Want to set up a boat WiFi system that connects through marina's wifi

[knockabout]

most marinas have rental or purchase Wi-Fi modem or some offer free Wi-Fi as a sweetener / we have a Telstra portable Wi-Fi modem that runs up to 5 devices / stays plugged in to the usb adaptor in a cig socket to keep it charged / times off after inactivity for 10 minutes it just takes a paused press on a button to restart /
cost $49 from Australia post and being pre-paid recharge vouchers are obtainable at most shopping centres, service stations, newsagents or online through Telstra / the small modem has it's own batteries and can be carried in a waterproof bag in the dinghy and used pretty well anywhere there is phone coverage / we are using it now in the mud pen / no problems with solar power we have heat wave conditions at the moment

[Capt Gary]

PDQ has a pretty good system that works well for us The boat ends up being the wifi you hook everything up to and you just need to connect the boat's wifi wherever you are. I'm sure there are other cheaper systems, but it is good enough for us to stream netflix at the marina and is simple to use.

[bcboomer]

Island Time system is terrific. It's one stop shopping and excellent customer service.

Chuck
Jacaranda
Tahiti[/QUOTE]

[CarinaPDX]

There have been lots of suggestions for packaged solutions; these come at a financial cost. If you are not comfortable with the usual wifi AP interface then they are well worth considering. If you are comfortable with the stock firmware then no need to spend that much money.

I use a Ubiquiti Bullet M Titanium (BM2-Ti) mated to an omni antenna (12dB IIRC). This is a well sealed unit, whose aluminum body serves as a heat sink. Down below the ethernet cable from the Bullet connects to a Ubiquiti airGateway, which in turn is plugged into the Bullet POE power supply for a compact package. The airGateway serves as a low-power wifi AP inside the boat, and can be set up to use the 5GHz band to reduce rf congestion (highly recommended if all of your devices support the 5GHz band). I also connect a simple 1GHz switch to the airGateway, which allows direct ethernet connection to my NAS (Network Attached Server) for storage and backup, plus other devices needing ethernet. This system has worked great for me for years.

Greg

[Edit: Both the Bullet M and the airGateway use the same firmware, slightly tailored to the device. This means only having to learn one firmware package.]

[MV Wanderlust]

These are some great suggestions! I had no idea there were so many options. Thank you very much for the responses. I have a lot of researching and comparing to do before deciding which direction to go.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by foufou

A laptop has all the hardware necessary to serve as a router. I have a setup with free downloaded software that turns my laptop into a router.
works just fine though i do enhance the range with an Alpha antenna signal booster plugged into the usb port of the laptop. F

How's that work? What software?

-Chris

[foufou]

I don't remember which free software I used to turn my laptop into a router. I tried a few before finding one that worked. Just google the free software to turn laptop into a router and you will find options to try out

[Harry Brown]

Originally Posted by ranger42c

How's that work? What software?

-Chris

This software is not free but if you apply the 40% coupon on the first page, it's not too bad price really.

Turn your PC into a Wi-Fi Hotspot - Connectify Hotspot

I have used it a lot.

[barnakiel]

Windows 8.0 and upwards have the trick built in. On our 'new' Acer laptop you simply click 'create AP' icon and that's that.

Software AP can be also done on Win 7, but I believe not on Win XP.

Not all wifi cards support this but many do. Atheros does.

How to Turn Your Windows PC Into a Wi-Fi Hotspot

Turn Your Windows PC Into a Wireless Hotspot

But all the above methods require that at least one PC is always on. A wifi extender acting as a hardware AP is a much more sensible solution in some cases.

b.

[rikitiki]

Purchase a home router, like a TP-Link Archer C7 AC1750 , and attach all your toys to it either thru wireless or hardwire. By doing so, you'll have only one device to reconfigure when you tie up at other marinas. Make sure everything is configured DHCP rather than static IP. When you arrive at a new marina, you'll TP-Link will find the SSID and all you'd need to do then is enter the given password.

[ranger58sb]

Originally Posted by foufou

Just google the free software to turn laptop into a router and you will find options to try out

Originally Posted by Harry Brown

This software is not free but if you apply the 40% coupon on the first page, it's not too bad price really.
Turn your PC into a Wi-Fi Hotspot - Connectify Hotspot

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Windows 8.0 and upwards have the trick built in. On our 'new' Acer laptop you simply click 'create AP' icon and that's that.

Software AP can be also done on Win 7, but I believe not on Win XP.

Thanks, guys. I had only glanced at trying it before, andthat with a Win7 laptop that was connected wirelessly (i.e., not wired) at the time.

All good; the two "turn your Windows PC..." links were quickly useful, anf the built-in capability worked on this Win10 machine like a champ.

And something like Connectify looks good too, if the Win7 machine still needs to play a role.

-Chris