Problem with an external wi fi adaptor

D

davidat19

Geek Trainee
We live on a boat in Holland . I use two Toshiba lap tops, one with vista and one with windows 7.The boat yard has a network 9g type) via a proffesional looking aerial. I was in direct line of sight, about 120 metres or less and coudn't get on to it. The signal varies from 3 bars to non, and dissapears (I can't see the name at all) from time to time .
I bought a cheap usb adaptor and aerial from fleaby, still no improvement, though sometimes it shows one more bar than without it. This is now 1.8 metres above my roof on a stick, with a 3m. extension The led on the adaptor shows when it is plugged in. I have now moved the boat, we are less than 20 metres from the transmitting antenna. Still no consistency, though I can occasionally (and usually briefly) connect.
I am of the opinion that there is a fault in the yard equipment, or have I misssed something setting up the aerial and adaptor?
I have a better one on order, but no sign yet.
 
I now find that the extension cables arent helping.....the adaptor is showing a light, but there seems to be a problem unless I delete the cable....if plugged in the adaptor works for a while and then says ÿour adaptor does not meet the requirements of the network""
This is all a bit frustrating, I suspect the problem lies with the installation at the boat yard, but as there is only me using it the owner doesn't seem too bothered.
Any ideas anyone? I see there have been visits, but no answers!
 
Hi,

If the problem with the wire less signal is with the boatyard equipment, there is not much you can do about it. The owner of the equipment could try a few different things. He could change the channel that it is currently broadcasting on from (presumably 6 is the default) 6 to 1 or 11 to reduce interference from other wireless devices. He could also buy better antennae for the wireless access point to help improve the signal. Where they have the access point can play a role in the signal strength as well. If the access point is inside the building, the brick/steel/wood of the walls is going to cause signal strength to drop. Electrical equipment such as microwaves can also kill the wi fi signal. If the owner doesnt want to make any changes to his setup the only thing I can think of for you to do would be to try an outdoor wi fi repeater. This will basically pickup the wireless signal and rebroadcast it to increase the signal strength. You can try another wireless card in your laptop however the antenna in laptops are usually pretty good so I do not think a new wireless card will really help out that much.
 
I now have a Ralink/Netsys960000N and it does seem better, though I am out on the New Year cruise. It has allowed me to connect to a weak unsecured connection, but as yet I haven't been able to grack any secured ones (not that I would of course!).
It will be interesting to see if it cures the problem back at the yard.
 
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