Boosting a weak WiFi signal on a boat

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
A

asimba2

Reputable
Aug 25, 2014
3
0
4,510
Hi all,
I want to extend weak public WiFi signals to the Chromebook I use on my boat. I used to use a small Alfa AWUS036H 9dbi antenna that connected to my laptop, but a Chromebook uses the Google Chrome OS and will not allow me to install the drivers to use the antenna. What is the best way to extend a weak wireless network to my Chromebook where drivers are not required? Can I use my old Linksys e2000 to somehow extend the range?
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
B

boosted1g

Titan
Jun 12, 2013
14,846
8
74,965
What you need is a long range high db antenna.

If the alfa antenna worked ok for your needs then a you are not to the point where you need miles of coverage.

You can use a ubiquit nanostation or picostation but I would instead buy a ubiquiti bullet that allows you use different antennas as your needs change. The ubiquiti bullet provides a "backhaul" network from you boat to the wifi signal on the shore. You will then plug the ethernet from the bullet to a LAN port on your linksys router. Then you can connect all of your devices ot the linksys router.

What kind of antenna you need will depend on your needs. An omnidirectional (dipole) antenna goes 360 degrees in coverage but gets the least amount of distance. A parabolic or grid antenna or a panel antenna will get better range but will require you to aim the antenna, and thus wont give you much coverage if once you start getting out on the water (unless you keep the same heading).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

asimba2

Reputable
Aug 25, 2014
3
0
4,510
boosted, thank you for the reply. Without getting into the technicalities of various antennas, my biggest issue is the inability to install drivers on the chromebook with Google Chrome OS. It looks like the AirOS utility needs to be installed to use the Ubiquiti products. If it can be done with any kind of software or driver install, let me know.

I'm basically looking to collect a public WiFi signal and convert it to a wired ethernet connection to my Chromebook.
Any ideas would be great!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
abailey

abailey

Distinguished
Mar 23, 2014
944
0
20,960
AirOS is browser based so as long as you have a browser you can configure it. I use a Ubiquiti Nanostation Loco as an antenna like you need and it works great. The problem is you need to be able to connect to it with an ethernet cable for the initial configuration.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

asimba2

Reputable
Aug 25, 2014
3
0
4,510
I do have an ethernet port and I have the google chrome browser, so it sounds like may potentially work.

If my understanding is correct, the Nanostation will act as antenna and a router/client/bridge (whatever the appropriate terminology is) and the cat5 will feed my ethernet port on the Chromebook as if I were wired at home. It sounds like if I wanted to go wireless, instead of plugging the cat5 into my Chromebook, then instead I could plug it into a wireless access point to create a new hotspot on my boat. Yes?

 
Upvote 0 Downvote
A

alouty

Reputable
Dec 16, 2014
1
0
4,510


You need a solution without poweron PC:

http://www.data-alliance.net/servlet/-strse-236/Alfa-AWUS036H-R36-wireless/Detail
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

Latest posts

Moderators online

Share this page

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom