Recommend me a wifi adapter

[1210tech]

Looking for long range/high gain wifi adapter to use with MacBook Pro so has to be Mac compatible. Its for use at my holiday home to get onto a friends BTOpenzone network, his BT Home Hub is about 100 metres from my location. I have been looking and got my eye on a few but have no experience of using these so any input/advice from peeps that have one/used one appreciated, cheers

[Specialone]

Wear silver foil on your head and use the mac under the table, should be fine then.

Wifi travels a lot further when not obstructed by buidlings etc, your bungalow shouldnt need a massive one i suspect as its fairly direct to the home hub isnt it?

[Specialone]

This (http://www.amazon.co.uk/2200mW-Power-Booster-Antenna-laptop/dp/B003X8LXMU) any good?

Or have a look here (http://uk.wifi-link.com/)

[1210tech]

Already tried the foil approach ballbag, got some funny looks though and messed my hair up! :)

Yeah, I can pick up the signal when I'm in the kitchen standing on one leg holding the laptop in the air but it gets bit uncomfortable after a couple of minutes!!!

[Specialone]

Read my edited post above ^^^^^^^

[1210tech]

This (http://www.amazon.co.uk/2200mW-Power-Booster-Antenna-laptop/dp/B003X8LXMU) any good?

f00kin hell, I only want internet access, I'm not trying to take over the world! :rambo:

Don't wanna spend more than £30 and would prefer a small USB device kinda like a dongle but with an antenna on it, Edimax do a few

[Specialone]

f00kin hell, I only want internet access, I'm not trying to take over the world! :rambo:

Don't wanna spend more than £30 and would prefer a small USB device kinda like a dongle but with an antenna on it, Edimax do a few
Buy cheap, buy twice you know that.

[flymo]

100m is a fairly long distance for wifi, made even more tricky with walls and other obstacles weakening the signal.

Your best bet would be an 'N' series wifi adapter but this will also require an 'N' series capable wifi access point/router at your friends house.

Alternatively, try using one of these. I have one at home for boosting signal and range, very good. http://www.dabs.com/products/edimax-wireless-n--802-11n--range-extender-5BR5.html?q=wireless%20repeter&src=16

[1210tech]

This (http://www.ebuyer.com/257258-edimax-wi-fi-300n-usb-adapter-ew-7612uan) is the sort thing I was looking at

[1210tech]

100m is a fairly long distance for wifi, made even more tricky with walls and other obstacles weakening the signal.

Your best bet would be an 'N' series wifi adapter but this will also require an 'N' series capable wifi access point/router at your friends house.

Alternatively, try using one of these. I have one at home for boosting signal and range, very good. http://www.dabs.com/products/edimax-wireless-n--802-11n--range-extender-5BR5.html?q=wireless%20repeter&src=16

cheers flymo, our posts crossed, I looked at those but couldn't figure out if you could use it just as a receiver.

Just using the built-in wifi I get two bars of signal in the kitchen but if I move into the living room, less than 2 meters further, the signal drops all together

[maviczap]

I'd used Homeplugs instead of WiFi adaptors, depends what you're going to do with Wifi.

Although Homeplugs will blow your budget

[flymo]

cheers flymo, our posts crossed, I looked at those but couldn't figure out if you could use it just as a receiver.

Just using the built-in wifi I get two bars of signal in the kitchen but if I move into the living room, less than 2 meters further, the signal drops all together

Yep, that unit can be set in repeater mode. You configure it to connect to the 'parent' wifi network and then this gets repeated as new networks, more than one if you wish using your own wifi network SSID name.

If you are getting a 2 bar wifi signal already then this will boost that to full strength. Brilliant bit of equipment for the price.

If your Mac/PC already has a wifi capability then it will be fine for use with this Edimax unit, no need to alter it.

[flymo]

I'd used Homeplugs instead of WiFi adaptors, depends what you're going to do with Wifi.

Although Homeplugs will blow your budget

Also assumes that both properties are connected over the same electrical installation.

[maviczap]

Also assumes that both properties are connected over the same electrical installation.

Yes, good point :salut:

[flymo]

Yes, good point :salut:

Bizarrely, sometimes it does work. I guess adjacent properties do often connect to the grid over shared cabling. I diagnosed a problem recently whereby two separate properties managed to get onto the same network using Powerline adapters that just happened to use the same encryption key.

[maviczap]

Wierd!

[DJFridge]

Bizarrely, sometimes it does work. I guess adjacent properties do often connect to the grid over shared cabling. I diagnosed a problem recently whereby two separate properties managed to get onto the same network using Powerline adapters that just happened to use the same encryption key.

Surely the chances of that happening should be several billion to one against?

[flymo]

Surely the chances of that happening should be several billion to one against?

No, not really. Just two neighbours buying the same PowerLine equipment that has a poorly implemented default encryption key system, think of it like the default passwords that used to come configured on older wifi routers.

Its rarely the encryption algorithm, often just poor implementation procedures that introduce weakness.

[DJFridge]

Figures, I guess a lot of people leave the default passwords