WIFI - Repeater / Access Point added

Mike · **Joined:** 09 Jul 2008 12:51 **Posts:** 251

I was tired of holding my wifi devices up in the salon in hopes of a wifi signal. Some marinas are better than others but all seem to not be able to transmit into the cabin very well.

My solution was:

Ubiquiti Bullet M2 Titanium - receiver (this receives the signal and then magnifies it) cost abt $129.00
Ubiquiti POE power over ethernet - abt $8.00 Ebay - provides power to the Bullet via any ethernet device.
Engenius EAG-2408 - high gain antenna (connects to the end of the Bullet M2 Titanium) abt $22.00 Amazon
Linksys WRT54G - wireless router (this connects to the Bullet and provides wireless routing in your boat) $25.00 on Ebay
The only other thing needed was about 25-30 ethernet cable which I already had. You'll probably need a cable clam or utilize an existing one to feed your ethernet cable into the boat.

This works great plus it provides for secure access (when encryption is turned on the router) to "open" networks.

The antenna/Bullet is mounted on my stern railing; no need to mount it on the mast (unless you want to access networks MUCH further than your marina)

glymroff · **Joined:** 29 Jun 2013 09:23 **Posts:** 13

I'm about to go down this route as well.

Why the M2 and not the M5?

Mike · **Joined:** 09 Jul 2008 12:51 **Posts:** 251

Most WIFI networks you will access are 2.4 GHZ so the Bullet M2 is what you want. The M5 is more for commercial stuff. The Titanium version of the M2 is what you want on your railing. At the moment I'm typing this from a marina that I am that has, with this setup, almost the same WIFI speed that I have at home. It's Great....

glymroff · **Joined:** 29 Jun 2013 09:23 **Posts:** 13

great thanks for the info...

the M5 is 802.11n and the M2 is 802.11b/g (AFAIK).

the real question for me would be is the M5 backward compatible w/ the b/g networks. I'm not sure it is.

I'll probably confirm this, and get the M2...

thanks again!

Mike · **Joined:** 09 Jul 2008 12:51 **Posts:** 251

No it is not, buy the M2

NAM · **Joined:** 22 Jun 2008 10:54 **Posts:** 85

On Abraxas we went a slightly different route to create a hotspot, with a combination of an Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW USB wireless WiFi adapter ($19.79) and an Alfa R36 router ($49.99) along with a 9db antenna for the 036H. For many years we just used the AWUS036H directly plugged into a laptop with great success, but with the addition of other wireless devices (Kindle Fire HD and mini Ipad) pushed us into creating a hotspot.
The small sizes of the two Alfa units allows them to be packed into an outdoor box and placed outside the cabin.

We sourced the two units from http://www.data-alliance.net/servlet/-s ... ategories.

The one down side of this combination is that the re-setting of the R36 router to a new station is a bit cumbersome and not terribly intuitive. It is not dissimilar to setting up any router however, so if you're familiar with this operation it should be no problem.

conch · **Joined:** 21 Jan 2010 12:57 **Posts:** 168

Wow, there are some techies with Tartans! I hope that this post won't be construed as "Hijacking" the thread. I mounted my Furuno GPS chartplotter/radar just inside the companionway; I need a repeating monitor of some description at the helm. Anyone of you tech literate guys have knowledge of the feasibility of mounting an I-pad (or similar) device in a helm pod and delivering information, perhaps from the Furuno device, via the wireless system described earlier in this thread? For that matter, could one do the same for other sail oriented instrument needs, like the wireless "Tick Tack (sp?) wind instruments? Obviously one would need a transducer of some description to generate whatever output signal is desired, but if there are such devices out there (which I expect there are), could the wireless router and I-pad (or similar) become a NEMA 2000 like system with the advantage of wireless connectivity and more flexibility? Thanks for any thoughts. "Conch" of Aurora #253

Mike · **Joined:** 09 Jul 2008 12:51 **Posts:** 251

Investigate Droid/IPad applications that will run on those devices that only need a wireless NEMA signal. I'm pretty sure there are chart plotter apps out there and many more apps. There's always someone trying to build a better mouse trap. Raymarine, Garmin, iNavX have already come out with a lot of apps I believe.

Some Examples: http://www.prweb.com/releases/2012/1/prweb9142811.htm
http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2012/01/26 ... 0PRweb.doc

glymroff · **Joined:** 29 Jun 2013 09:23 **Posts:** 13

Just purchased the M2 Titanium, 15db antenna , POE, and cables. I can't wait to try them out. I've always had a preference to the apple extreme for wireless router... I've tried belkin, link sys, net gear, etc. I've had the best distance, longevity and compatibility w/ the apple units.

As to the helm. I've also ordered the Ram Mount kits to be able to mount the IPAD at the helm & nav table. I'm going to use the IPAD in addition to the garmin at the helm when the weather permits. I'm not an advocate of touch screen in foul or even moderately wet weather.

I'll post my experiences in a month or so when I get to that point.

Mike · **Joined:** 09 Jul 2008 12:51 **Posts:** 251

We love ours... actually I'm typing away right now in the marina at almost the same internet speed as I have at home on internet cable !! Be careful when you configure the Bullet. If you misconfigure it and can not get logged back in, there is a small pin hole reset switch at the base of the Bullet. That will restore it back to factory defaults. You will need to hold the reset for a while..... seems it took me several minutes to reset it. There are several "how to" configure videos on the company website. Good luck..

Tartan37.com

WIFI - Repeater / Access Point added

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