Long range WiFi Intenet access

[by'eck]

For some time now the cruiser/sailor community particularly on the other side of the Atlantic, have been using long range Wireless LAN (WiFi) equipment to provide Internet access whilst on their boats. High power external USB devices work significantly better than the feeble adapters built into most laptops, but the clever money is on using wireless LAN bridges.

 

Ubiquiti offer a range of economically priced professional equipment for wireless internet service providers (WISP's). The cruising community have been quick to realise this highly configurable equipment can simply be adapted to provide access to wireless hotspots/access points (AP's) over great distances. Up to a mile is typical although working connections of up to five miles over open water have been claimed.

 

The Bullet is the most popular choice from the Ubiquiti range.

It consists of a high power, high sensitivity WiFi transceiver coupled internally to a LAN bridge. Its design allows direct attachment of suitable omni-directional pole antenna which when mounted, entirely supports the Bullet via its N type connector. A LAN cable connects your laptop or PC to the Bullet with simple "power over ethernet" (POE) passive adapter in between.

As the Bullet works with 10 to 30 volts DC it can simply be hooked up to your boats battery system although a similar mains powered adapter is also available.

 

Whilst sailing boats require connection to be maintained whilst swinging at anchor hence omni-directional antenna, narrow boats can take advantage of the NanoStation from Ubiquiti.

Although a little more expensive it works in the same manner but with built-in cross polarised antenna's providing greater sensitivity/range & is supplied with mains power adapter, although the passive one above can be used as well. Although its antenna's are directional, pointing it within 30 degrees of the AP is acceptable to maintain a connection.

 

Both devices share the same firmware & therefore set-up screens which are accessed through your normal web browser. Some initial configuration is necessary to set the device to a "Station" to allow connection to suitable AP within range. I have written a set of dumbed-down instructions for that purpose which apply to either device.

 

Note that once configured you can plug the LAN cable into a local WiFi router for wireless distribution of Internet connection within your boat - or your neighbours if feeling generous.

 

Obviously you should have permission to use any particular hotspot but would draw your attention to BTFON whilst on the move.

Edited April 7, 2011 by richardhula

[WJM]

Not only is this an add, it is utterly unintelligible! Perhaps if you actually communicated what you are selling in a way that could be understood then you would not have to resort to spamming message boards!

[Liam]

I can understand this blatant advert perfectly well

[Proper Job]

Not only is this an add, it is utterly unintelligible! Perhaps if you actually communicated what you are selling in a way that could be understood then you would not have to resort to spamming message boards!

Pretty pictures though.........

 

[WotEver]

Pretty pictures though.........

I couldn't understand them

[nb Innisfree]

That's really handy, trudge a few miles up the towpath to nearest marina/pub 'can I use your internet connection' then trudge a few miles back.

 

I can see that catching on...

Edited April 7, 2011 by nb Innisfree

[bottle]

Now come on lads give credit where it is due, it has taken four days for the first advert to appear.

[WotEver]

Now come on lads give credit where it is due, it has taken four days for the first advert to appear.

[by'eck]

Not only is this an add, it is utterly unintelligible! Perhaps if you actually communicated what you are selling in a way that could be understood then you would not have to resort to spamming message boards!

 

Sorry WJM & Liam. I didn't think it necessary to include a disclaimer but your complete misinterpretation proves otherwise. Let me say therefore as a retired individual that I have no connection whatsoever business or otherwise with any company mentioned in my post. I am sorry but saddened by your quickness to jump to the wrong conclusion & sincerely hope you don't make a practice of this.

 

I & many others have felt the need for Internet access whilst cruising on our boats. The presence of this forum & others suggest that cruising folk here may also be interested in Internet connectivity especially whilst on the move without the need to trudge up the towpath nb Inisfree, although if there's a pub at the end of the trudge isn't that a blessing? If such folk really feel WiFi Internet access directly on their boat is not necessary then please say so or ignore the post.

 

I tried to explain the equipment in as simple terms as possible with illustrations, what it does, how it works, where to buy it in the UK. I have used such equipment myself with great success on boats both sides of the Atlantic to the extent that I now wouldn't be without it. I apologise if it baffles some but would be more than happy to explain more fully.

 

Put as simply as I can manage, its equivalent to an external WiFi adapter of considerably greater power than the built-in one in your laptop. It overrides such with a cable connection from the device to your laptop or PC providing connection to wireless hotspots some distance away which would otherwise not be possible.

Edited April 7, 2011 by richardhula

[Chris Pink]

Not only is this an add, it is utterly unintelligible! Perhaps if you actually communicated what you are selling in a way that could be understood then you would not have to resort to spamming message boards!

Just because you don't understand it is no reason to rubbish what I find informative and interesting.

 

Thank you Richard for bringing this to the forum, please ignore the small minded comments it appears to gave attracted.

 

@WJM: please point out where the OP is trying to sell anything and then go and look up the word 'spam'.

[NB Alnwick]

Just because you don't understand it is no reason to rubbish what I find informative and interesting.

 

Thank you Richard for bringing this to the forum, please ignore the small minded comments it appears to gave attracted.

 

@WJM: please point out where the OP is trying to sell anything and then go and look up the word 'spam'.

 

Like some other members, when I first read the opening post I thought it was blatant commercial advertising. As a member of the 'Site Crew' I have seen a lot of unauthorised commercial advertising and have often deleted it at a very early stage simply because it was in breach of the Forum Rules and Guidelines. I think this is different - first of all this isn't an advert for obscure drugs, sex aids or pornographic websites (these subjects seem to dominate the unauthorised commercial advertising that we see!) and the OP is talking about a subject that many boating members may find to be of interest; secondly, he has stated that he has no direct connection with the company that manufacture and sell the equipment. For these reasons, I think the post is at least as valid as many of the other 'technical' posts we see in theses forums.

Edited April 7, 2011 by NB Alnwick

[ditchcrawler]

 

Obviously you should have permission to use any particular hotspot but would draw your attention to BTFON whilst on the move.

I thought you had to be a BT Internet customer to use that.

[bottle]

Your probably right and the explanation from 'richardhula' is probably true but it does read like an advert.

[Justme]

To be honest I too did think straight away that this was a spam post. A new user with low post count plus the style of the text & the way the pictures have been used as links to the selling site (using a pic as a link is quite unusual on a non techi forum but I see that you have used that method in other posts too).

 

Had this been a reply to a thread asking about wifi it would not have been suspected at all of being spam.

 

I guess it just goes to show that you cant judge a book by its cover.

 

Oh & welcome to the forum.

[Keeping Up]

I thought you had to be a BT Internet customer to use that.

 

Indeed you do - and even if you are, you still have to opt in to it - but then it's a great service.

[ditchcrawler]

Indeed you do - and even if you are, you still have to opt in to it - but then it's a great service.

Which is OK for me as a BT customer but not much help to a liveaboard with no landline.

[Chris Pink]

I thought you had to be a BT Internet customer to use that.

 

Apparently not, what you need to do is persuade someone with a land based broadband to host a Fon box for you (which cost £30). I have been out and about today and seen a fair few BT-FON networks available.

 

Looks like a Very Good Thing Indeed to me.

[nb Innisfree]

Up to a mile range is not as useful as a dongle.

[Keeping Up]

Apparently not, what you need to do is persuade someone with a land based broadband to host a Fon box for you (which cost £30). I have been out and about today and seen a fair few BT-FON networks available.

 

Looks like a Very Good Thing Indeed to me.

 

The networks will be there and visible but I'd be very interested to know how you sign on to them if you are not a BT customer. Normally as soon as you try to access the web, it diverts you to a secure login page to which you can only log in with your BT username and password.

[jelunga]

We have free access to the BT Wifis by having an O2 contract dongle. Very useful

 

Indeed you do - and even if you are, you still have to opt in to it - but then it's a great service.

[stewart&jenny]

thanks for that info. I'm with O2 mobile wise, I wonder if this can be cobbled together re other 'hotspots'? I shall pass this on to serious boyfriend of daughters who is an expert in these sort of things .... let him do the hard work

[by'eck]

Up to a mile range is not as useful as a dongle.

 

By dongle I assume you mean the commonly available mobile broadband USB dongle which with SIM card inserted allows Internet access to your laptop. The problem is the bandwidth & therefore speed is severely limited (at present at least). Depending on your ISP it can be expensive & almost certainly will have a monthly cap on downloaded data. Mobile broadband is fine for your phone but just not tailored for heavy use on a laptop or PC.

 

In answer to those querying the use of BTFON. BT offer to their wireless broadband customers a free opt-in service called BTFON. This adds an entirely separate wireless network emanating from your WiFi router & unimaginatively called "BTFON", which anyone with rights can access & obtain Internet connectivity if in wireless range.

 

In return for providing this service for others you get the rights mentioned above to access any other BTFON wireless network. This involves auto browser re-direction to provide your BT email address & password to log in.

 

Check your nearest BTFON hotspot via postcode here.

 

Non BT account holders can access a similar wireless service called OpenZone working on a pre-paid credit basis.

 

I apologise to those who thought my original post was "blatant commercial advertising spam". I was always lead to believe a picture was worth a thousand words & laid the explanation out as best I could with such.

Edited April 7, 2011 by richardhula

[blackrose]

Would the equipment that richardhula has described help me to obtain a wireless signal on my laptop in the boat at my mooring which comes from the landowner's house? The signal is too weak and so I've been using a 30m ethernet cable, but now that has stopped working for some reason. I can't really afford to take out a contract on a dongle at the moment as I'm skint and on low wages but I need internet to look for a better job so I'm looking for a cheap way to get online in the boat.

[nb Innisfree]

By dongle I assume you mean the commonly available mobile broadband USB dongle which with SIM card inserted allows Internet access to your laptop. The problem is the bandwidth & therefore speed is severely limited (at present at least). Depending on your ISP it can be expensive & almost certainly will have a monthly cap on downloaded data. Mobile broadband is fine for your phone but just not tailored for heavy use on a laptop or PC.

 

 

It's a Huawei E156G USB dongle, it has a socket for an external aerial, works almost as fast and sometimes faster than the several land based broadband connections I have used with our laptop.

Edited April 7, 2011 by nb Innisfree

[by'eck]

It's a Huawei E156G USB dongle, it has a socket for an external aerial, works almost as fast and sometimes faster than the several land based broadband connections I have used with our laptop.

 

Yes its a mobile 3G dongle with the latest HSDPA so my comments above apply. Generally speaking a good WiFi connection to a correctly set up hotspot will always beat it for bandwidth/speed, but accept its horses for courses.

 

Would the equipment that richardhula has described help me to obtain a wireless signal on my laptop in the boat at my mooring which comes from the landowner's house? The signal is too weak and so I've been using a 30m ethernet cable, but now that has stopped working for some reason. I can't really afford to take out a contract on a dongle at the moment as I'm skint and on low wages but I need internet to look for a better job so I'm looking for a cheap way to get online in the boat.

 

Almost certainly and for wireless networks much further away as well.