I have a non-laptop Shuttle computer on my sailboat. I would like to be able
to access marina and other WiFi points when available. I have talked to some
of the marine WiFi providers and they only provide hardware that works with
laptop computers. At the Oakland boat show the provider I talked to wouldn't
even look at me after I said I had a desktop computer instead of a laptop!

I would like to set up an external antenna and the necessary hardware to get
WiFi access into the Ethernet port on my computer. I have no laptop PCMCIA
slots, no PCI bus slots, only a high-speed Ethernet port. I am not looking
to have secondary wireless access for other devices on the boat.

I would like to be able to install a wired router on the boat and share the
internet connection among more than one on-board wired computer. This would
eliminate USB wireless adapters that connect directly to the computer.

Can I use a bridge, like the Linksys WET54G, for this application or is
there a better solution? Recommendations for an external antenna would also
be appreciated.

Thanks, Rusty

You might try a EUB-362(EXT) high power (200mw) USB wireless adapter with an
8.5db marine antenna on the Shuttle, hard wire in the other PCs through a
workgroup switch and use the Windows ICS facility to share the connection.

The EUB-362 is especially attractive because you can run the USB cable up to
15' and locate the EUB362 close to the antenna. With a powered hub at the
end of the USB cable you can go another 15' and take the load off the
Shuttle all together.. At 2.4Ghz LMR200 coax will loose more than 50% of
the signal over 20' but only 15% over the 4' that comes with the antenna.
Also working off the USB port the Shuttle will own the adapter so you can
scan for access points and control which one it connects to using the
standard wifi utilities. You can't do that very easily with a wireless
router.

To give you an idea of the performance, using a 200mw Senao card connected
through 16' of LMR100 an 8.5db antenna I could get a usable signal from the
500mw BVI Marine Wifi access points out to about 900 yards. The thin LMR100
lost 75% of the signal so a shorter length of LMR200 should get you out to
1,500 yards or better.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Rusty" wrote in message
. ..
I have a non-laptop Shuttle computer on my sailboat. I would like to be
able to access marina and other WiFi points when available. I have talked
to some of the marine WiFi providers and they only provide hardware that
works with laptop computers. At the Oakland boat show the provider I talked
to wouldn't even look at me after I said I had a desktop computer instead
of a laptop!

I would like to set up an external antenna and the necessary hardware to
get WiFi access into the Ethernet port on my computer. I have no laptop
PCMCIA slots, no PCI bus slots, only a high-speed Ethernet port. I am not
looking to have secondary wireless access for other devices on the boat.

I would like to be able to install a wired router on the boat and share
the internet connection among more than one on-board wired computer. This
would eliminate USB wireless adapters that connect directly to the
computer.

Can I use a bridge, like the Linksys WET54G, for this application or is
there a better solution? Recommendations for an external antenna would
also be appreciated.

Thanks, Rusty

Glen,

You make a good point about being able to scan for access points. I think
the bridge comes with software for scanning, but a USB adapter would make
that very easy. It would also make for a simpler setup until I decide to add
a router.

Any recommendations for an external antenna?

Thanks, Rusty

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:vUsrg.115916$Ce1.69258@dukeread01...
You might try a EUB-362(EXT) high power (200mw) USB wireless adapter with
an 8.5db marine antenna on the Shuttle, hard wire in the other PCs through
a workgroup switch and use the Windows ICS facility to share the
connection.

The EUB-362 is especially attractive because you can run the USB cable up
to 15' and locate the EUB362 close to the antenna. With a powered hub at
the end of the USB cable you can go another 15' and take the load off the
Shuttle all together.. At 2.4Ghz LMR200 coax will loose more than 50% of
the signal over 20' but only 15% over the 4' that comes with the antenna.
Also working off the USB port the Shuttle will own the adapter so you can
scan for access points and control which one it connects to using the
standard wifi utilities. You can't do that very easily with a wireless
router.

To give you an idea of the performance, using a 200mw Senao card connected
through 16' of LMR100 an 8.5db antenna I could get a usable signal from
the 500mw BVI Marine Wifi access points out to about 900 yards. The thin
LMR100 lost 75% of the signal so a shorter length of LMR200 should get you
out to 1,500 yards or better.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

You might consider this whole kit from Netgate:
http://www.netgate.com/product_info.php?products_id=328 It comes with the
EUB-362(EXT), an 8.5db marine antenna with mount and a 20' LMR200 cable.
The antenna is pretty well built but it comes with a deck mount rather than
a rail mount and will not fit some rail mounts. There is a guy on eBay with
a store called "War Driving World" selling 9db marine antennas. They are a
little more expensive but you have a choice of deck or rail mounts

Depending on how you want to mount the EUB-362 I would ask for a shorter
cable to minimize loss. I am running USB to right under the antenna and
just using the cable that comes with the antenna to get the least possible
loss. Both antennas and the 362 have RP-SMA jacks so you have to use a male
to male RP-SMA gender changer to connect then directly. (about $5 on ebay)
--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Rusty" wrote in message
...
Glen,

You make a good point about being able to scan for access points. I think
the bridge comes with software for scanning, but a USB adapter would make
that very easy. It would also make for a simpler setup until I decide to
add a router.

Any recommendations for an external antenna?

Thanks, Rusty

"Glenn Ashmore" wrote in message
news:vUsrg.115916$Ce1.69258@dukeread01...
You might try a EUB-362(EXT) high power (200mw) USB wireless adapter with
an 8.5db marine antenna on the Shuttle, hard wire in the other PCs
through a workgroup switch and use the Windows ICS facility to share the
connection.

The EUB-362 is especially attractive because you can run the USB cable up
to 15' and locate the EUB362 close to the antenna. With a powered hub at
the end of the USB cable you can go another 15' and take the load off the
Shuttle all together.. At 2.4Ghz LMR200 coax will loose more than 50% of
the signal over 20' but only 15% over the 4' that comes with the antenna.
Also working off the USB port the Shuttle will own the adapter so you can
scan for access points and control which one it connects to using the
standard wifi utilities. You can't do that very easily with a wireless
router.

To give you an idea of the performance, using a 200mw Senao card
connected through 16' of LMR100 an 8.5db antenna I could get a usable
signal from the 500mw BVI Marine Wifi access points out to about 900
yards. The thin LMR100 lost 75% of the signal so a shorter length of
LMR200 should get you out to 1,500 yards or better.

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

I would like to be able to install a wired router on the boat and share
the
internet connection among more than one on-board wired computer. This
would
eliminate USB wireless adapters that connect directly to the computer.

Yes, I do this now in our boat. I have a Linksys WRT54GS with the dd-wrt
firmware loaded on it. It's configured for "wifi client mode" and handles
making the connections to shore sources. To that I have a PC wired. I also
have another access point wired to it providing an on-boat Wifi SSID. Our
laptops connect to this. This way the laptops always connect to the same
SSID. I only have to visit a wireless client status page and make a
connection to the on shore SSID. Works pretty well. I'm about to
permanently install some antennae for it, probably some 8db sticks on
ratcheting marine mounts.

-Bill Kearney

"Rusty" wrote in
:

I have a non-laptop Shuttle computer on my sailboat.

Just stop buy any computer shop and get a Wireless PCI Adapter. It does
the same thing for the desktop that the PCMCIA wifi card does for the
laptop.

Of course, the best ones say NETGEAR on them....(c;

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WPN311.php

Get the MIMO RangeMax with the bigger transmitter and wider coverage than
802.11G. You can even outboard the antenna with a Wifi antenna like the
homebrew Pringle's can antenna:
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448
http://www.binarywolf.com/249/

or put up a microwave reflector like:
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000870032574/

One nice-looking antenna comes from the satellite TV business. It
combines the Pringle's can antenna as a feedhorn for a small satellite
dish as the reflector. I'm currently using a Dish Network larger
reflector and homebrew Pringles feedhorn to shoot wifi to a friend's
house over 2 miles from here with great success.

Fooling with 2.4Ghz homebrew antennas is nearly more fun than playing
with the internet.....(c;

Here's a good pointer site for lots of different wifi antenna projects
anyone can build.
http://www.wardrive.net/general/antenna

To find all the open networks anyone can connect to, get Network Stumbler
for free from http://www.stumbler.net/ Just install it. There's
instructions for it on the website. If you plug any handheld GPS into
the computer, too, Net Stumbler will not only log the information from
all the systems it scans, but will save the GPS position of all of
them....then, couple that with Google Maps and Google Earth to create a
wifi map of any place on the planet....great fun and of use when away
from home...(c;

Get the computer a Skype phone for the internet so you can make free
calls until 2007 to any phone in the USA or Canada...FROM ANY INTERNET
POINT ON THE PLANET!
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keat...0-skype-phone-
review.asp
Talk as long as you like. Rates to most civilized countries in Europe,
again from any place on the planet you can get wifi service, is
EU0.017/min from your precharged Skype account. Skype-to-Skype internet
calls from any place to any place, with full motion color video from your
webcam if you like, is always free. I just got off Skype to a friend in
Japan a while ago. Anyone with Wifi should have Skype. The phone is
about 80-90 US Dollars on the net, now.
My review of Skype Phone is on:
http://www.epinions.com/content_238700433028

"Rusty" wrote in
:

You make a good point about being able to scan for access points. I
think the bridge comes with software for scanning, but a USB adapter
would make that very easy. It would also make for a simpler setup
until I decide to add a router.



NetStumbler free from http://www.stumbler.net/

Connect your GPS to the computer and NetStumbler will log GPS position
where it finds each wifi point, automatically, then will interface with
Google Maps and Google Earth to draw you a Wifi map of any place on the
planet....(c;

Did I mention Free??

Glen, Larry and Bill,

Thanks for all the good info. I should be able to figure this out now. My
cable company ended their broadband line just after my house. I'm also
sharing my access with a neighbor about a half-mile away. I reprogrammed a
spare WRT54G and added a beam antenna. He has a Linksys 'B' bridge at his
end. Works great.

By the way, the Shuttle computer does not have any PCI slots so wireless PCI
adapters won't help. It only has two PCI Express slots, 1X and 16X. These
are completely different from standard PCI. The 16X slot has an ATI graphics
and video capture card. The mother board has all the rest of the needed
features on it.

Thanks again, Rusty

"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Rusty" wrote in
:

I have a non-laptop Shuttle computer on my sailboat.

Just stop buy any computer shop and get a Wireless PCI Adapter. It does
the same thing for the desktop that the PCMCIA wifi card does for the
laptop.

Of course, the best ones say NETGEAR on them....(c;

http://www.netgear.com/products/details/WPN311.php

Get the MIMO RangeMax with the bigger transmitter and wider coverage than
802.11G. You can even outboard the antenna with a Wifi antenna like the
homebrew Pringle's can antenna:
http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html
http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448
http://www.binarywolf.com/249/

or put up a microwave reflector like:
http://www.freeantennas.com/projects/template/
http://www.hackaday.com/entry/1234000870032574/

One nice-looking antenna comes from the satellite TV business. It
combines the Pringle's can antenna as a feedhorn for a small satellite
dish as the reflector. I'm currently using a Dish Network larger
reflector and homebrew Pringles feedhorn to shoot wifi to a friend's
house over 2 miles from here with great success.

Fooling with 2.4Ghz homebrew antennas is nearly more fun than playing
with the internet.....(c;

Here's a good pointer site for lots of different wifi antenna projects
anyone can build.
http://www.wardrive.net/general/antenna

To find all the open networks anyone can connect to, get Network Stumbler
for free from http://www.stumbler.net/ Just install it. There's
instructions for it on the website. If you plug any handheld GPS into
the computer, too, Net Stumbler will not only log the information from
all the systems it scans, but will save the GPS position of all of
them....then, couple that with Google Maps and Google Earth to create a
wifi map of any place on the planet....great fun and of use when away
from home...(c;

Get the computer a Skype phone for the internet so you can make free
calls until 2007 to any phone in the USA or Canada...FROM ANY INTERNET
POINT ON THE PLANET!
http://blog.tmcnet.com/blog/tom-keat...0-skype-phone-
review.asp
Talk as long as you like. Rates to most civilized countries in Europe,
again from any place on the planet you can get wifi service, is
EU0.017/min from your precharged Skype account. Skype-to-Skype internet
calls from any place to any place, with full motion color video from your
webcam if you like, is always free. I just got off Skype to a friend in
Japan a while ago. Anyone with Wifi should have Skype. The phone is
about 80-90 US Dollars on the net, now.
My review of Skype Phone is on:
http://www.epinions.com/content_238700433028

"Rusty" wrote in
:

By the way, the Shuttle computer does not have any PCI slots so
wireless PCI adapters won't help. It only has two PCI Express slots,
1X and 16X. These are completely different from standard PCI. The 16X
slot has an ATI graphics and video capture card. The mother board has
all the rest of the needed features on it.



The USB adapter is an external box that just plugs into the USB port I
assume it has, right?

That'll work just as good...(c;

Yes, it has several USB ports. That is probably the way I will go.

Rusty

"Larry" wrote in message
...
"Rusty" wrote in
:

By the way, the Shuttle computer does not have any PCI slots so
wireless PCI adapters won't help. It only has two PCI Express slots,
1X and 16X. These are completely different from standard PCI. The 16X
slot has an ATI graphics and video capture card. The mother board has
all the rest of the needed features on it.



The USB adapter is an external box that just plugs into the USB port I
assume it has, right?

That'll work just as good...(c;