I need some help identifying the type of gear I need to do what I want to accomplish.
I am building a wired network in my boat, using off the shelf components designed for home use, such as simple wired routers (Netgear, Belkin, Lynksys, etc).
But I want to be able to access WiFi Internet service, such as available through the companies that are offering WiFi at marina's, and I want to be able to access this from any pc on my wired boat-network.
This is the opposite of what is now common in many homes. There we see the internet (via cable tv or DSL) hardwired into a wireless router, which then b'casts to outlying pc's. In my case I want wireless broadcast _into_ my boat-net, and then hardwired to pc's around the boat.
What is the name of the device I need at the furthest upstream point (i.e. the receiving unit from the wireless ISP) that the antenna is connected to? Whatever it is, from there I want to route to 4 locations in my boat by cable.
I asked this on a wireless usenet group and they got completely confused, thinking I was trying to do the common household internal wireless from wired DSL/cable and wondering why I wasn't "getting it." Finally one guy understood what I wanted and explained it to the others, but then nobody had any answers. I am hoping my fellow boaters understand what I am trying to do.
Sailing@WhenIcan.net wrote in news:00050310171646.OUI14.Sailing@WhenIcan.net:
But I want to be able to access WiFi Internet service, such as available> through the companies that are offering WiFi at marina's, and I want to> be able to access this from any pc on my wired boat-network.>
The point to multipoint bridge acts as a wireless repeater to connect your little notebook's pitiful low-powered PCMCIA wireless card to any area wifi nodes within its range. This particular unit runs the full FCC limit of 200 milliwatts of power and can be configured to an external high gain antenna, such as: http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=19& osCsid=10e3853817a6eb3903e357bb5714a47e an 8.5 dBi (about 6.5 dB stronger than a simple vertical dipole) that remotely mounts to a 2" pipe atop your mast, if you're so inclined. At 50' this should give you 5 miles of coverage area from your repeater to a wifi node ashore....quite a bit further than the 300' you can get from the notebook.
The unit has a single RJ-45 10/100 Ethernet LAN port which you would hook to your system router's WAN port, similar to connecting a router to cable or DSL modem at home. This will light up all your wired computers aboard with access to the repeater via Ethernet, while simultaneously and independently hooking up your wireless devices through the repeater to the wifi, without being wired to the boat LAN.
As 2400 Mhz is NOT coax cable friendly at such a high frequency, it's best to wire Ethernet up to the top of the mast where the antenna is and mount this repeater in a weatherproof enclosure right under the antenna stick. This nearly eliminates RF losses between the unit and its external antenna. The Ethernet cabling to your router can be very long, indeed, with no loss you can measure. There is also an Ethernet power injector that will provide 48VDC to the mast-mounted repeater right through the Ethernet cable the data comes through: http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=3&product s_id=16 As the use of this injector runs off 115VAC, you'll have to provide some kind of inverter power if you want to run it away from the dock off your house batteries. If you have 12VDC atop the mast you can switch on independently from the nav lighting, using a 3A 12V IC regulator bolted to the metal weatherproof box off your DC boat power will provide direct DC power to the 11V port on the repeater without inverter or Ethernet injector.....
As of 2 days ago, there seems to be an out-of-stock situation at this vendor, but you can hunt around the net for the model number and buy it from whomever you like.....
One of the regular posters here and I have been emailing each other in plans to simply put the repeater and 8.5 dBi antenna atop his mast with no Ethernet wiring to extend the range of his laptops on the boat, wirelessly. It's a great idea because everyone I know who has a little notebook wireless on their boat nearly has to be on top of a marina repeater to get reliable service....
Rodney Myrvaagnes 11 April 2005 03:42:55 [ permanent link ]
On Sun, 10 Apr 2005 16:16:56 -0500, Sailing@WhenIcan.net wrote:
I need some help identifying the type of gear I need to do what I want>to accomplish.>
I am building a wired network in my boat, using off the shelf components>designed for home use, such as simple wired routers (Netgear, Belkin,>Lynksys, etc). >
But I want to be able to access WiFi Internet service, such as available>through the companies that are offering WiFi at marina's, and I want to>be able to access this from any pc on my wired boat-network.>
This is the opposite of what is now common in many homes. There we see>the internet (via cable tv or DSL) hardwired into a wireless router,>which then b'casts to outlying pc's. In my case I want wireless>broadcast _into_ my boat-net, and then hardwired to pc's around the>boat.>
What is the name of the device I need at the furthest upstream point>(i.e. the receiving unit from the wireless ISP) that the antenna is>connected to? Whatever it is, from there I want to route to 4 locations>in my boat by cable. >
I asked this on a wireless usenet group and they got completely>confused, thinking I was trying to do the common household internal>wireless from wired DSL/cable and wondering why I wasn't "getting it.">Finally one guy understood what I wanted and explained it to the others,>but then nobody had any answers. I am hoping my fellow boaters>understand what I am trying to do.>
You need what Linksys calls a 'workgroup hub' and a wifi antenna with an Ethernet pigtail. The hub I have has six Ethernet ports on it. You may find one with four.
Rodney Myrvaagnes NYC J36 Gjo/a
"Happy is he that taketh thy little ones and dasheth them upon the stones." __Psalm 137
