Home » Public Forums » GMCnet » [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150856 is a reply to message #150847] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 12:22   |
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Matt Colie
Messages: 8547
Registered: March 2007
Location: S.E. Michigan
Karma: 7
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Senior Member |
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| WD0AFQ wrote on Mon, 28 November 2011 12:43 |
That is a good buy but I can never get into this site. Always tells me they are busy. I would like to grab one for a spare and to get the windows 7 drivers. The drivers for windows 7 are hard to come by and I have not located them yet.
I have been testing my Pepwave mini surf next to the Alfa this morning. The alfa has the best receiver. I have been using this Alfa for a few years now and is best money spent on wifi stuff. Don't waste your money on a two watt version. I have tried them all. The one watt version is best deal. Two watts will not extend the range because you can not see any farther out there than you can with the one watt unit. If you can't "hear/see" what is out there then you can not "work" it. The one watt unit is worth a little more than the 500 mw unit.
So, If you can get on the site and need something like this, grab it.
I will keep trying.
Might use another laptop.
Dan
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Dan,
If you want drivers:
URL<http://www.alfa.com.tw/in/front/bin/ptlist.phtml?Category=105397>
If you can't make that work, let me know. I could send you copies.
I have a new 036NHR, I got it because my son didn't want to let go of the 036H.
Well, I just got it back this weekend and did a comparison before it went out on loan to the SIL. The receiver of the NHR is hotter, but I am not at all sure it is enough more sensitive to really do any.
Matt
Matt & Mary Colie - Chaumière -'73 Glacier 23 - Members GMCMI, GMCGL, GMCES
Electronically Controlled Quiet Engine Cooling Fan with OE Rear Drum Brakes with Applied Control Arms
SE Michigan - Near DTW - Twixt A2 and Detroit
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150881 is a reply to message #150843] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 17:33 |
Ken Henderson
Messages: 8726
Registered: March 2004
Location: Americus, GA
Karma: 9
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Senior Member |
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If I didn't already have two of them, I'd sure order one (or more) of
those. They're as good as we all claim.
Which reminds me of something I learned recently: They were originally
sold as 300 mW transmitters; then the ads went to 500 mW. Now they're at 1
W. What I learned is the the Alfa web site has drivers which supposedly
increase the output of those older units to 1 W. Now don't get too excited
about that -- it's only half the story (the easy to advertise part). The
sensitivity of the receiver section is just as, or more, important and it's
probably not affected. That long antenna, and where it's placed is as
important. With my first purchase, I bought a 25' BOOSTED USB extension
cable. With that, the Alfa can be placed near an opening to the roof so
the antenna, with its necessarily short cable can be placed high outside.
Ken H.
Americus, GA
'76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI+ & EBL
www.gmcwipersetc.com
On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM, Emery Stora wrote:
> If anyone has not bought this external USB wi-fi antenna this looks like a
> good buy. Under $20 with shipping.
> This really works great. I use one with my Mac Powerbook and bought one
> for my Dad to use with his Windows machine.
>
>
> http://1saleaday.com/?j=1619673&e=emerystora@mac.com&l=121731_HTML&u=24389373&mid=1046201&jb=0
>
> This is only on for about 11 more hours.
>
>
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Ken Henderson
Americus, GA
www.gmcwipersetc.com
Large Wiring Diagrams
76 X-Birchaven
76 X-Palm Beach
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150884 is a reply to message #150881] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 18:12 |
emerystora
Messages: 4442
Registered: January 2004
Karma: 13
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Senior Member |
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You can also replace the 5 dBi antenna with a 9 dBi. It is just a little longer antenna. It is on Amazon for about $8.
This will also increase the range for you.
Emery Stora
On Nov 28, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Ken Henderson wrote:
> If I didn't already have two of them, I'd sure order one (or more) of
> those. They're as good as we all claim.
>
> Which reminds me of something I learned recently: They were originally
> sold as 300 mW transmitters; then the ads went to 500 mW. Now they're at 1
> W. What I learned is the the Alfa web site has drivers which supposedly
> increase the output of those older units to 1 W. Now don't get too excited
> about that -- it's only half the story (the easy to advertise part). The
> sensitivity of the receiver section is just as, or more, important and it's
> probably not affected. That long antenna, and where it's placed is as
> important. With my first purchase, I bought a 25' BOOSTED USB extension
> cable. With that, the Alfa can be placed near an opening to the roof so
> the antenna, with its necessarily short cable can be placed high outside.
>
> Ken H.
> Americus, GA
> '76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI+ & EBL
> www.gmcwipersetc.com
>
>
>
> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM, Emery Stora wrote:
>
>> If anyone has not bought this external USB wi-fi antenna this looks like a
>> good buy. Under $20 with shipping.
>> This really works great. I use one with my Mac Powerbook and bought one
>> for my Dad to use with his Windows machine.
>>
>>
>> http://1saleaday.com/?j=1619673&e=emerystora@mac.com&l=121731_HTML&u=24389373&mid=1046201&jb=0
>>
>> This is only on for about 11 more hours.
>>
>>
> _______________________________________________
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> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150906 is a reply to message #150884] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 20:30 |
gmcrv1
Messages: 839
Registered: August 2007
Location: Memphis
Karma: -1
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Senior Member |
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Same problems other's are having - says site is busy. Still trying. If
someone gets in they should buy a bunch...
Tom Eckert N2VWN
73 Glacier
Oakland, TN
On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 6:12 PM, Emery Stora <emerystora@mac.com> wrote:
> You can also replace the 5 dBi antenna with a 9 dBi. It is just a little
> longer antenna. It is on Amazon for about $8.
> This will also increase the range for you.
>
> Emery Stora
>
> On Nov 28, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Ken Henderson wrote:
>
> > If I didn't already have two of them, I'd sure order one (or more) of
> > those. They're as good as we all claim.
> >
> > Which reminds me of something I learned recently: They were originally
> > sold as 300 mW transmitters; then the ads went to 500 mW. Now they're
> at 1
> > W. What I learned is the the Alfa web site has drivers which supposedly
> > increase the output of those older units to 1 W. Now don't get too
> excited
> > about that -- it's only half the story (the easy to advertise part). The
> > sensitivity of the receiver section is just as, or more, important and
> it's
> > probably not affected. That long antenna, and where it's placed is as
> > important. With my first purchase, I bought a 25' BOOSTED USB extension
> > cable. With that, the Alfa can be placed near an opening to the roof so
> > the antenna, with its necessarily short cable can be placed high outside.
> >
> > Ken H.
> > Americus, GA
> > '76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI+ & EBL
> > www.gmcwipersetc.com
> >
> >
> >
> > On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM, Emery Stora wrote:
> >
> >> If anyone has not bought this external USB wi-fi antenna this looks
> like a
> >> good buy. Under $20 with shipping.
> >> This really works great. I use one with my Mac Powerbook and bought one
> >> for my Dad to use with his Windows machine.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> http://1saleaday.com/?j=1619673&e=emerystora@mac.com&l=121731_HTML&u=24389373&mid=1046201&jb=0
> >>
> >> This is only on for about 11 more hours.
> >>
> >>
> > _______________________________________________
> > GMCnet mailing list
> > Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> > http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
> _______________________________________________
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150918 is a reply to message #150884] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 21:20 |
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Yep. You want a good antenna free and clear of walls, microwaves, windows, a
stack of toilet paper, tree leaves with dew, and just about anything else
you can think of for good connectivity. Line of sight is a poor way to
express it but it comes close. When I first started setting up wireless
networks I learned of the "four wall" limit. It is still as true today as it
was back in 1998 when wireless networking hit the airwaves in this country.
Each obstruction in that "line of sight" cause degradation of the signal no
matter how close you are.
In the 802.11B days, 300 mW was satisfactory. Then came 802.11G and 500 mW
became advantageous. Now, with 802.11N, 1 W should be the norm. Anything
less is weak.
--
Byron Songer
Louisville, KY
http://www.gmceast.com
Sights to see and places to stay
Find or submit a
GMCer recommendation
http://www.gmceast.com/travel
Emery Stora wrote:
> You can also replace the 5 dBi antenna with a 9 dBi. It is just a little
> longer antenna. It is on Amazon for about $8.
> This will also increase the range for you.
>
> Emery Stora
>
> On Nov 28, 2011, at 4:33 PM, Ken Henderson wrote:
>
>> If I didn't already have two of them, I'd sure order one (or more) of
>> those. They're as good as we all claim.
>>
>> Which reminds me of something I learned recently: They were originally
>> sold as 300 mW transmitters; then the ads went to 500 mW. Now they're at 1
>> W. What I learned is the the Alfa web site has drivers which supposedly
>> increase the output of those older units to 1 W. Now don't get too excited
>> about that -- it's only half the story (the easy to advertise part). The
>> sensitivity of the receiver section is just as, or more, important and it's
>> probably not affected. That long antenna, and where it's placed is as
>> important. With my first purchase, I bought a 25' BOOSTED USB extension
>> cable. With that, the Alfa can be placed near an opening to the roof so
>> the antenna, with its necessarily short cable can be placed high outside.
>>
>> Ken H.
>> Americus, GA
>> '76 X-Birchaven w/Cad500/Howell EFI+ & EBL
>> www.gmcwipersetc.com
>>
>>
>>
>> On Mon, Nov 28, 2011 at 12:21 PM, Emery Stora wrote:
>>
>>> If anyone has not bought this external USB wi-fi antenna this looks like a
>>> good buy. Under $20 with shipping.
>>> This really works great. I use one with my Mac Powerbook and bought one
>>> for my Dad to use with his Windows machine.
>>>
>>>
>>> http://1saleaday.com/?j=1619673&e=emerystora@mac.com&l=121731_HTML&u=2438937
>>> 3&mid=1046201&jb=0
>>>
>>> This is only on for about 11 more hours.
>>>
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> GMCnet mailing list
>> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
>> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
>
> _______________________________________________
> GMCnet mailing list
> Unsubscribe or Change List Options:
> http://temp.gmcnet.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gmclist
_______________________________________________
GMCnet mailing list
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--
Byron Songer
Full-timing to enjoy the USA
Former owner but still an admirer
GMC paint schemes at -
http://www.songerconsulting.net
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #150927 is a reply to message #150918] |
Mon, 28 November 2011 22:47 |
Ken Burton
Messages: 10030
Registered: January 2004
Location: Hebron, Indiana
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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In 1999 I set up a 67 node network in a hospital. They wanted one short directional shot across the street to another building that they owned about 300 feet away. They could not right of way for a fiber run there. I told them where to put the transmitter on the fourth floor of the main building pointing to the one story building across the street. They overrode me on the location and ran the shot through the tree across the street instead. I told them that come spring they would loose the connection. It made no difference. They did it anyway.
Guess whose pager went off while changing planes in Honolulu airport headed to Maui in early March? I called them and sure enough the link across the street was down. I told them I was working with another client and would not be back for two weeks. At my recommendation they managed to move the radio bridge themselves to where I told them originally to put it.
The point is a little thing like leaves on a tree will block the signal. While concrete without steel rebar will pass it fairly easily. I had no problem passing through 2.5 feet thick concrete in a basement of a 6 story building built in the 1930's without rebar.
All you can do is get a superior client adapter and antenna and then position it to see what you get. Sometime moving the antenna a few inches left or right or up and down is all you need to make it work.
I have pulled 9 miles reliably for a county government complex with clear line of sight. Good communication at this frequency with it's very low power restriction actually requires more than clear line of sight. But for what we are doing, if you can see the Access Point, you should be able to work it. Do not worry about the power rating of the device. It will not help you to boost the power unless you can do it on both ends. A good signal one way and a poor return will not work.
As the hams say. You can't work them if you can't hear them.
Ken Burton - N9KB
76 Palm Beach
Hebron, Indiana
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #151111 is a reply to message #151084] |
Wed, 30 November 2011 17:14 |
Mitch
Messages: 272
Registered: May 2009
Location: Tacoma, Wa
Karma: 0
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Senior Member |
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I quickly picked up a holder - definitely a good idea.
But the shipping was 3bux more than the clip.
Oh well.
Mitch
Tacoma, Wa.
'80 Spitfire
'03 Windstar
'77 Jaguar XJ6-C
X(very)'76 PB 26 "The Beast"
Where it rains, always.
It's wet, No sun, Gray.
Go to Oregon.
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| Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender [message #151182 is a reply to message #150843] |
Thu, 01 December 2011 10:22 |
glwgmc
Messages: 1014
Registered: June 2004
Karma: 10
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Senior Member |
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From my experience most of these sub $100 wifi range extenders all use the same chip set so they all are quite similar in performance. Most of the difference is attributable to the antenna and cable (if any) between the device and the antenna. For best results, use an external antenna that is mounted as high up as possible. Fasten one to the top of the crank up over the air TV antenna if you can. The more expensive units either employ a reprogrammed wireless router (ala Jefatech which treats the supplied commercial router as a Linix computer which they reprogrammed) or a marine grade radio repeater. All will work within the bounds of the limited range of wifi signals that are easily blocked by most anything between your antenna and the source antenna. Make sure the drivers supplied with whatever unit you use are designed for your computer OS and they come on a media form your computer can read. On one version of the Alfa unit I tried the MacOS drivers were supplied on
a tiny cd that would jam the internal cd mechanisms in most Macs. The version available for download from Alfa was a couple of MacOS generations back and required hacking at the command line level to get it to install. Hopefully the newer Alfa units come with more rational software.
Jerry
Jerry Work
The Dovetail Joint
Fine furniture designed and hand crafted in the 1907 former Masonic Temple building in historic Kerby, OR
Visitors always welcome!
glwork@mac.com
http://jerrywork.com
541-592-5360
Founder of the Southern Oregon Guild
www.southernoregonguild.org
Member of the Siskiyou Guild
www.siskiyouguild.org
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Message: 16
Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 14:31:47 -0600
From: Dan Gregg <gregg_dan@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: [GMCnet] ALFA USB wi-fi extender
To: gmclist@temp.gmcnet.org
Message-ID: <24e3a.4ed692b2@gmc.mybirdfeeder.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="ISO-8859-15"
I wish a bunch of us would be close to each other so we could save shipping on that little holder. That is a good thing to have. I use velcro to hold mine on when I use it. As I have already stated, this is best money spent if you want to reach out and grab wifi signals. At conventions the wifi can be weak at times. This little machine will reach out and grab that signal. I have 100s of dollars invested in wifi equipment. This is a great device. I am now testing the little Pepwave wifi repeater. It also seems to be a super duper little gadget. I got mine from 3gstore.com for 70 bux. I will say this, the reciever in the Alfa is as good as the Pepwave repeater.
Dan,
who has a wifi beam at 50 feet.
--
Dan & Teri Gregg
Soft White LED Lighting
http://danandteri.blogspot.com/
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Jerry & Sharon Work
78 Royale
Kerby, OR
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