Wireless Boosting

[Freff]

With the difficulties of running a cable to the observartory and my wireless weak, I will be without any internet connection.

I was looking at some method of boosting my signal and came across these 7dayshop.com - Online Store . Not being very technical regarding networking I thought better seek some advice.

Has anyone any views or experiences with this type of gear, or is it just gimmicky.

[dmahon]

No idea about that product, but I have this version (two of them as it happens) and they are great:

Netgear Wall Plugged Wireless-N Powerline AV 200 Extender Kit: Amazon.co.uk: Computers & Accessories

[JamesF]

I've never used the powerline ethernet extender type products, but I've discussed them with a lot of people who have. The general impression I get is that some are definitely rather more reliable than others and that you rarely achieve the speed anyone quotes.

James

[Stu]

I use Devolo adapters, similar to the Netgear ones. They give me both wired and wireless connection over a 120ft extension cable to a shed at the bottom of the garden. They are reliable and work well, no idea about speed but they are good enough for normal web browsing, email etc

Stu

[StuW]

I use a Linksys WRT54G running DD-WRT in Repeater mode and boosted the wifi output so a friend 200yds down the street can use my wifi.

*edit Gateway mode -> Repeater mode

[laser_jock99]

How about a long ethernet cable? We have some 20m runs in our house, way faster than wifi and secure.

[Freff]

Thanks for the feedback guys. At the price of these I might give them a go.

7dayshop.com have a good returns policy if they prove inadequate.

[FrankieValley]

I use a pair of Sweex Powerline Adapters adapters. I could use wireless, but when I'm using high frame rates (60fps) for video capture, that bogs down the pc/connection and remote control comes to a halt. Using ethernet over the mains avoids that problem and gives me much higher communication speeds and it's happy days :-)

[Cath]

The trouble with power line ethernet is the sheer amount of RF pollution they cause

Their is a movement to stop their use due to them often making the HF radio spectum unusable for quite some distance away from there location for communication/atmospheric measurement etc.

It's very much the same as light pollution and astronomy. The only diference is in the wavelength being used.

[Gina]

If you're running a mains cable then why not an ethernet cable as well?

[Cath]

If your wireless router has a removable external antenna then you can replace it with a directional antenna and point it towards your observatory to get a decent link to your laptop.

[Enrico]

I'd run an Ethernet cable too. You can buy pretty long runs of cable from eBay and would easily be poked though some PVC pipe underground. Get cat 6 for future proofing (not much more expensive), and then you can run at gigabit speeds when your router/pc allow (or if you need to run several connections over one cable).

[singlespeedman]

I install wired and wireless networks for a living and can honestly say that running a cable is by far the best route and requires no extra networking knowledge. Cat 5e will give you all you will need

[dmahon]

I assumed the cables have already been run, and he didn't want to dig up the trench again.

Still - do you need wireless in the obs? Plain old ethernet over powerline is cheaper.

[JamesF]

I'd agree with singlespeedman regarding cat5e. There's no real benefit to spending more on cat6 unless you're going to meet all of the additional constraints required for a cat6 installation.

James

[Freff]

Interesting thoughts. Thanks.

I have a workshop just two metres from my obsy. The electrics for the obsy is a spur from there to a small consumer unit where the computer, scope and accessories are powered.

The electrics for the workshop were laid over 25yrs ago, so no new trench is available or likely to be for any new cables.

I don't want anything fancy in the way of networking. I have no need for streaming video, webcams etc, just to be able to browse the net occasionally during long imaging periods.

[brucen]

Thanks for the feedback guys. At the price of these I might give them a go.

7dayshop.com have a good returns policy if they prove inadequate.

I think the same company sells them for even less through their Amazon outlet.

[old_eyes]

I am blessed with a house where some of the walls are a metre thick stone and these don't handle wi-fi connections well. It is also hard to lay ethernet when you have solid walls and floors. So Ethernet over powerline is a godsend. I have a dual wi-fi ethernet link in the bedroom that allows me to run my laptop on the internet and also delivers BBC iPlayer streamed programmes at standard reolution pretty faultlessly. They are a bit sensitive to any noise on the mains, and one link in anotehr room is rather flaky. But in general we are completely and successfully dependent on them.

old_eyes

[Freff]

I am blessed with a house where some of the walls are a metre thick stone and these don't handle wi-fi connections well. It is also hard to lay ethernet when you have solid walls and floors. So Ethernet over powerline is a godsend. I have a dual wi-fi ethernet link in the bedroom that allows me to run my laptop on the internet and also delivers BBC iPlayer streamed programmes at standard reolution pretty faultlessly. They are a bit sensitive to any noise on the mains, and one link in anotehr room is rather flaky. But in general we are completely and successfully dependent on them.

old_eyes

Thanks for the info.

I have also gone for the over powerline option. I bought 3 units and up till now have worked faultlessly.

[Gina]

My wi-fi link to the obsy is a bit iffy at times and I'm thinking of alternatives. I do have a buried water pipe going to my weather station for 1-wire data feed which can be rerouted at the far end to go into the obsy. I can easily run CAT5E cable from house to obsy - I've got plenty of cable. Powerling LAN would be another (probably easier) solution - no drilling holes through walls as I already have power in my obsy. OK so I should have laid a data feed at the same time as laying the power cable but I was up against the weather at the time.

[JamesF]

For the cost of decent powerline kit I'd be tempted to drill the holes and run cat5, Gina.

James

[Gina]

For the cost of decent powerline kit I'd be tempted to drill the holes and run cat5, Gina.

James

Yes, I think that's what I will do Been looking at the current underground pipe this afternoon. Looks like it won't take too much to re-route the last yard/metre to go under the obsy (the ground is very soft from all the rain). Then I can quite easily thread cable through a hole in the warm room floor and under the building. I have connectors and crimping tool for CAT5 cable. Much more reliable as well as cheaper that powerline kit I imagine.

[SlipperySquid]

I've had massive problems getting wirelss to work in the shed 've tried a myriad of different adapters, includinding several wireless usb dongles promising to be able to pick up a signal for the moon! but to no avail. I'm now using a pci card with three arials that's supposed to be the mutts nuts and it doesnt pick up the signal very well and drops all the time. Wierd thing is none of my laptops have a problem in the shed!!! good signals all the time. So I would deffo go with cat5 if you can!

Matt

[biondi]

Remember, if you use ethernet over power the plug sockets that you use must be on the same ring. I couldn't get mine to work and it took me ages to work out that we actually had a different ring for each floor of the house!

[SlipperySquid]

I'm using Comtrend powerlines at the moment, sometimes they work(albeit very slowly), most of the time they don't.These are the old 902's which I bought from a mate and to be honest I wouldn't recomend them.

Matt.