wrote in news:cnthr45bgr1bbrldc7u01npoupf2et3c8k@
4ax.com:

I currently have an old analog cell phone antenna at the top of my
mast on a trawler. Do not use the antenna any longer, and would like
to use the coax to mount a WiFi antenna to run to my onboard laptop.
My goal is better distances to AP. Anyone done something like this
successfully. My laptop has both PC Card slots and available USB 2.0
ports. I can find numerous claims on the internet, but would prefer to
find something that is a proven solution. Thanks

Pete


Pete, there's some serious problems with distance on the 2400 Mhz wifi
band. The main problem is everyone is on channels 6 and 11, the base
channels where the connections are made. If you live and boat in the
boondocks with none or a very limited number of stations, you CAN
install a remote access point at the top of the mast that will have
extended range. If you boat in Ft Lauderdale or any kind of affluent
populated area, there are so many interfering stations all blasting away
at once you'll notice little to no difference, at all, because of all
the jamming.

We've tried using higher powered (200 mw) commercial, not consumer, wifi
bridges and access points and I'm very disappointed in the real world
results, here in Charleston Harbor. The marina is STILL running only
20mw, the normal wifi power level, so the range is very lopsided. With
high power, they can hear you....but you can't hear them over the racket
of other stations nearby. Attenuation of the tiny transmitters was
specifically chosen in the wifi specifications to LIMIT range and reduce
interference on short-haul wifi circuits...100' or less.

Aha....but NOW we have a better solution!....use CELLULAR, instead.
Cellular (I call it sellular) was designed to reduce interference with
timing and frequency scanning schemes so you can be miles from the
tower, not 100', and still have service.

I hate sellphone-hobbled computing devices so rely on Bluetooth-
connected laptops and handheld tablets sellphone companies cannot
control...or hobble trying to raise revenues.

But, if I could make my OWN hotspot on wifi hooked to the cellular phone
system's internet service....I'd be eliminating the wifi interference
problem while carrying my own hotspot around to hook my wifi computers
to. The solution looks like this:

http://www.evdoinfo.com/content/view/2259/63/

The Cradlepoint MBR1000 is a "reasonably priced" router you plug either
a USB cellular modem or a laptop PCMCIA cellular card into the left side
of. The cellular modem THINKS it's plugged into a laptop as it finds
the software it's looking for and makes the connection, fooled by the
router. Once the link is connected, the router can then connect more
computers, tablets, and other wifi-connected devices than your boat will
ever have to the fooled USB modem on the cellular phone system.

No, it's not "free wifi"....but, it works very well. Mine sits in the
back window of my sedan and is connected to Cricket EVDO (unlimited for
$40/month, $35 if you buy phone service from them). I get about 1.2Kbps
down and 400Kbps up bandwidth...very respectable.

The cellular phone band isn't swamped with uncontrolled stations like
wifi. So, the modem has the same range as a cellular phone. On a boat,
I'd try installing a USB cable (Use Cat-5 Ethernet cable) from the top
of the mast to the router much lower down, probably very close to the
mast step to reduce losses in the USB cable that's not supposed to go
that far. Put the tiny USB modem in a sealed plastic box at the mast
head, running off its USB power in the cable. Instead of using the
Cradlepoint's wifi connection, I'd run an Ethernet cable from the router
straight to the chart table or wherever you're going to mount the
computer.

Now you have a cellular phone 50' in the air. Next time you're offshore
or way down some river in the country, ride your bosun's chair to the
mast head and see how well your cellular phone works from up there.
That would give you an indication of how well the cellular modem would
work up there. 10 miles offshore should be usable, far, far further
than any wifi extender scheme is ever going to operate. Any anchorage
should be well within cellular phone range. Does your phone operate in
the anchorages you use? If so, this data link will work, too.

Now connected, you can bypass expensive cellular minutes and long
distance charges, using VoIP software like Skype on the now-internet-
connected computer....video from its camera and all....