T&T: wifi revisited

[Elliott Bray]

Larry,

I used an Engenius EUB-362-EXT as we cruised Lake Michigan this summer and
really like it. I usually pack it in my laptop bag when we travel as well.
You will be amazed at the added range. We often needed it to see the access
point from the transient docks when we used wifi.

With that said, what I found was very similar to what Jeffrey Siegel
reported several months ago.
[] I found very few free (open) access points.
[] I found that I used the Verizon cell phone data access probably 80-90
percent of the time while traveling.

Cell phone setup:
I have a Motorolla Q smart phone that I 'thether' to either the laptop
(seldom used while on the boat) or the desktop.
I have a Digital Antenna cell phone amplifier/antenna system which
rebroadcasts the  cell signal in the office where the desktop is. I could
usually boost the signal from 1 to 3 bars in fringe areas.  This would do
email very nicely albeit too slow for ActiveCaptain. Upper Michigan is not
real good Verizon land. Almost no Broadband -  National Access sometimes far
apart.

Wifi:
We had considered a season's subscription to Air2Access
(http://www.air2access.com/) who have hotspots all along the Michigan coasts
but chose the phone. We did get a month's worth when in a marina for almost
that long.

A competitor of theirs in the Mackniac Island area will give you a free
trial which is long enough to do an email session.

HTH
Let me know if you need more.
****************
Elliott Bray, wintering in Austin,TX
M/V Letitia - Gulfstar 44 MC
In heated storage in Whitehall, Michigan
www.loopcruiser.com
****************

> ------------------------------
>
> Message: 12
> Date: Mon, 21 Jan 2008 13:31:26 -0600
> From: "Larry N. Brown" <cigano55 at hotmail.com>
> Subject: T&T: wifi revisited
>
>
> I use a Verison
> aircard with  Kyocera KR-1 and it keeps us in a wifi cocoon
> here in Covington.
...snip...
> Doesn't take much of a wifi to do this. Say, $15 worth. But
> what if we're getting into an iffy area where Verizon doesn't
> reagn supreme and we want to sniff out a wifi hotspot? What
> are recommended units. Here are a couple in my price range.
> http://www.jefatech.com/product/EUB-362-EXT/Long_Range_80211bg
> _Wireless_USB_Adapter.html
> http://www.jefatech.com/product/WL-USB-RSMAP Either can be
> used with external antenna.
>
> Larry and Teri
> M/V Cigano, 47' Prairie Sundeck Cruiser