Wifi / Cell Boosters

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

There is another alternative for the technically-inclined. You can flash an old Linksys router with open-source firmware from dd-wrt.com and then enable the router to be used as a repeater. Then you'd only have to buy an antenna. I wonder if JefaTech is using the dd-wrt firmware.

They (Jefa tech) say that they aren't using dd-wrt firmware. That it is there own proprietary stuff. The UI is different that dd-wrt, and it seems designed to minimize the configuration steps when you hook up to a new network. But in someways I wish it was dd-wrt since I know that is still being actively maintained.

[MyronL]

So let me ask this question:

If I bought the JeFa 8.5 dBi Portable Omni antenna ($49.95) and the 20 ft long antenna cable ($30.60) all from JeFa Tech, could I then plug it into this old Netgear router? Assuming at the bright yellow Internet port? And I then have a boosted WiFi connection for use on the road?

[LeonW]

Originally Posted by MyronL

So let me ask this question:

If I bought the JeFa 8.5 dBi Portable Omni antenna ($49.95) and the 20 ft long antenna cable ($30.60) all from JeFa Tech, could I then plug it into this old Netgear router? Assuming at the bright yellow Internet port? And I then have a boosted WiFi connection for use on the road?

Myron, I think the yellow internet port is an ethernet connection, while the antenna cable plugs into a coax connection.

The linksys router has two antennas. My understanding is that one of these antennas is used as a reception antenna which allows the router to pick up a wifi signal that is sent from another wifi router. the other antenna is a sending antenna which is used to broadcast the signal from the linksys router to your computer / tablet / phone.

The Omni antenna and the cable only have a benefit for when you have a weak wifi signal that is hard to pick up, especially from inside the trailer where you are lower and may have other electrical interference.

I should fess up here and say that I am an old software guy, but definitely not an old networking guy. I know just enough to get myself in trouble. so take this with a grain of salt.

[Mike Lewis]

I agree that you probably wouldn't be able to plug an external antenna into the Ethernet port. The old Linksys router I flashed with the dd-wrt firmware has two connections for external antennas. One advantage of this firmware is that it allows the user to route both transmit and receive to one of the two antennas, which would be good for an external wifi antenna mounted outside the trailer. The dd-wrt firmware also allows you to configure the router as a router, access point, repeater, and Ethernet bridge, depending upon the model of router the firmware is installed on.

In my case I'm trying to set up an Ethernet bridge from my wifi hotspot to an Ethernet network in my house. Later I may pick up another old router to use in my trailer with an external wifi antenna, for parks that have wifi.

[MyronL]

Ah...thanks, think I get it. My old router's the wrong kind. Not knowing how these things are built, had thought maybe some creative splicing might work around that.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by MyronL

So let me ask this question:

If I bought the JeFa 8.5 dBi Portable Omni antenna ($49.95) and the 20 ft long antenna cable ($30.60) all from JeFa Tech, could I then plug it into this old Netgear router? Assuming at the bright yellow Internet port? And I then have a boosted WiFi connection for use on the road?

Myron, by way of explanation, the yellow Internet port on the Netgear is the WAN (external) port, and the other Ethernet ports are the LAN (Internal) ports. None of them has anything to do with an antenna, and are only data ports. The internal ports are for providing NATd (Network Address Translation) IPs which are routable only on the internal network (addresses like 192.168.x.x, 172.16.x.x or 10.10.x.x) , and the external port uses a real Internet routable IP when it's connected to an Internet link, like a cable modem. I have 3 or 4 of these in my home lab, and they work fine as routers and switches - but the antenna is internal, and you can't add an external one without taking things apart and doing some soldering.

[bdornbush]

There is another alternative. Ccrane.com makes several wifi repeater / antenna / USB adapter combinations. I have tried their 14 DB antenna with their Versa Wifi USB adapter which works good when you want to connect directly to a PC. I have found that this combination doesn't work well if you want to also share the signal. There is software to share a signal on a PC but it doesn't seem to work well with this hardware. I will be trying their WiFi hotspeat repeater so I can more easily share the signal.

[MyronL]

Much appreciate the info. What I really want is a clean and simple (way) under-one-hundred-dollar solution.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by MyronL

Much appreciate the info. What I really want is a clean and simple (way) under-one-hundred-dollar solution.

Make your phone a hotspot and use a sleek cradle and trucker antenna. As long as you go with the older Wilson Sleek and Trucker antenna instead of the newer WeBoost, all parts should total around $125. They are still readily available. And, in places where there's a good 4G signal, you won't need the amplification provided by the cradle, and you can just turn on the hotspot feature on your phone. In this scenario, your phone takes the place of the netgear or other WiFi router.

Of course, all of this assumes a 4G phone with hotspot capability, and a decent data plan.

[MyronL]

I have noticed many use and like that Wilson antenna configuration, including my good next-door neighbor the long-range trucker.

I have no need for a cell phone, do not carry one. Rare exception is when on a big trip and Nancy needs some way to contact me using hers. Then I get a burner. Computer Email is my primary tool so the internet laptop connection is my only critical link to the world outside.

It would be nice to catch some TV shows on my lap top once in a while. These two items interest me.

[sallemann]

Originally Posted by Maury&Julie

Thanks for the info on the mast, Dolly! We've been looking for something like that. Do you know how stiff it is? Can it handle a bit of wind?

We pick up our trailer in early January, so we haven't tried using the mast yet. I got the idea form someone else on this forum (Mike Lewis). I asked him a few questions about his experience with the mast. The mast comes with guy wires, so I was curious if Mike ever needed to use them. Here's his response:

I don't use the guy wires, and most of the time I leave the mast fully extended when I'm in/around the trailer. Sometimes when camped and I leave the campground I'll retract the mast a section or two, just in case a wind comes up. I'm reluctant to leave it fully extended if I'm not around. So there are drawbacks to having an antenna mounted this way. I fully retract the mast when traveling, of course, and disconnect and roll up the feed lines.

Here's other info he provided that might be useful to you:

I secured my antenna mast to the square vertical tube that holds the spare tire. I used stainless steel U-bolts and hose clamps, intending to do something more permanent later (but I haven't yet). I considered having a welding shop put a holding tube at the end of the bumper, in order to get the mast out of the rear window field of view.

When I am parked I run my antenna cables through the opening for the trailer's power cord. When I travel I disconnect the cables, roll them up, and secure them to the mast. I have short cables inside the trailer that reach just into the hatch for the power cable, and have my connections there.

I'll report back once we have had direct experience with the mast, but that won't be until January or February, at the earliest.

Good luck!

[Mike Lewis]

Yeah-- what he said.

[disneydoc]

A very informative thread,

Thanks

[Daubsy]

Doing mods to get ready for spring and summer camping! Discovered an old linksys 54G router in a junk box over the weekend and successfully flashed it with the dd-wrt firmware.

Spent some time looking for antennas today. Found a nice one made by L-com on Amazon and went to their website to find the same one on sale for over 50% off. If anyone else is looking for a high gain wifi antenna this is a good deal folks!

http://www.l-com.com/tabbeditem_mobi.aspx?id=41580

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Daubsy

Doing mods to get ready for spring and summer camping! Discovered an old linksys 54G router in a junk box over the weekend and successfully flashed it with the dd-wrt firmware.



Spent some time looking for antennas today. Found a nice one made by L-com on Amazon and went to their website to find the same one on sale for over 50% off. If anyone else is looking for a high gain wifi antenna this is a good deal folks!



2.4 GHz 15 dBi Omnidirectional Antenna - N-Female Connector - HG2415U-PRO

That is still one of the best routers ever made Sean. It was also the first one I ever flashed with DD-WRT. Still works.

Tell me, how are you going to rig it up in the trailer?

[Daubsy]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

That is still one of the best routers ever made Sean. It was also the first one I ever flashed with DD-WRT. Still works.

Tell me, how are you going to rig it up in the trailer?

Well, I'm pretty good with tech but not so much with networking. I could probably use some help.

I plan to use it as a client bridge when I'm at a campground or near retail stores that offer free wifi. I bought an omni antenna (linked above) and will mount it to the top of the trailer, which will connect to the router and transmitting antenna inside. Haven't quite figured out how I'm going to run the coax or where I'm going to put the router. Does there need to be a good amount of separation between the antennas?

[Mike Lewis]

Originally Posted by Daubsy

I plan to use it as a client bridge when I'm at a campground or near retail stores that offer free wifi.

I'm not sure if you can use a dd-wrt flashed router as both an Ethernet bridge and as an access point. It may be possible; is that what the "client bridge" option is for?

I have the following setup at home: I have a wifi hotspot in my truck, it's on all the time and parked in front of my house. In a front window I have an antenna leading to a Linksys router flashed as an Ethernet bridge. This puts the signal on an Ethernet network in my house, with another router flashed as a wifi access point on the network. This works okay.

I'd like to do something similar in my trailer so I can keep the hotspot in my truck as long as the cellular data signal is good, then pick up the wifi signal in my trailer and retransmit it. But I'm not sure if one router will do this, or if so how to configure it. Someone please enlighten me.

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Daubsy

Well, I'm pretty good with tech but not so much with networking. I could probably use some help.

I plan to use it as a client bridge when I'm at a campground or near retail stores that offer free wifi. I bought an omni antenna (linked above) and will mount it to the top of the trailer, which will connect to the router and transmitting antenna inside. Haven't quite figured out how I'm going to run the coax or where I'm going to put the router. Does there need to be a good amount of separation between the antennas?

Ok, I see what you're doing.

Yes, you can bridge it. It's basically just working as a repeater and LAN. As far as separation between the roof mounted antenna and the router antenna, I'd say a few feet will suffice to avoid attenuation.

Using it as a bridge only fits certain scenarios of course. Alot depends on the gain of the antenna, particularly when you're far from the source. You might get better reception with something like a Pep Wave and a high gain external antenna. Then, you could connect the router to the WAN port and have your own nice little private network.

I like creating a wifi network where there is none, so of course I went a different direction with the wilson antenna, MiFi hotspot and sleek cradle. Campground WiFi is notoriously unreliable and slow.

[Daubsy]

Originally Posted by Mike Lewis

I'm not sure if you can use a dd-wrt flashed router as both an Ethernet bridge and as an access point. It may be possible; is that what the "client bridge" option is for?

I have the following setup at home: I have a wifi hotspot in my truck, it's on all the time and parked in front of my house. In a front window I have an antenna leading to a Linksys router flashed as an Ethernet bridge. This puts the signal on an Ethernet network in my house, with another router flashed as a wifi access point on the network. This works okay.

I'd like to do something similar in my trailer so I can keep the hotspot in my truck as long as the cellular data signal is good, then pick up the wifi signal in my trailer and retransmit it. But I'm not sure if one router will do this, or if so how to configure it. Someone please enlighten me.

Images sure do help a lot. Found this on the dd-wrt website. Technically its called a Repeater Bridge, which wirelessly connects the secondary (trailer) router to the primary (internet) router. Devices can have both wired and wireless connections to the secondary router. I haven't had a chance to play with the dd-wrt settings, but would it not be possible to create a private network with this setup?

[Daubsy]

Originally Posted by rbryan4

Ok, I see what you're doing.

Yes, you can bridge it. It's basically just working as a repeater and LAN. As far as separation between the roof mounted antenna and the router antenna, I'd say a few feet will suffice to avoid attenuation.

Using it as a bridge only fits certain scenarios of course. Alot depends on the gain of the antenna, particularly when you're far from the source. You might get better reception with something like a Pep Wave and a high gain external antenna. Then, you could connect the router to the WAN port and have your own nice little private network.

I like creating a wifi network where there is none, so of course I went a different direction with the wilson antenna, MiFi hotspot and sleek cradle. Campground WiFi is notoriously unreliable and slow.

Thanks Robert. I plan on doing both. I also snagged a WeBoost Drive 4G-M off eBay for $150. Problem is I don't have a great data plan to begin with, so I would like to piggy back off an available signal if I can. Endless possibilities, and unfortunately none of them guarantee an endless data source.