Setting up a wireless network for a marina, help and advice please
 

We currently have a WiFi network at our marina but it's rubbish and drops out constantly. It was set up by a 'the friend of a bloke' here hence why it's probably rubbish :D

Anyway we want to set one up properly that actually works. Which ISP should we be looking at? We have the antenna here already so all it would need is the router plugging in and securing presumably? :D For this we need a router with an external antenna socket.

All help and advice will be greatly appreciated :thumb:

Cheers

Sal

Need lots more info, how far away are the users going to be and what angle from the antenna.
What type of antenna do you have?
How long is the feeder run?
Any obstructions between the antenna and the user?
etc, etc, etc.

are all wifi networks rubbish?

I have yet to find one that works as wells as a network cable plugged in the back? I know network cables are not possible in a lot of places but they are sooooooooooo much easier to use!

From right below the antenna to about 400 feet away in just one direction. The antenna is on top of a single storey shed and the boats are in the water, the angles vary as the antenna is at one end of the marina where the power and router and phone line are.

A white one! I have no idea, sorry. It's about 6ft tall if that helps! :D

Do you mean from the router to the aeriel? It's about 15 ft

The antenna is currently up on top of a single story shed :D The only thing that separates it from the users is about 4mm solid steel - the boats are all steel narrowboats! :D

the thing about wifi is that it's prone (very prone) to reduced signal strength and bandwidth due to all sorts of environmental factors

one thing you could try is changing the channel in use - most people leave it on the default and you get interference... pick alternate channels and you may find one that gives a better signal.

you can get wireless repeaters that can extend the signal but again wireless bandwidth is shared amongst all devices connected so the bandwidth for each connected p.c. could be limited

I like the repeater idea. We have a full height meter cupboard down the other end of the marina so could be an ideal site? Tell me more please.

i need to know the make and model of the router, you can buy high gain antenna for some models and you can extend the range using the repeater - it does introduce some lag though, but that's only an issue when gaming

btw the ISP has no bearing in wireless communication

"enterprise" class wireless networks, especially using external antenna's are quite complicated and normally any decent vendor would require a site survey etc

and yes, just like your mobile phone signal gets effected by crap weather so will your wireless signal too

Did the Dragon's Den sign up a budding WiFi company setting up in marina's around the UK ?

My mate used a pringles tube to share his wireless connection with his fathers house on a different estate :D

don't laugh - it can be done. Use a wok as a parabolic dish. Some wag called it wi-fry :D

Go and stand in the corner Burns :mad: :lol1:

Spectrum, yes they did

Sal, I can come out and do a wireless survey, with spectrum analyer etc

We are very very good at Wireless

Where you based ?

Yep, our workshop ran with a Cookie-tube aerial for a while :D

The trick is to get the length of wire and distance from the back of the tube spot on so the aerial is tuned to resonate at the target frequency. Downside is its directional, where the average application needs to be omni-directional.

Anyhoo, what do I know....I wanted a Draytek Vigor for our network and got bought a Belkin Vision :freak3: (at least it works :) ).

Be careful Sal, Sonic is proposing to visit you and inspect you with his 'spectrum analyser'... I bet he is :norty: :lol1:

How long is the cable from the AP to the Antenna? The cable has huge losses so the shorter the cable the better.

:lol1: This spectrum analyser sounds painful :eek: :D

We're based in Herts so about as far away as we could be Steve :D

Where in Herts are you?

This is Sonic all ready to go :)


http://images.buycostumes.com/mgen/m...iser/17757.jpg



I ordered the other model ;)




http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/...jL._SS500_.jpg

LOL Swiss not too far from the truth :D

Ah I know, the trousers are longer :idea:

We're currently discussing whether to charge for this service in our mooring fees and offer it as 'free' or whether to set it up as a PAYG type system whereby the customer buys time with a credit card and we get a commission. My only worry with that is the cost to the users.

Who do we go to to look into this? Has anyone got any links?

Im sure you could get that working, i used to do a lot of wifi work, where in Herts are you?

East Herts, near Hertford :)

I used to live in watton at stone. Small world.

*cough*