Another Wireless Internet Question, and some Help too (1 Viewer)

[OddSocks]

My question is about wifi hotspots, and their prevelence. But before we go there I have noticed that there is a lot of confusion on this board about what all the different terms mean, so I thought I would help out with that first.

Wifi - This is a local wireless network. It is a radio signal sent from a bit of kit called a wireless router. Computers like laptops, tablets, ipads and also telephones can connect to this local network. It can be used to connect to the internet.

Mifi - this is a wireless router. It connects to the internet and also sets up a wifi network for you to connect to. Once connected to that wifi network you will have internet access.

Mobile Data/3G or 4G networks/Wireless Internet. - This is the wireless internet access which runs over the mobile telephone network. This is how your telephone or mifi device connects to the internet.

At home your modem connects to the internet. It is plugged in to your wireless router which sends out the wifi signal that your laptop or ipad connects to. (Unless you have an all in one modem/router)


Any way - lecture over! lol

Now - please answer me this, good funster friends!

I am thinking about whether or not it would be a good idea to purchase a wifi booster areal and setup etc.. Apparently they can pick up a wifi signal from miles away and boost it up so you can connect to it in your motorhome. So far so good. But it has to be a free wifi network or else you can't use it. And here is my point.... Are there a sufficient number of free wireless hotspots accross France and Spain to make this £150 purchase worth while? I mean, here in the UK I almost never come across free wifi hotspots so having a booster would be pointless. What's the go?

 

[TheBig1]

they are also good to pick up the free wifi available around the office only on some campsites. another option is join FON and use a wifi booster or amplified network adapter to pick up hotspots.

from experience there are wifi hotspots in towns and villages, such as cafes and bars or McDs etc, but not much in the countryside.

 

[DP+JAY]

I have the motorhomewifi booster and found it works well in France and Belgium.
You will need to be a BT customer or get a fon box to connect to the fon network, not much else around that is not locked.

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[Leltel]

We have a wifi iboost system, only used a couple of times as we never seem to be near civilisation when we wanted to use it!
When we were near civilisation it worked well however with the Fon spots.
We are now going down the route of the Mifi in the hope that it will give us better coverage from the sides of the road in Europe whilst following the TDF

 

[freelanderuk]

I am using an Alfa R36 WiFi router ( Jim sells these in his shop) and a long range ariel at the caravan club site over looking Berwick upon tweed , I can pick up over 40 WiFi networks with this set up at the moment and quite a few are BT for which I am able to log into