walking away from the wife source antenna and recheck the speed test results, until you get to or inside your boat.

Many wifi networks are shared with many users and / or they have placed data limits on their system so as to inhibit large bandwidth uses or to mitigate against large usage costs.

An extender will not fix a source bandwidth constraint.

Ha, one has to love autospell correction, I typed wifi and it posted wife. Well if in doubt check with the wife.

[wingssail]

Originally Posted by Snore

I really don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so here it goes.

The free marina Wi-Fi signal is marginal in my cabin. What is the most cost-efficient doo-dad I can buy to receive and repeat the signal. I have several theories, and would like to hear some real world experiences.

Remember cost-efficient (Cheap). I am doing another 8 days in quarantine and want to see Netflix at night

Thanks

We, and our neighbors, have been fighting poor marina Internet (WiFi) for years and complaining to the marina constantly. I was told by other cruisers that I would never get it to work, just give up and take my tablet or laptop to the marina lounge. The marina said, "This is all we can do, take it or leave it." (Nice, huh?). I tried all kinds of antennas and routers. Nothing worked. Even high end omni WiFi antennas on neighbor's boats did not work well.

BUT NOW I have solved this issue at least for myself, for $56.

In my opinion the problem is directional. Most WiFi antennas, including special high end omni antennas, accept signals from any direction, and in a marina you get bounced signals from all the masts and other equipment around you. The WiFi card cannot easily resolve all the bounced signals. I noticed one guy, who was working from his boat at the END of the dock, had no complaints about the WiFi. He was using a flat rectangular Ubiguiti antenna system. Nice! But it costs too much.

Then I found a product, the Bear Outdoor Extender, https://www.bearifi.com/products/bea...wi-fi-extender which is a flat, rectangular, directional antenna and plugs directly into my laptop with its USB cable.

I point this towards the Marina's antenna and Bingo, Internet works great for us. We also use it anchor and have connected from AP's at least 1/2 mile and often farther away. Of course you have to re-orient it when you boat moves.

But this device works. Netflix and other streaming are no problems.

[GTom]

I use a HUAWEI E5885 mobile hotspot in a waterproof bag, hoisted to the spreader. Battery lasts a full day, its antenna is not stronger than of an average phone but the positioning helps a lot.

Add a data sim and you have internet while on the hook too.

Certainly not enough for 4k but sufficient for basic comms/email.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Snore

I really don’t want to reinvent the wheel, so here it goes.

The free marina Wi-Fi signal is marginal in my cabin. What is the most cost-efficient doo-dad I can buy to receive and repeat the signal. I have several theories, and would like to hear some real world experiences.

Remember cost-efficient (Cheap). I am doing another 8 days in quarantine and want to see Netflix at night

Thanks

Hey Snore,

We had a similar problem... weak signal down in the cabin. We could take a laptop or phone up to the flybridge and get a much better signal. Do you have the ability to do that? If so, our solution might work for you, too.

We dropped by Best Buy and picked up a Netgear wifi extender for less than $60. After setting it up, we left it plugged in to an outlet on the flybridge and then connected all of our devices down in the cabins to it. Works great.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by MV Wanderlust

Hey Snore,

We had a similar problem... weak signal down in the cabin. We could take a laptop or phone up to the flybridge and get a much better signal. Do you have the ability to do that? If so, our solution might work for you, too.

We dropped by Best Buy and picked up a Netgear wifi extender for less than $60. After setting it up, we left it plugged in to an outlet on the flybridge and then connected all of our devices down in the cabins to it. Works great.

Perfect thanks! This should make the next 8 days of quarantine easier.


@woodland hills yes they do. A tad dodgy, but it is ok.

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Snore

Perfect thanks! This should make the next 8 days of quarantine easier.

You're welcome. During the setup process, you have the ability to rename the zone the extender creates. Let's say your marina is using the very common OnSpotWifi. You connect the extender to OnSpotWifi3_5G. The extender will create zones named OnSpotWifi3_2GExt and OnSpotWifi3_5GExt. The default is to use the same password as the marina's hotspot that you initially connected to. That would tell everyone in the marina that your extender is available for connection. Instead, we named the zone it created after our boat with 5G at the end, Wanderlust_5G and then changed the password to our normal wifi password. Now we're the only ones that can use the extender. That approach could work for you, too.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by MV Wanderlust

You're welcome. During the setup process, you have the ability to rename the zone the extender creates. Let's say your marina is using the very common OnSpotWifi. You connect the extender to OnSpotWifi3_5G. The extender will create zones named OnSpotWifi3_2GExt and OnSpotWifi3_5GExt. The default is to use the same password as the marina's hotspot that you initially connected to. That would tell everyone in the marina that your extender is available for connection. Instead, we named the zone it created after our boat with 5G at the end, Wanderlust_5G and then changed the password to our normal wifi password. Now we're the only ones that can use the extender. That approach could work for you, too.

Yes did the at the co-op, renamed the network and changed the password.

Might have fun with the name—NSA_Secret_Stuff_Shhhh

And make up a solid password

[MV Wanderlust]

Originally Posted by Snore

Might have fun with the name—NSA_Secret_Stuff_Shhhh

And make up a solid password

I freaked out my whole neighborhood a few years ago when I set up a WiFi zone called NSA Surveillance Van 6. LMAO

[barnakiel]

I am using a powerful router and a directional antena.


But if the boat twitches, the antena becomes sub-optimal.


I have another antena of the pole type. This is nicer all-round but has less fetch.



The router we have I deployed OpenWRT on it so now it is our router / extender / 'booster' solution all in one.


b.

[barnakiel]

There s also that Ubiquiti bullet thing. Many people have it and say it works very well over longer range than plain banana gear.


barnakiel

[Snore]

@barnakiel, Nicholson58 and Windsail-thank you, those are great solutions for cruisers. My issue is surviving a quarantine on my boat after a delivery.

Assuming the $58 solution works- I way ahead.

[mikedefieslife]

You could get a ubuquiti bullet, but the Mikrotik kit (specifically the Groove AC) is much cheaper, though not as friendly software-wise to set up.

Then either a good omni directional antenna, or better yet since you are static in a marina, a directional antenna. If your boat is moving alot due to wash in the marina, then stick it on a pole or a box or whatever you have on the dock. Total costs should be less than $150