Wifi booster (1 Viewer)

Stonemags76

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Have just bought the iBoost wifi booster from

www.motorhomewifi.com

And can't say how pleased I am with it! It's not cheap at about £160, but it works brilliantly! We are on Marjal at Guardamar, and the wifi signal is dire, but this booster has made as quick as broadband! I had trouble ordering online - due to the rubbish signal - and the guys were very helpful, even offering to phone me to take my order! In the end it arrived in Spain in five days, and was very easy to set up.
I have nothing to do with the firm, but have been struggling with site wifi for two years now, so this is a revelation!
Thought I'd let other fun steers in on the secret!
:Smile::Smile:::bigsmile::RollEyes:
 
Aug 27, 2009
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Have just bought the iBoost wifi booster from

www.motorhomewifi.com

And can't say how pleased I am with it! It's not cheap at about £160, but it works brilliantly! We are on Marjal at Guardamar, and the wifi signal is dire, but this booster has made as quick as broadband! I had trouble ordering online - due to the rubbish signal - and the guys were very helpful, even offering to phone me to take my order! In the end it arrived in Spain in five days, and was very easy to set up.
I have nothing to do with the firm, but have been struggling with site wifi for two years now, so this is a revelation!
Thought I'd let other fun steers in on the secret!
:Smile::Smile:::bigsmile::RollEyes:
You are right it is not cheap, there are a plethora of similar gadgets available that do the same job for a more realistic price. I guess the " i " in the name will double the price.::bigsmile:
 
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Stonemags76

Stonemags76

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I forgot to mention, it is wifi, and enables use of multiple wireless devices at the same time in the van. I can be on the ipad, and Paul can be on the macbook at the same time wirelessly.
:Smile:::bigsmile:

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Have just bought the iBoost wifi booster from

www.motorhomewifi.com

And can't say how pleased I am with it! It's not cheap at about £160, but it works brilliantly! We are on Marjal at Guardamar, and the wifi signal is dire, but this booster has made as quick as broadband! I had trouble ordering online - due to the rubbish signal - and the guys were very helpful, even offering to phone me to take my order! In the end it arrived in Spain in five days, and was very easy to set up.
I have nothing to do with the firm, but have been struggling with site wifi for two years now, so this is a revelation!
Thought I'd let other fun steers in on the secret!
:Smile::Smile:::bigsmile::RollEyes:
May be a daft question but as it is a directional antenna then how do you know what direction to point it in?
 

Chris

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I have got this one too. I did a quick review of it on here a few months back but dont know how to find it.

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hilldweller

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I have got this one too. I did a quick review of it on here a few months back but dont know how to find it.

Think of a good keyword you will have used in that review and do an Advanced Search for that word under your name.

PS....

iBoost and treacle delivers...

Broken Link Removed
 
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ukbill

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i have ordered this 1 and will be here tomorrow so will test it at home and see what it picks up hopefully it will be ok it has both a omni and a directional so should be ok fingers crossed
will let ya know the outcome :Smile:
 
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I am getting one as well but with the 3G integrated.
It will have a 3G antenna on the roof and the directional wifi antenna.
One box inside to manage all the connections and switch between them.
4 port lan box to connect my main computer up and wifi for my laptop, tablet and phone :thumb:

Expensive but a great bit of kit.

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magicsurfbus

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A cheap and simple wi-fi booster I use at home is an extension cable between the wi-fi card on the PC and the antenna that normally sticks out the back of the wi-fi card. Only costs a few quid on Link Removed.

If an upstairs room is out of range or has dodgy reception I can re-site the antenna away from the back of the PC so it picks up a clearer signal.
 

freelanderuk

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this does exactly the same as the i boost and cheaper and allows you to connect a 3G dongle to it

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got mine from ebay for £34 inc post and just attach my long range antenna or dongle to it

.also at the bottom of this page

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ukbill

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looks good but its more for if you want to connect more than 1 device isn't :Smile:

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Chris

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looks good but its more for if you want to connect more than 1 device isn't :Smile:


Yes I think so. In the Summer in Spain I was on a site and was able to buy one wifi voucher and 4 of us were running iPads off that one voucher. I could have shared the code with my neighbours and would have done had they not been grumpy Germans::bigsmile:

It's also good in the UK to pick up BT Openzone.

In France on most sites I was able to point the antennae at the free wifi bar or office and pick up a powerful signal.

It is pricey but we tend to stay on sites and buy wifi vouchers so it will pay for itself in the long run.

I doubt it's the best or cheapest thing on the market but it suits my very limited IT skills.
 

ukbill

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hopefully the 1 coming today will be all i need i just need 1 so that it can pick up the wifi on sites that have it at designated spots
and anyway its another gadget :roflmto:
 
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2657

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I bought a directional wi fi booster from a different supplier last year, this had been given good reviews by others. I found that this did not significantly improve the connectivity of my laptop and in some cases it was worse, I tried the booster on a friends laptop in the same location and it worked OK, more networks etc.

A few observations and questions:

Is the wi fi booster basically a better LAN card than is fitted in most laptops, especially tablets, with a signal amplification circuit.If so does this mean that if your laptop has a good wifi Lan card and good connectivity then a booster does not make much difference as seems to be the case with mine.

My understanding of networks is that no matter how good your connection to a network is the speed of the connection will depend on the bandwidth supplied to the network by the ISP and the speed on the network will decrease according to useage by other users of the network. For example would a few people watching internet TV reduce the bandwidth available to other users.

Does a booster 'grab' a signal to the detriment of other users as some people I have spoken to seem to think.

My techie knowledge is very limited so any not too techie answers would be very much appreciated.:Smile:

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hilldweller

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Is the wi fi booster basically a better LAN card than is fitted in most laptops, especially tablets, with a signal amplification circuit.
Maybe - the thing is you move the booster aerial to where it can see a signal, ie not screened by your van.
If so does this mean that if your laptop has a good wifi Lan card and good connectivity then a booster does not make much difference as seems to be the case with mine. Maybe not if screened by your van or other vans but the tablet aerial is very close to you and the electronics of the tablet so will never be as good as one in free air.

My understanding of networks is that no matter how good your connection to a network is the speed of the connection will depend on the bandwidth supplied to the network by the ISP and the speed on the network will decrease according to useage by other users of the network. Spot on. Those watching films from home ruin the whole link for all.

Does a booster 'grab' a signal to the detriment of other users as some people I have spoken to seem to think. No

My techie knowledge is very limited so any not too techie answers would be very much appreciated.:Smile: Yes

A few comments in red
 

Chris

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Dont know much about this sort of thing. All I can say is if I switch my ipad on it might detect 5 or so available networks. The motorhome wifi device would pick up 20 of varying strength. Even if it picks up the same network it boosts the signal strength coming into the van.

So if you see a site wifi aerial for example and point the exterior aerial in its direction a 1 bar reception can become 5 bars.

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hilldweller

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So if you see a site wifi aerial for example and point the exterior aerial in its direction a 1 bar reception can become 5 bars.

Spot on. A Directional aerial is just the same as a telescope. The more directional the more it boosts the signal but the more accurately you need to point it.

Telescope = magnification. Aerial = gain.

And just like a telescope, you want to see the stars you don't point it through a window, you go outside for a clear view.
 

Chris

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I tried this gadget out at home first. I live in a built up area. My ipad picked up our immediate neighbours networks, probably 2 or 3.
When I plugged the iboost in the list of available networks was 2 or 3 pages.
 

ukbill

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just tried this new booster and its great i plugged it in the usb it loaded drivers and found around 20 more networks just from inside the house on the omni Ariel out side it must have found all the towns lol it comes complete with a omni and a directional Ariel it also has 2 usb plugs at the end of the lead so it must allow 2 devices to be plugged in at some time i did not try the directional but not really sure if i would need it anyway so all in all it by the looks of it it does what it says on the box total cost was just under £78 including express delivery:Smile:

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hilldweller

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just tried this new booster and its great


I hear much muttering and see pins being stuck in dolls by those who paid double. Though to be fair it's only a single connection for that and does not suit most tablets, no WiFi. With the WIFi unit it's a lot closer to the other price.
 

ukbill

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don't to sure on that brian the fact it has 2 usb plugs means it can do at least 2 units but i only need it for 1 and as a booster so for me its ok and a neat package i was gonna pay around £100 so this is cheaper and a bonus maybe i will get a bigger turkey now lol
 

hilldweller

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don't to sure on that brian the fact it has 2 usb plugs means it can do at least 2 unitsl

Are you sure ?

I have seen double USB plugs like that but only to grab two lots of current because some devices exceed 1 USB current limit. If so one of the two is power only.

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ukbill

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again no idea mate but its ok for me like i said i got 1 device thats all i need and if possible i won't be using that to much :roflmto:
 
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2657

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just tried this new booster and its great i plugged it in the usb it loaded drivers and found around 20 more networks just from inside the house on the omni Ariel out side it must have found all the towns lol it comes complete with a omni and a directional Ariel it also has 2 usb plugs at the end of the lead so it must allow 2 devices to be plugged in at some time i did not try the directional but not really sure if i would need it anyway so all in all it by the looks of it it does what it says on the box total cost was just under £78 including express delivery:Smile:

My older model came from the same company last year and despite contacting them several times and trying various things I have never had much of an improvement either to signal strength or number of networks. I am abroad most of the year and to pursue the matter was too much effort. Tried it again yesterday when this thread started, fewer bars with booster outside than with computer inside, back in box again !!

Did you get the complete kit for under £78 as the link seems to give a total price near £170 ?
 
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2657

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A few comments in red

I have tried the booster in free air pointed directly at the source, computer outside next to the booster same signals, same signal strength. I have done this in the past and again today with the same result.

This device has made an improvement to a friends laptop in the same circumstances, so obviously does work, but does not show any improvement on the lan card in my computer.

Some lan cards must be more sensitive than others but I cannot find out the specification for the one in my computer to compare. If I did I would need some technical assistance in comparing the two.

Either I am lucky with my computer or the booster is faulty, perhaps next time I am back in the UK I will send it back and ask them to check it.

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ukbill

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My older model came from the same company last year and despite contacting them several times and trying various things I have never had much of an improvement either to signal strength or number of networks. I am abroad most of the year and to pursue the matter was too much effort. Tried it again yesterday when this thread started, fewer bars with booster outside than with computer inside, back in box again !!

Did you get the complete kit for under £78 as the link seems to give a total price near £170 ?

my laptop is wireless and has a good range but this vastly inproved the range i am not sure where you got the price £170 but i got the 2 ariels and the booster for the price i said and it was only that much because i paid the higher p&p to get it next day i posted my order before 2pm and got it next day via inter link and this morning around 9am i checked and it even gave me a 1hr time slot
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micky drip

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I`ve read this lengthy thread. I now hve a head ache. Could somebody summarise and tell me which device to buy?
 

Addie

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Wow, a long thread! A few comments from me (Adam from www.motorhomewifi.com)

Have just bought the iBoost wifi booster from
www.motorhomewifi.com

And can't say how pleased I am with it!
Hi Mags. Thanks for this post, I'm glad you received your kit so quickly as you can never tell when sending overseas. I hope it serves you well, please let me know if I can be of any further assistance.


May be a daft question but as it is a directional antenna then how do you know what direction to point it in?
A directional antenna will always outperform an omni-directional, so it's worth putting a bit of effort to set it up. Usually you have a rough idea where the signal would be coming from - Antenna mast, campsite reception, cafe, bar etc. If you didn't the antenna has a 60 degree beam so what I do is hand hold it out of the sunroof and rotate it through 360 degrees. Once you know the 'rough' direction of the hotspot and you associate with it the LED signal strength meter allows you to go outside, suction mount it and fine tune it without looking at your PC.

I thought that but not so sure now I've looked at the right page.

http://www.motorhomewifi.com/product/iboost-d8-directional-system/

Cunning piece of kit, not just the normal USB receiver.
Thanks Brian. The software interface we use is what makes it much better then the USB based system (which we also stock, as some people want to be able to use the antenna on its own).

I am getting one as well but with the 3G integrated.
Let me know if we can assist you with this Karl, I've dropped you an e-mail.

this does exactly the same as the i boost and cheaper and allows you to connect a 3G dongle to it

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With respect the R36 (and our own 'white label' version of it) is a very different bit of kit to the iBoost. The antenna panel used in the iBoost Pro is a commercial grade active antenna which is powered by 12v. It has a higher level of receive sensitivity and we have to 'turn down' the power for the UK market, such is the power of the unit. The web interface on the R36 is a bit clunky and not as nice as our interface which we've had customised to work easily from an iPad.

That being said, if you already have a Ralink 3070L based antenna (or selected Realtek 8187), the USB router is a nice way of 'upgrading' to a internal wireless setup.

I bought a directional wi fi booster from a different supplier last year, this had been given good reviews by others. I found that this did not significantly improve the connectivity of my laptop and in some cases it was worse, I tried the booster on a friends laptop in the same location and it worked OK, more networks etc.:
This will likely be because either the drivers were not installed correctly on your laptop (the main symptom for this is 'no difference' in connection quality and unable to use any third party software supplied to control the antenna). Or, very rarely, some laptops have a low power output on the USB port. Try and use the single USB port rather than the 2 side by side. On some laptops this may be the USB 2.0 port not the 1.0.

I know you didn't purchase this from us, but if you want to PM me with the product you have (what it looks like and if its a Realtek or Ralink) and I can give you a few things to try.

Are you sure ? I have seen double USB plugs like that but only to grab two lots of current because some devices exceed 1 USB current limit. If so one of the two is power only.
The 'double plug' arrangement is for 'more power' from low powered laptops, a work around for the problem described above by Matamoros. External CD-RW drives have the same arrangement.

micky drip said:
I`ve read this lengthy thread. I now hve a head ache. Could somebody summarise and tell me which device to buy?
In short - an Omni Directional antenna will be the 'easiest to use' and a directional antenna will give you the best range. If you have an iPad, tablet or multiple devices you might want to consider something like our iBoost or one of the alternatives posted here.

I hope this is of use to Funters. Please feel free to PM me if I can assist with anything. We are attending most of the outdoor shows next year so come along and say hello :thumb:

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