WiFi Booster
 

I just got an internet WiFi booster for my boat. I'm going to install it in such a way that I can easily transfer it to my Hi-Lo. I chose the Wirie brand because it is essentially plug and play (Marine WiFi and RV WiFi and 3G/4G solutions: The Wirie AP+, The Wirie pro, and The Wirie xG). The unit sets up its own WiFi hotspot, so a physical connection is not required from the device to the laptop, tablet, etc. All that is required is 12-24 volts DC power. In addition, this unit has had some good reviews in boating forums.

I got the WiFi only version (they also make a WiFi/cellular and a cellular only version) because I just need to get a good WiFi signal at marinas and campgrounds. If I decide that I also need cellular based internet I can buy an upgrade kit later. The need for this became clear this past weekend. I could only get one bar of WiFi signal at the campground that I was at. I ended up taking my tablet by the campground office in order to get adequate signal.

For the Hi-Lo I'm planning on mounting the unit on an extendible aluminum pole that I already have. When I set up camp I'll clamp the pole to the tongue jack and will run power straight from the batteries.

Incidentally, in case you wonder why in the world do I need WiFi while boating or camping, my wife's employer allows her to work remotely. She does not get as much vacation as I do, so this is a way for her to go camping or boating on workdays.

Doesn't this just boost an existing WiFi signal? Seems it will be great for RV park camping but what about parks and on your boat when away from shore? Seems the cellular version may have been better for all around use although a bit slower connection but there is a cellular signal in much more area than WiFi signals.

You are correct.

When boating we don't need to be connected all the time. We usually anchor in remote areas for 2-3 days; then we come to a marina or anchor near a marina for a day. This is when we want an internet connection. Most marinas in the area have WiFi, but the signal is spotty at best. We have friends with the same unit that I'm buying that have anchored almost 1/2 mile from a marina and have been able to connect to their WiFi without problems.

Most of the out of the way parks that we camp in do not have cellular coverage, let alone WiFi. I'll be only using this receiver when camping in developed campgrounds.

Moreover, a lot of our boating is in the Gulf Islands of British Columbia. The cellular data rates when roaming in Canada are very high. I've looked into pay as you go service from Canadian cellular companies and found that it is also pricey or the data amounts are very limited.

For now I'm going to try WiFi only. If I feel that I need cellular I will buy the upgrade kit for my unit. This kit will convert it into a dual mode receiver: WiFi/cellular.

I do wish there was a way of quantifying all these WiFi enhancement systems; I'd pay a decent premium for one that actually works.

My bride and I often find Alabama State Parks that advertise free wifi; and once parked we do pick up their unsecured access points. The problem arises when we actually try to connect to them - a no go; this then requires us to go back to a cellular 4G network.

That defeats my definition of FREE.

Here in Texas most of the state parks have somewhere in them that is designated a WiFi hotspot. Unfortunately it is not in the camping areas and too far away to be picked up even with one of these antennas. The town I live in has free WiFi in the city parks and a few other ares. I believe that we are heading for free WiFi in most places in the near future. Of course internet providers are fighting it tooth and nail because people paying to connect is their bread and butter. But more and more places are offering internet for free and eventually you will be able to find a free signal most places. May just be a lot of connecting to different sources as you travel from source to source.

Ridiculous, isn't it? Here we are the most "advanced" nation on the Earth, and our internet and cell phone systems are among the most primitive.

- Jack

Right? And we pretty much developed the technology here in the US. I was working for a guy around 2003 that was developing some of the first WiFi antennas when most of WiFi was just talk. He eventually sold the system he developed to one of the major communications companies and was set for life from that day on. It hasn't progressed a lot from that time though.

I sorta RV semi full time. I live 130 miles from where I work, so I park a 5th wheel in an RV park, and come home on the weekends.

Any way I get my wifi from a Days INN ABOUT 1/2 Mile away. I've tried all sorts of antennas over the past 6 years from marine whip antennas to yagi's .

The antenna I had the best luck with and the highest gain is a grid antenna.
It is a bit heavy, but I made a bracket and connected it with "U" bolts to my bumper.The mast is about 15 feet tall.

To make it all work it is connected to a booster just inside the RV. Everything has bee purchased from Ebay. The antenna was about $80, the booster or adapter as it is called was about $20.

I've also gone through several adapters the best I have found is the Alfa AWUS036H 1000mW USB adapter

Hope this helps

I just finished installing a WirieAP+ on my boat. Once installed it took me 5 minutes to set it up using a laptop. I've only tried it at my marina but the signal that was once weak and unreliable is now very strong. I was even able to stream video.

There are probably a number of less expensive ways to achieve similar results by purchasing and combining a number of separate components. I like the Wirie because it requires no assembly and it's pretty much plug and play.

The photo show it installed on top of the radar arch. I installed it on an unused antenna mount. I added a 12" stainless antenna extension pole and clamped the Wirie to it using the mounts supplied with the unit.