I use Windows XP and a Linksys Wireless G 2.4 GHz card. Anyone have suggestions for an antenna to attach to increase the reception of card? I'd like to be able to do internet on our boat, a 34'MV picking up the signal from a marina.
Thanks, Sharon of Lead Free Too
WiFi antenna
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SecondWind
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Larry & Sharon,
Jim and Bentley on Salty Paws fashioned a reflector our of a Pringles can, which seemed to increase their range quite a bit. It's a cheap fix and at least worth a try. I'm using the same setup that you are. It works fine from the boat to the house, ~ 50 yards, but haven't yet tried it somewhere like Boot Key harbor.
If you're near Punta Gorda stop and see us. We can always find dock space.
Jim and Bentley on Salty Paws fashioned a reflector our of a Pringles can, which seemed to increase their range quite a bit. It's a cheap fix and at least worth a try. I'm using the same setup that you are. It works fine from the boat to the house, ~ 50 yards, but haven't yet tried it somewhere like Boot Key harbor.
If you're near Punta Gorda stop and see us. We can always find dock space.
Terry Green
s/v Second Wind
36040
s/v Second Wind
36040
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Lady of the Lake
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- Location: Punta Gorda, FL (36015)
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Here is the one I use:
http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/usbscoop.jpg
Seriously, you will not believe how much range you will get with this. I have seen access points while more than a mile away from land. Super easy and cheap to make.
Sam
http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/usbscoop.jpg
Seriously, you will not believe how much range you will get with this. I have seen access points while more than a mile away from land. Super easy and cheap to make.
Sam
Sam and Gina Densler
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
s/v Lady of the Lake
PDQ36 Hull #15
Punta Gorda, FL
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Tanah-Keeta
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- Location: Washington, NC (34108)
Hi Sharon and Larry,
I don't remember if I showed you my solution to that problem. It is an MWB 200 made by Port Networks. It works as a LAN system and not WiFi. Sitting here in Marsh Harbor, I fired up my computer and turned on the internal WiFi and got zip. Plugged in the MWB200 and got 15 sites all sorted by signal strength and identifying which were encrypted or not. I am doing internet at a faster speed than my dialup at home. Go to portnetworks.com. Ignore all the stuff about Baltimore.. they have a bunch of WiFi centers there. Just look at the MWB200. It is pricy... about $400 but it works....
Ron
I don't remember if I showed you my solution to that problem. It is an MWB 200 made by Port Networks. It works as a LAN system and not WiFi. Sitting here in Marsh Harbor, I fired up my computer and turned on the internal WiFi and got zip. Plugged in the MWB200 and got 15 sites all sorted by signal strength and identifying which were encrypted or not. I am doing internet at a faster speed than my dialup at home. Go to portnetworks.com. Ignore all the stuff about Baltimore.. they have a bunch of WiFi centers there. Just look at the MWB200. It is pricy... about $400 but it works....
Ron
Ron McDaniel
TK III 34108
TK III 34108
I'm not sure how this qualifies as a "LAN" and not wifi, since it looks like its just another high power wifi/usb adapter. Does it use special software?
After having having a lot of trouble with the old style card in my old laptop, I got a EnGenius NUB-362 EXT for under $50. It has 200 mW (about 4 times the power of the cards), plus you can plug in an antenna. I haven't been out on the water, but I can see neighbors a few blocks away. Friends with a similar model report having wifi connectivity from Nova Scotia to South Carolina - their biggest problem is too many targets.
After having having a lot of trouble with the old style card in my old laptop, I got a EnGenius NUB-362 EXT for under $50. It has 200 mW (about 4 times the power of the cards), plus you can plug in an antenna. I haven't been out on the water, but I can see neighbors a few blocks away. Friends with a similar model report having wifi connectivity from Nova Scotia to South Carolina - their biggest problem is too many targets.
Jeff Morris, Loki 36072
All,
We started out using an Engenius 250mw adapter with a 30' custom made LR400 cable and a 9db outdoor omni directional antenna. Here in the Bahamas in Georgetown, I regularly pick up 9 or 10 networks of which 3 or 4 are wide open and free to use.
Recently, I swapped my antenna for a 15db one that extended the range to well over 1 mile. Last week I had 3 Alfa network 500mw USB adapters shipped in for myself and a few friends down here and we are now regularly picking up signals at almost 2 miles distance.
I have helped over thirty boats down here in the last four years get setup for wifi from their boat and the setup I currently recommend is as follows:
Antenna:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/OD24-9 ... tenna.html
Cable:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/LMR195 ... ector.html
Adapter:
http://www.data-alliance.net/servlet/th ... s=78bce758
Hope this helps,
Tom
36041
http://www.tendervittles.net
We started out using an Engenius 250mw adapter with a 30' custom made LR400 cable and a 9db outdoor omni directional antenna. Here in the Bahamas in Georgetown, I regularly pick up 9 or 10 networks of which 3 or 4 are wide open and free to use.
Recently, I swapped my antenna for a 15db one that extended the range to well over 1 mile. Last week I had 3 Alfa network 500mw USB adapters shipped in for myself and a few friends down here and we are now regularly picking up signals at almost 2 miles distance.
I have helped over thirty boats down here in the last four years get setup for wifi from their boat and the setup I currently recommend is as follows:
Antenna:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/OD24-9 ... tenna.html
Cable:
http://www.wlanparts.com/product/LMR195 ... ector.html
Adapter:
http://www.data-alliance.net/servlet/th ... s=78bce758
Hope this helps,
Tom
36041
http://www.tendervittles.net
Re: WiFi antenna
hi tom,
is the alpha a direct replacement for the engenious (i.e. wiring and just replace drivers)? why do you think the alpha is better than the engenious?
we currently use the engenious with a 9db antennae.
is the alpha a direct replacement for the engenious (i.e. wiring and just replace drivers)? why do you think the alpha is better than the engenious?
we currently use the engenious with a 9db antennae.
john & diane cummings
duetto mv34 #23
duetto mv34 #23
Re: WiFi antenna
Is there a restriction on the length of the USB cable to the computer?
Sandy Daugherty "Page 83" PDQ 36026
Re: WiFi antenna
hi sandy,
i believe that there is going strictly by the wifi spec. i have recently installed a set of usb receptacles. these resemble normal 110V sockets and face plates. they are connected by 50' of twisted pair. i tested them with my hi-gain wifi antennae which is connected via usb to a powered usb hub which is then plugged into the usb receptacle. the computer is connected via usb to another receptacle. sounds complicated and there certainly is loss in all the wire but it seems to receive wifi sites just as well as if the hi-gain antennae were plugged directly into computer, so i know it can be extended to at least 60'. i'm sure that i'll lose the marginal sites. as we venture south i'll post how the setup is working.
i believe that there is going strictly by the wifi spec. i have recently installed a set of usb receptacles. these resemble normal 110V sockets and face plates. they are connected by 50' of twisted pair. i tested them with my hi-gain wifi antennae which is connected via usb to a powered usb hub which is then plugged into the usb receptacle. the computer is connected via usb to another receptacle. sounds complicated and there certainly is loss in all the wire but it seems to receive wifi sites just as well as if the hi-gain antennae were plugged directly into computer, so i know it can be extended to at least 60'. i'm sure that i'll lose the marginal sites. as we venture south i'll post how the setup is working.
john & diane cummings
duetto mv34 #23
duetto mv34 #23
Re: WiFi antenna
Hey guys,
On the issue of the Engenius versus the Alfa, the Alfa has exactly twice the power output of the Engenius and in theory the range should be twice as far as the Engenius. The reality of the situation for us is that we get about 1.5 to 1.75 times the distance of the Engenius with the high power Alfa.
As an aside, the Alfa has a much tighter gain control receiver and shows only the wifi sites which it can actually connect to where as the Engenius will show 5 or 10 more sites than the Alfa, but it cannot connect to them as their signal is too weak.
Price points are almost equal, the Alfa uses two USB ports rather than one like the Engenius, but if you can afford the small price difference, go with the Alfa.
The drivers that shipped with our last Alfa were almost 9 months old and wouldn't work with Vista. We went to the Alfa site and downloaded the latest driver and everything was good.
We have since switched all shipboard computers over to Ubuntu Linux and have had no trouble getting all four laptops to work with both the Engenius and the Alfa adapters via NDISWRAPPER and the native Windows XP drivers.
Sandy:
As to the length of USB cables, you cannot extend USB beyond 12 feet without time synchronization issues on a the cable unless you use powered amplifiers (i.e. signal re-generators). For boat based wifi solutions, the long run to the antenna should be handled via coax cable not via the USB cable. This means your USB adapter should be within 6 feet of your laptop/desktop computer and then you should have coax cable running the span to you antenna.
Without amplification I have run into problems using the 250mw adapter and more than 30 feet coax cable to the antenna. With the Alfa and its 500mw power output, I have successfully gone to 45 feet without problems, but I'm sure that is pushing close to the edge of reliability.
Remember, I'm not a frequency spectrum analyst, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Good luck.
Tom
36041
www.tendervittles.net
On the issue of the Engenius versus the Alfa, the Alfa has exactly twice the power output of the Engenius and in theory the range should be twice as far as the Engenius. The reality of the situation for us is that we get about 1.5 to 1.75 times the distance of the Engenius with the high power Alfa.
As an aside, the Alfa has a much tighter gain control receiver and shows only the wifi sites which it can actually connect to where as the Engenius will show 5 or 10 more sites than the Alfa, but it cannot connect to them as their signal is too weak.
Price points are almost equal, the Alfa uses two USB ports rather than one like the Engenius, but if you can afford the small price difference, go with the Alfa.
The drivers that shipped with our last Alfa were almost 9 months old and wouldn't work with Vista. We went to the Alfa site and downloaded the latest driver and everything was good.
We have since switched all shipboard computers over to Ubuntu Linux and have had no trouble getting all four laptops to work with both the Engenius and the Alfa adapters via NDISWRAPPER and the native Windows XP drivers.
Sandy:
As to the length of USB cables, you cannot extend USB beyond 12 feet without time synchronization issues on a the cable unless you use powered amplifiers (i.e. signal re-generators). For boat based wifi solutions, the long run to the antenna should be handled via coax cable not via the USB cable. This means your USB adapter should be within 6 feet of your laptop/desktop computer and then you should have coax cable running the span to you antenna.
Without amplification I have run into problems using the 250mw adapter and more than 30 feet coax cable to the antenna. With the Alfa and its 500mw power output, I have successfully gone to 45 feet without problems, but I'm sure that is pushing close to the edge of reliability.
Remember, I'm not a frequency spectrum analyst, but I did sleep at a Holiday Inn Express last night. Good luck.
Tom
36041
www.tendervittles.net