campground WiFi booster
Anyone found a good way to boost WiFi reception in campgrounds?
Forum Discussion
I will describe my system.. First some background...
I have a pair of ReplayTV DVR's. these are vintage (Analog NTSC only) DVRs but they are feature loaded.. If you have seen the commercials for Cable TV where they say "Only (insert name of lying cable company here) offers all this" well, they are wrong, Replay has offered that and has been doing it since LAST CENTURY no less.. Record multiple programs (one per recorder) watch in a different room, pause/stop in one room and pick up in another, Fast forward/rewind (And on one of them auto-commercial advance) share over internet, download to a portable device and more.. Replay does it all.
But the motor home did not have LAN from the front to the back, (I ended up having one installed) So I got a Linksys Wireless Game Adapter.. This is kind of a Wi-Fi Internet modem.. (IT has a Wi-Fi Antenna and a Ethernet port, my computer or other devices think it is a cable modem, though instead of cable it connects to the park Wi-Fi.
now, google Amateurlogic.tv and watch Episode 3
I did NOT re-cut the Linksys antenna, I choose to leave it as Linksys made it
other than that,, That's how I did it.
It feeds the WAN port on a router (Currently a Belkin but I'll never buy another of those) and that in turn feeds a 8 port switch in the front Electronics bay (One of which feeds the Living Room REPLAY, another of which feeds this Laptop (There are reasons I do not use Wi-FI) it feeds the "Main" compter which is a file server for the Replays, It feeds Bedroom Relay (next to it) it feeds Ham Shack Compter (Both hard wire if in the ham shack and Wi-Fi if remoted) It feeds my Android devices (Tablet and phone) and my printer/scanner.
All with a single connection to the park.
And with the Amateur Logic modifications it had aboutr 2-3 times the range it would have without them and several times the range of my laptop's internal card.
Fact: in one park which I'd like to be in right now, but alas can not get to I would park in like row 4 (Counting from the location of the park Wi-Fi Antenna) and the folks in Row 2 connected via my Router cause they coudl see it and could not see the park's.. (So I gave them the password)
Of course the Linksys, since it connects with CAT-5, not coax, not usb, is not bothered by a cable 100 feet long, So it can go in the main bath (Where it is now) over the couch (Some parks) on the roof (many parks) on top of a 20 foot flag pole.. Wherever it needs to go to see a Wi-Fi node.
IF you search the forums you will see many long range Wi-Fi systems
Someone has mounted a Wi-Fi Adapter on the end of a Satellite dish arm (Around 20 dB gain).. Someone else in a common kitchen strainer (5-10 dB depending on size of strainer) just to describe two.
IF you google Open Roads Wi-Fi Booster you should find a PDF
print it out on heavy duty paper... Cut it out, cover one piece with aluminum foil.. I used this with my Linksys before I did the Amateur Logic mod.
I have a pair of ReplayTV DVR's. these are vintage (Analog NTSC only) DVRs but they are feature loaded.. If you have seen the commercials for Cable TV where they say "Only (insert name of lying cable company here) offers all this" well, they are wrong, Replay has offered that and has been doing it since LAST CENTURY no less.. Record multiple programs (one per recorder) watch in a different room, pause/stop in one room and pick up in another, Fast forward/rewind (And on one of them auto-commercial advance) share over internet, download to a portable device and more.. Replay does it all.
But the motor home did not have LAN from the front to the back, (I ended up having one installed) So I got a Linksys Wireless Game Adapter.. This is kind of a Wi-Fi Internet modem.. (IT has a Wi-Fi Antenna and a Ethernet port, my computer or other devices think it is a cable modem, though instead of cable it connects to the park Wi-Fi.
now, google Amateurlogic.tv and watch Episode 3
I did NOT re-cut the Linksys antenna, I choose to leave it as Linksys made it
other than that,, That's how I did it.
It feeds the WAN port on a router (Currently a Belkin but I'll never buy another of those) and that in turn feeds a 8 port switch in the front Electronics bay (One of which feeds the Living Room REPLAY, another of which feeds this Laptop (There are reasons I do not use Wi-FI) it feeds the "Main" compter which is a file server for the Replays, It feeds Bedroom Relay (next to it) it feeds Ham Shack Compter (Both hard wire if in the ham shack and Wi-Fi if remoted) It feeds my Android devices (Tablet and phone) and my printer/scanner.
All with a single connection to the park.
And with the Amateur Logic modifications it had aboutr 2-3 times the range it would have without them and several times the range of my laptop's internal card.
Fact: in one park which I'd like to be in right now, but alas can not get to I would park in like row 4 (Counting from the location of the park Wi-Fi Antenna) and the folks in Row 2 connected via my Router cause they coudl see it and could not see the park's.. (So I gave them the password)
Of course the Linksys, since it connects with CAT-5, not coax, not usb, is not bothered by a cable 100 feet long, So it can go in the main bath (Where it is now) over the couch (Some parks) on the roof (many parks) on top of a 20 foot flag pole.. Wherever it needs to go to see a Wi-Fi node.
IF you search the forums you will see many long range Wi-Fi systems
Someone has mounted a Wi-Fi Adapter on the end of a Satellite dish arm (Around 20 dB gain).. Someone else in a common kitchen strainer (5-10 dB depending on size of strainer) just to describe two.
IF you google Open Roads Wi-Fi Booster you should find a PDF
print it out on heavy duty paper... Cut it out, cover one piece with aluminum foil.. I used this with my Linksys before I did the Amateur Logic mod.
