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PIcking up outside wifi signals.


Dave_P

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My phone contract expires next month (The One Plan) and I' ve been thinking about different options for getting internet on my boat. At my home mooring there are lots of wifi signals which I can pick up when I'm outside near my boat (The Cloud etc) but I don 't get them inside my boat, coz it's a metal box I suppose. So is there a thingy which I can plonk on the roof of my boat, run a power lead into the boat and plug into a 12v socket? This thingy would pick up the wifi signals from outside and 'beam' them down into the boat so when I turn my laptop or phone on, I see all the available wifi signals which are outside.

 

Does such a miraculous thing exist?

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I'm not expert but I would think that a mobile phone' could be used to connect the wi-fi , then have the hotspot turned on to share this connection. Worth a try?

 

Cheers, Brian

It doesn't seem to want to do that. I've tried. I can see why it ought to though. Maybe I'm not doing it right?

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I'm not expert but I would think that a mobile phone' could be used to connect the wi-fi , then have the hotspot turned on to share this connection. Worth a try?

 

Cheers, Brian

 

A normal mobile can't do that, (I don't know if there's any unusual ones out there which could...) because it has one Wi-Fi transciever. If that is being used to connect with an, eg public wifi hotspot, then it can't then be used to connect to a laptop within the boat. Whether its possible to make the connection another way, eg bluetooth or USB cable, I don't know....

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I wouldn't worry too much about you 3 contract ending.

 

Ours ended almost 2 years ago - Three are still taking the money and I have still got unlimited data tethering

Son's contract ended 15 months ago - Three are still taking the money and he has still got unlimited data tethering

Neighbouring boats contract ended 12 months ago - Three are still taking the money and they have still got unlimited data tethering

Brother in Law's contract ended about 12 months ago - Three are still taking the money and he has still got unlimited data tethering

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I have used an old router in my house set to bridge mode, as the virgin router downstairs is very weak upstairs as some of the plasterboard is foil backed. Anyway this may work. If you have an old wifi router you may be able to set it into bridge mode where it links to the external wifi and rebroadcasts it. It would need to have an external aerial on the roof and the router inside the boat. However you may need to know the password of the external device to get it to link before you can connect your own device. I hope someone with better wifi understanding can agree or correct my thinking

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I spent fecking ages browsing Ebay and asking on the forum to find out just this.

I ended up purchasing one of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300Mbp-Pro-WIFI-Wireless-USB-LAN-Ethernet-Adapter-Dongle-802-11n-g-b-Antenna-/191633933297?hash=item2c9e45c3f1

Which sits in a waterproof container on the roof with a long USB cable coming off it, secured with duct tape to make it watertight, which then comes in through a mushroom and connects to my laptop.

Cons: Has to be connected to the laptop via the USB.

 

Pros: It is the mutt's nuts, and does not need a power connection of its own.

It cost less than £6, plus a couple of quid more for a long USB cable, and I went from able to see one Wifi network but not at strong enough signal strength to use it, to seeing a total of ten, all at a banging signal strength, one of which is a BT hotspot. I was going to sign up for the paid BT wifi but I managed to convince a mate who has BT home broadband to allow me to use her roaming password as a log in and use it for free. None of my usage counts off her home allowance.

I am delighted, and it has been fine on the roof in all weathers for not far off a year now.

 

If you are ok with the fact the cable needs to be in the usb of your lappy, this is a total win at sub-£10.

Edited by Starcoaster
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A normal mobile can't do that, (I don't know if there's any unusual ones out there which could...) because it has one Wi-Fi transciever. If that is being used to connect with an, eg public wifi hotspot, then it can't then be used to connect to a laptop within the boat. Whether its possible to make the connection another way, eg bluetooth or USB cable, I don't know....

Blackberry has the option of being used ad a hotspot

Phil

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My phone contract expires next month (The One Plan) and I' ve been thinking about different options for getting internet on my boat. At my home mooring there are lots of wifi signals which I can pick up when I'm outside near my boat (The Cloud etc) but I don 't get them inside my boat, coz it's a metal box I suppose. So is there a thingy which I can plonk on the roof of my boat, run a power lead into the boat and plug into a 12v socket? This thingy would pick up the wifi signals from outside and 'beam' them down into the boat so when I turn my laptop or phone on, I see all the available wifi signals which are outside.

 

Does such a miraculous thing exist?

 

Yes a NanoStation. See also this post.

Edited by by'eck
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A quick Google search reveals something like this:

 

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-range-antenna-booster-caravan/dp/B00BBU7BNM

Thanks. Looks promising but I didn't really understand most of what the page said and I couldn't see how it was powered.

I wouldn't worry too much about you 3 contract ending.

 

Ours ended almost 2 years ago - Three are still taking the money and I have still got unlimited data tethering

Son's contract ended 15 months ago - Three are still taking the money and he has still got unlimited data tethering

Neighbouring boats contract ended 12 months ago - Three are still taking the money and they have still got unlimited data tethering

Brother in Law's contract ended about 12 months ago - Three are still taking the money and he has still got unlimited data tethering

Ah, but my phone needs replacing anyway. If they'll let me go sim only without changing the rest of the contract, it's a go-er. I'm not hopeful though. And I'm not paying full whack for my contract when I've spent the last 2 years paying off the phone.

I have used an old router in my house set to bridge mode, as the virgin router downstairs is very weak upstairs as some of the plasterboard is foil backed. Anyway this may work. If you have an old wifi router you may be able to set it into bridge mode where it links to the external wifi and rebroadcasts it. It would need to have an external aerial on the roof and the router inside the boat. However you may need to know the password of the external device to get it to link before you can connect your own device. I hope someone with better wifi understanding can agree or correct my thinking

Sounds complicated and doesn't sound like it would be a 12v option.

I spent fecking ages browsing Ebay and asking on the forum to find out just this.

I ended up purchasing one of these:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/300Mbp-Pro-WIFI-Wireless-USB-LAN-Ethernet-Adapter-Dongle-802-11n-g-b-Antenna-/191633933297?hash=item2c9e45c3f1

Which sits in a waterproof container on the roof with a long USB cable coming off it, secured with duct tape to make it watertight, which then comes in through a mushroom and connects to my laptop.

Cons: Has to be connected to the laptop via the USB.

 

Pros: It is the mutt's nuts, and does not need a power connection of its own.

It cost less than £6, plus a couple of quid more for a long USB cable, and I went from able to see one Wifi network but not at strong enough signal strength to use it, to seeing a total of ten, all at a banging signal strength, one of which is a BT hotspot. I was going to sign up for the paid BT wifi but I managed to convince a mate who has BT home broadband to allow me to use her roaming password as a log in and use it for free. None of my usage counts off her home allowance.

I am delighted, and it has been fine on the roof in all weathers for not far off a year now.

 

If you are ok with the fact the cable needs to be in the usb of your lappy, this is a total win at sub-£10.

Clever solution. Is there a way I could attach a wifi router to the other end of the cable?

 

Yes a NanoStation. See also this post.

Tried to read the nanostation thing. Now totally confused. Is this actually what I described in my original post? i.e. a thingy I put on the roof of my boat which beams wifi to me and plugs in a 12v socket? There was a lot of stuff about ethernet cables, modems, configuring and mounting poles which didn't seem to fit at all??

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My phone contract expires next month (The One Plan) and I' ve been thinking about different options for getting internet on my boat. At my home mooring there are lots of wifi signals which I can pick up when I'm outside near my boat (The Cloud etc) but I don 't get them inside my boat, coz it's a metal box I suppose. So is there a thingy which I can plonk on the roof of my boat, run a power lead into the boat and plug into a 12v socket? This thingy would pick up the wifi signals from outside and 'beam' them down into the boat so when I turn my laptop or phone on, I see all the available wifi signals which are outside.

 

Does such a miraculous thing exist?

Have a look at the solwise kit. We use their external aerial plugged into their router inside the caravan. (Also a metal box) works a treat. Plus it acts as a single device so if you have to pay for more than one device it dupes the wo fi into thinking there is only one connected. Even though several may be connected to it wirelessly.

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Have a look at the solwise kit. We use their external aerial plugged into their router inside the caravan. (Also a metal box) works a treat. Plus it acts as a single device so if you have to pay for more than one device it dupes the wo fi into thinking there is only one connected. Even though several may be connected to it wirelessly.

is it 12v?

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is it 12v?

The output of the mains adaptor is yes. So if you feed it 12v direct in theory it should be fine. The centre pin is positive. Use a voltage regulator if in doubt.

This is what I use.

 

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-usbwifirpt-3000.html

 

And outside the van

 

http://www.solwise.co.uk/wireless-usb-rocket-bgn.html

 

The suction mounts are rubbish though and I am rigging something else up.

Edited by MJG
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Tried to read the nanostation thing. Now totally confused. Is this actually what I described in my original post? i.e. a thingy I put on the roof of my boat which beams wifi to me and plugs in a 12v socket? There was a lot of stuff about ethernet cables, modems, configuring and mounting poles which didn't seem to fit at all??

 

NanoStation sits outside boat providing long range connection to WiFi hotspot/access point. Internet connectivity from it is brought inside boat via LAN cable which also provides power to it (10 - 30 volts DC). LAN feed can then be routed direct to PC/laptop or feed internal router to allow private WiFi network within boat, allowing several devices to be connected. So yes it can fulfill your requirements.

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NanoStation sits outside boat providing long range connection to WiFi hotspot/access point. Internet connectivity from it is brought inside boat via LAN cable which also provides power to it (10 - 30 volts DC). LAN feed can then be routed direct to PC/laptop or feed internal router to allow private WiFi network within boat, allowing several devices to be connected. So yes it can fulfill your requirements.

Blimey. Sounds a bit complicated though dunnit?

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Blimey. Sounds a bit complicated though dunnit?

 

Well I suppose it appears a bit convoluted but simple to use once set-up, with a search facility to find the hotspot of choice. It could also be the difference between achieving your goal or not for areas with weak WiFi signals. The WiFi router within your boat could typicallly be a re-configured home one - I use an old BTHomeHub 3.

 

Bear in mind its a professional solution with the NanoStation being the weapon of choice by Wireless Internet Providers. This is particularly true in Hull where uniquely Kingston Communications have a monopoly as the cable based domestic phone/Internet providers.

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