WIFI Amplification, Feb 2012: How Far , How Fast , How Much ?

[W32PAMELA]

Originally Posted by Dockhead

I have found the Ubiquity Bullet to be powerful but quite kludgy to use unless you are permanently connected to the same access point.

You have to manually change your own IP settings in order to get to the Bullet interface in order to even see what other AP's are around.

Is there a shell for it which simplifies getting into the Bullet interface?

You need to set your Bullet up as a NAT/Router. It sounds like you are using it in the Bridge mode. Follow the instructions in this Wiki Guide found in the support section of the Ubiquiti website.

The guide is for a nanostation and an older firmware but the instructions are relevant to most of the Ubiquiti radios.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by 2ndwynd

I think what some of you are talking about are boosters to highjack signal from unprotected networks, This is a temporary solution to access internet signal, It works well in the Caribbean but domestically the EVDO system is the legit way to go.

regards

Joe

No one is discussing boosters, they are discussing wifi transceivers. These are designed to communicate with access points to provide internet service. While they can be used to communicate with an unprotected router, they are also legitimately used to connect to public access points, paid for access points, free private access points, libraries, etc. It is not a temporary solution in any way, and many cities and public places provide this service. As do almost all marinas.

EVDO is just one flavor of cellular networking specific to CDMA communications and not a generic or inclusive term. In some parts of the US, it is not available. In most of the world, it is not available.

Assuming you meant to use it as a generic term for cellular connections, then cellular is another option to wifi - not the only "legit way", and not just domestically. The two don't compete - they are complimentary. Paying high monthly fees with extended contracts for cellular access often makes no sense for transient boaters, and wifi in most places provides higher bandwidth and cheaper service.

Mark

[Capt.Chuck]

Originally Posted by Hannah on 'Rita T'

There are fewer and fewer unlocked networks. But, the Wirie helps when you get a password from a bar or a bakery or even when you pay the $5 or $10 to access by making the signal stronger and creating a wifi network on the boat for all the gadgets we seem to find necessary. And, yes, I use unsecured networks when I find them, but I did secure our own wifi network on the boat. Feels a little hypocritical.

I have to agree with you, as with the wirie you can take the Alfa amp with you. I have seen the owner Mark sit down with customers in St. Maartin and go through the whole system with them. The only thing the customer had left to do is mount the antenna on the boat.
The product is put together in the US, Mark is happly crusing the islands.

[ldzemlin]

Originally Posted by RainDog

The Wirie is. I assume the AP is the same but with a access point added to the same case. For sure the Pelican case is confidence inspiring from a durability standpoint.

On a different note, I was advised to just buy the alpha marine waterproof antenna. It arrived and all seemed ok w cd software installation but the instructions they gave fir the Mac operating system are innacurate and it is sadly not plug and play. There is a tech support line and email but they are in Taiwan, so the time difference makes emailing a multiple day process. Does anyone have advice for configuring the Ethernet connection of Alpha to OS 10? Thanks

[colemj]

Originally Posted by ldzemlin

On a different note, I was advised to just buy the alpha marine waterproof antenna. It arrived and all seemed ok w cd software installation but the instructions they gave fir the Mac operating system are innacurate and it is sadly not plug and play. There is a tech support line and email but they are in Taiwan, so the time difference makes emailing a multiple day process. Does anyone have advice for configuring the Ethernet connection of Alpha to OS 10? Thanks

Do you mean Alfa or Alpha? The Alfa discussed in this thread is a USB connection and not ethernet.

Mark

[ldzemlin]

Originally Posted by colemj

Do you mean Alfa or Alpha? The Alfa discussed in this thread is a USB connection and not ethernet.

Mark

Hi mark: you are quite right, it is a USB connection - my confusion stems from the instructions, which tell you to go to the apple systems preferences network page and configure the unit, which did not work- this page said "Ethernet not connected " when I plugged the unit into the USB port. I did go back and read all the Amazon reviews and one if them said that they were not able to get the system to work on their Mac-

[CarinaPDX]

Did the USB wifi come with a driver for the Mac? If so, did you install first? If not, you will need to find the driver on the internet. IIRC it has a Realtek chip in it, and the Mac drivers are available online. However, they are pretty crappy and may cause instability (my experience was not good - mostly they worked, but sometimes they crashed). If you look at the (mini?) CD that came with it, there should be an indication of the chip (like RTL8187).

Personally I like freestanding units (i.e. they have their own CPUs running Linux). Connecting via ethernet is pretty simple. My current model is a Ubiquiti Bullet M2 with 12dB omni antenna.

If you need more help with the Mac you can PM me.

[gchabs]

Have been reading with interest the different view points on the Wirie vs. Ubiquity Bullet. I too am looking at adding one of those systems to our boat prior to going cruising in November. One issue not mentioned, is where are you mounting the antenna? On the top of the mast, on the rail, part way up on a shroud? While the top of our mizzen is probably optimal, I wonder what type of reception and sending one gets from the rail or part way up on a shroud? Thanks. George - Papagayo

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by gchabs

Have been reading with interest the different view points on the Wirie vs. Ubiquity Bullet. I too am looking at adding one of those systems to our boat prior to going cruising in November. One issue not mentioned, is where are you mounting the antenna? On the top of the mast, on the rail, part way up on a shroud? While the top of our mizzen is probably optimal, I wonder what type of reception and sending one gets from the rail or part way up on a shroud? Thanks. George - Papagayo

I have never found the need for anything higher than what I can't reach by hand while standing on the deck. But it's easy enough to hoist a bullet with a flag line if you find yourself out of range of an access point, so I would advise to just experiment a bit. For the bullet it's simple, just get a long ethernet cable and it will work. With USB solutions there are limitations with un-official work arounds, but the consensus is that it's crazy to mount a USB solution on top of the mast.

ciao!
Nick.

[CarinaPDX]

When considering USB vs. ethernet wifi solutions consider that the USB solutions require the appropriate drivers to be installed in your computer. The ethernet solutions are set up with a browser and require no special software; they also are easy to share among several computers with an inexpensive ethernet switch.

Most of the USB solutions use either Realtek or Ralink chipsets. Apparently the Realtek work best on Windows; they are a disaster on the Mac. Realtek Mac drivers are buggy kernel extensions and regularly crash my machine, and are not available for the current OS X 10.7 (Lion). I won't use them anymore. Ralink does a great job of providing Mac drivers for the current OS, but my impression is that they are not quite up to Realtek on Windows. So chose the appropriate chipset for your computer; branding of the actual device is not really very important.

I use a Bullet with 12dB omni antenna - it works great. And no buggy drivers to worry about. I have used the excellent DD-WRT firmware on my older Linksys-based system, and am considering putting it on the Bullet, but the standard Ubiquiti OS works just fine.

[Capt.Chuck]

Originally Posted by gchabs

Have been reading with interest the different view points on the Wirie vs. Ubiquity Bullet. I too am looking at adding one of those systems to our boat prior to going cruising in November. One issue not mentioned, is where are you mounting the antenna? On the top of the mast, on the rail, part way up on a shroud? While the top of our mizzen is probably optimal, I wonder what type of reception and sending one gets from the rail or part way up on a shroud? Thanks. George - Papagayo

With the Wirie you would want to mount it with in reach of the water proof box, so you can grap the Alfa amp for on shore use.

[kiltym]

Originally Posted by Capt.Chuck

With the Wirie you would want to mount it with in reach of the water proof box, so you can grap the Alfa amp for on shore use.

Just to clarify.

We have 2 products, The Wirie and The WirieAP.

The Wirie is USB based and allows for removal of the WiFi Radio for use on shore. This has a 15' USB cable standard, and can be extended with extension cables, however there will be a junction at each 5 meter interval. Mostly targeted towards a single computer installation or when portability is the biggest concern for the customer.

The WirieAP is neither USB or Ethernet based. It runs on a standard DC electrical cable that can be extended on your boat to any length you need and is 100% wireless (except for the power cable). Being wireless, any device that supports WiFi can be used, simultaneously. The WiFi Radio on The WirieAP cannot be removed for use on shore.

To the point of height, in general agreement with Nick, 4-8' above the deck of most boats will work just fine with any good WiFi system. Certainly higher will not hurt, but there is a point of diminishing returns in exchange for a more difficult install and maintenance if needed.

[capn_billl]

Most WIFI's are range limited by power, and speed, not curvature of the earth. Water is a good conductor at that frequency, in most cases you will be line of sight. The exception is if there are many ground level obstacles between you and the base unit, a little height to get over these will get you a better signal.

[misty]

Does anyone know if the Rogue Waver is comparable to the Bullet? Iam trying to make a decision on a wifi system.

tnx

[CarinaPDX]

It IS the same. They have combined a Bullet with an 8.5dB antenna, cabling, railmount, and power supply. Ubiquiti (manufacturer of the Bullet) makes available a software development kit (SDK) so that vendors like this can rebrand the Ubiquiti firmware and customize it. You can put together the same package yourself (less the customized but probably no more capable firmware) if you like. I don't know what the premium is for buying the package, but it may be worth it for non-techies.