Whoa! This is a broadband ROUTER, not a BRIDGE or GATEWAY or REPEATER

No, it CAN be a device like that. If you load some other firmware is can
quite readily be used as a client device. I know, I've done it and it works
quite well. Same thing goes for other devices capable of loading the dd-wrt
firmware. Easy, reliable and cheap.

You can't connect a wifi router to a wifi access point, then repeat what
it says to another wifi box like a laptop.

Again, not correct. You CAN use one as a WDS device. It's basically a
repeater of sorts. And in the process of doing this wastes half the
bandwidth. Listens on the radio, processes the packets, then retransmits on
the same radio. It's not a full duplex operation. Thus while you CAN do
this it's generally a waste of effort because it's slow. Then there's also
the limitation that some networks won't interact with repeaters. Not to
mention the fact that the type of antenna you'd likely use up on the mast
won't give decent coverage down to the deck and cabins below.

The data flow is from the
Ethernet WAN port. It has no way to connect to a wifi hotspot.

It's a ROUTER, it can be configured to sling the packets around in any
direction. Assuming you'd want to, which I'd recommend against.

Why bother using an AC inverter? Many wifi devices work quite well off
12vDC.

Now....to get faster service....you need to buy a high powered Access
Point

Higher power is a myth. Higher power often gets you more signals than you
want, thus degrading the available bandwidth to the actual networks you
need. I can crank my WRT54GS to 250mw but found it works best at about
30mw. What's most important is to get a device that lets you adjust the
power settings and to keep them as low as possible. Both from a noise and a
heat perspective. Cranking a router up to it's full wattage often makes
them unstable. Couple that with being up on the mast in direct sunlight and
you'd have troubles.

If you
put another router on the other end of that Ethernet cable, you end up
with the problem of the second router inside the boat, which wirelessly
would connect to your laptop, INTERFERING with the receiver up the mast
talking to the hotspot....slowing us down to repeater speed, or worse as
it's not synchronized if the hotspot can't hear your laptop direct to
avoid crashing the signals simultaneously transmitting. RF on the air
ISN'T clairvoyant or magic...it's ANALOG.

Bull**** all around. The point is to set your boat's access point to a
different frequency and to use a low power setting with proper antennae. I
found our on-boat network worked best at about 10mw with just the regular
rubber duckie antennae on it. No interference whatsoever. That and it
doesn't interfere with the up-mast router because that antenna's radiation
pattern (donut shaped on the horizontal plane) doesn't extend downward to
the cabin. And since the on-boat access point is set to a low power it
doesn't interfere with the shore networks either. Same thing goes for the
on-boat laptops, they're also configured to use a lower power setting and
thus only see the on-boat SSID.

Now, THIS product solves running TWO wires up the mast because it adds
the DC power to run the AP at the remote location (mast top) to the
Ethernet data on the Ethernet cable.

Power over Ethernet (PoE) is nothing new. Most routers support it or you
can use an adapter to split the cable to support it. Bear in mind the
further you push DC voltage the more drop you'll have due to skinny wire. I
found it was more reliable to just run 16ga for power right to the router.

This is because the WR (wireless router) has no facility to connect to
another wireless access point. It is not an access point, itself. You
got the wrong box....WAP54GPE or my little wireless repeater box is the
box you need. Sorry....

Or you need advice that's accurate. Loading up new firmware opens quite a
few more options for some models of router. Try it, it works quite nicely.

-Bill Kearney