Beginner needs help

I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
total beginner.

I want a high gain external antenna. I can attach the antenna to my TV
antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?

I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?

I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there any
free software? Or recommendations?

Thanks for any help,

Dennis

Most use vertical polarization. The Engenius is a 200mw card which is 23db
so the max legal antenna would be a 13dbi = 36 or 4 watts for a point to
point configuration. The 200mw is really your transmit power and what you
are going to be interested in mostly is receive power so I would go for a
bit higher gain antenna and a bit less radio. If you want to really get it
going try one of these http://www.moonblinkwifi.com/pd_ydi_24.cfm with a
100mw radio = 34 db. Problem is, yoou might not want to drive around with it
up....:0). Orinoco are a really good card too.

Netstumbler is probaly the software you want......its free


"Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Xx8dd.1168$(E-Mail Removed) nk.net...
> I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
> total beginner.
>
> I want a high gain external antenna. I can attach the antenna to my TV
> antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
> rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
> horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?
>
> I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
> card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?
>
> I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there any
> free software? Or recommendations?
>
> Thanks for any help,
>
> Dennis
>
>
>

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:21:59 GMT, "Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
>total beginner.

Welcome to "Learn by Destroying". You've come to the right place.

>I want a high gain external antenna.

Why? Are you going for the DX distance record? Perhaps you expect to
find yourself too far from the hot spot? High gain antennas are a big
help, but have some limitations. The big one is that they require
fairly low loss coax cables and weird "pigtail" adapters. Low loss
implies either fairly short thin cables, or longer big fat inflexible
ugly cables.

>I can attach the antenna to my TV
>antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
>rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
>horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?

Yes, but most of the hot spots are vertically polarized. Horizontal
polarization tends to used by point to point links (in order to
minimize interference with other users).

>I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
>card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?

Maybe you are going for the distance record. Yes, the Senao cards are
quiet good on both the power output and receiver sensitivity. The
offer a suitable connector for attaching a pigtail, coax, and then
antenna. However, you have a problem. Your radio and antenna are
going to be rather seperated by many feet of coax. That's very lossy.
You may find that all the money you spent getting a high power radio
is wasted in the coax loss. The antenna gain can help recover some of
that, but methinks keeping the loss low would be best.

The NL-2511 CD+EXT2 is a PCMCIA card which will need to used in a
laptop. Do you have a laptop? Visualize a 1ft piece of 1/8"D
flexible coax cable coming out of the PCMCIA card, connecting to a
1/2"Dia LMR-400 stiff coax cable going to the roof. Do you really
want that?

Methink you find a USB radio more useful. Instead of a big fat lossy
coax cable run to the roof, you have a considerably smaller USB cable.
The official maximum run for USB is 16ft which methinks should be
sufficient. The radio would be mounted in some kind of waterproof
package (plastic electrical outdoor box). The RF will go right
through the plastic box, so no need for an extra antenna. You may
need to solder a pigtail to the radio if you insist on a high gain
antanna. The big advantage of USB is that the radios are cheaper than
other forms.

If 16ft or the insipid power output is an issue, there are also
ethernet connected radios. (WAP54G, DWL900AP+, DWL-2100AP, etc) that
have a "client bridge" mode. There's also a class of device called
"game adapters" that will do the same thing. Instead of USB cable,
you have an ethernet cable. The boxes usually (not always) have
external RF connectors that will go to your high gain antenna. You'll
need to supply power to the box, usually via a PoE adapter or just
with a seperate pair of wires to the power connector. As before, some
repackaging will be required.

You can also buy pre-packaged antenna/radio combinations designed for
outdoor use. See:
http://www.ydi.com/products/wireless-internet.php
in the Client Premisis Equipment section. These are rather expensive
which is why many users roll their own.
http://www.sveasoft.com/articles/armored/
(this is actually an access point, not a client radio, but the
construction and technology are similar).

>I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there any
>free software? Or recommendations?

I'll assume Windoze as Mac and Linux users usually specify what OS
they're using.
http://www.netstumbler.com
http://www.netstumbler.org


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

Thanks Jeff, a lot of good information. Thanks to Techmeister too.

Dennis


On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 13:21:59 GMT, "Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
>total beginner.

Welcome to "Learn by Destroying". You've come to the right place.

>I want a high gain external antenna.

Why? Are you going for the DX distance record? Perhaps you expect to
find yourself too far from the hot spot? High gain antennas are a big
help, but have some limitations. The big one is that they require
fairly low loss coax cables and weird "pigtail" adapters. Low loss
implies either fairly short thin cables, or longer big fat inflexible
ugly cables.

>I can attach the antenna to my TV
>antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
>rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
>horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?

Yes, but most of the hot spots are vertically polarized. Horizontal
polarization tends to used by point to point links (in order to
minimize interference with other users).

>I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
>card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?

Maybe you are going for the distance record. Yes, the Senao cards are
quiet good on both the power output and receiver sensitivity. The
offer a suitable connector for attaching a pigtail, coax, and then
antenna. However, you have a problem. Your radio and antenna are
going to be rather seperated by many feet of coax. That's very lossy.
You may find that all the money you spent getting a high power radio
is wasted in the coax loss. The antenna gain can help recover some of
that, but methinks keeping the loss low would be best.

The NL-2511 CD+EXT2 is a PCMCIA card which will need to used in a
laptop. Do you have a laptop? Visualize a 1ft piece of 1/8"D
flexible coax cable coming out of the PCMCIA card, connecting to a
1/2"Dia LMR-400 stiff coax cable going to the roof. Do you really
want that?

Methink you find a USB radio more useful. Instead of a big fat lossy
coax cable run to the roof, you have a considerably smaller USB cable.
The official maximum run for USB is 16ft which methinks should be
sufficient. The radio would be mounted in some kind of waterproof
package (plastic electrical outdoor box). The RF will go right
through the plastic box, so no need for an extra antenna. You may
need to solder a pigtail to the radio if you insist on a high gain
antanna. The big advantage of USB is that the radios are cheaper than
other forms.

If 16ft or the insipid power output is an issue, there are also
ethernet connected radios. (WAP54G, DWL900AP+, DWL-2100AP, etc) that
have a "client bridge" mode. There's also a class of device called
"game adapters" that will do the same thing. Instead of USB cable,
you have an ethernet cable. The boxes usually (not always) have
external RF connectors that will go to your high gain antenna. You'll
need to supply power to the box, usually via a PoE adapter or just
with a seperate pair of wires to the power connector. As before, some
repackaging will be required.

You can also buy pre-packaged antenna/radio combinations designed for
outdoor use. See:
http://www.ydi.com/products/wireless-internet.php
in the Client Premisis Equipment section. These are rather expensive
which is why many users roll their own.
http://www.sveasoft.com/articles/armored/
(this is actually an access point, not a client radio, but the
construction and technology are similar).

>I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there
any
>free software? Or recommendations?

I'll assume Windoze as Mac and Linux users usually specify what OS
they're using.
http://www.netstumbler.com
http://www.netstumbler.org


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff, thanks again. I'm starting over. Sounds like I need a USB box and
about 10 or 12 feet of USB connector.

I can put the USB box in a cabinet just inches from the roof and a fixed
antenna. From what you say it sounds like that would work a lot better.

Can you recommend a decent vertical antenna?

Can you recommend a USB WiFi box? And where to purchase these items?

Dennis






>
> >I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
> >total beginner.
>
> Welcome to "Learn by Destroying". You've come to the right place.
>
> >I want a high gain external antenna.
>
> Why? Are you going for the DX distance record? Perhaps you expect to
> find yourself too far from the hot spot? High gain antennas are a big
> help, but have some limitations. The big one is that they require
> fairly low loss coax cables and weird "pigtail" adapters. Low loss
> implies either fairly short thin cables, or longer big fat inflexible
> ugly cables.
>
> >I can attach the antenna to my TV
> >antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
> >rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
> >horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?
>
> Yes, but most of the hot spots are vertically polarized. Horizontal
> polarization tends to used by point to point links (in order to
> minimize interference with other users).
>
> >I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
> >card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?
>
> Maybe you are going for the distance record. Yes, the Senao cards are
> quiet good on both the power output and receiver sensitivity. The
> offer a suitable connector for attaching a pigtail, coax, and then
> antenna. However, you have a problem. Your radio and antenna are
> going to be rather seperated by many feet of coax. That's very lossy.
> You may find that all the money you spent getting a high power radio
> is wasted in the coax loss. The antenna gain can help recover some of
> that, but methinks keeping the loss low would be best.
>
> The NL-2511 CD+EXT2 is a PCMCIA card which will need to used in a
> laptop. Do you have a laptop? Visualize a 1ft piece of 1/8"D
> flexible coax cable coming out of the PCMCIA card, connecting to a
> 1/2"Dia LMR-400 stiff coax cable going to the roof. Do you really
> want that?
>
> Methink you find a USB radio more useful. Instead of a big fat lossy
> coax cable run to the roof, you have a considerably smaller USB cable.
> The official maximum run for USB is 16ft which methinks should be
> sufficient. The radio would be mounted in some kind of waterproof
> package (plastic electrical outdoor box). The RF will go right
> through the plastic box, so no need for an extra antenna. You may
> need to solder a pigtail to the radio if you insist on a high gain
> antanna. The big advantage of USB is that the radios are cheaper than
> other forms.
>
> If 16ft or the insipid power output is an issue, there are also
> ethernet connected radios. (WAP54G, DWL900AP+, DWL-2100AP, etc) that
> have a "client bridge" mode. There's also a class of device called
> "game adapters" that will do the same thing. Instead of USB cable,
> you have an ethernet cable. The boxes usually (not always) have
> external RF connectors that will go to your high gain antenna. You'll
> need to supply power to the box, usually via a PoE adapter or just
> with a seperate pair of wires to the power connector. As before, some
> repackaging will be required.
>
> You can also buy pre-packaged antenna/radio combinations designed for
> outdoor use. See:
> http://www.ydi.com/products/wireless-internet.php
> in the Client Premisis Equipment section. These are rather expensive
> which is why many users roll their own.
> http://www.sveasoft.com/articles/armored/
> (this is actually an access point, not a client radio, but the
> construction and technology are similar).
>
> >I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there
any
> >free software? Or recommendations?
>
> I'll assume Windoze as Mac and Linux users usually specify what OS
> they're using.
> http://www.netstumbler.com
> http://www.netstumbler.org
>
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

Dennis Vogel <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
> total beginner.

As an RVer in this area, you will find one of three situations:
1- You are stopped near a McDonald's or Starbucks where the signal is strong
enough that you don't need a high gain antenna.
2- You are in a campground that provides WiFi in the park. Here an
external antenna would be useful, not necessarily a high gain antenna.
3- You are roadside, or in a campground with no WiFi.
Without cooperation from the WiFi source, like a high gain antenna
pointed in your direction, you are probably out of luck. Signal
probably won't go past the limits of the RV park.

#3 is a guess, and could collide with the experience of some
signal poachers, but I suspect the range is no more than a half mile.

#1 and #2 are both satisfied by a USB adapter, like Jeff suggests. Maybe
permanently mounted outside, maybe just run out through the roof vent when
you want it.

#1 Starbucks or McDonald's require a subscription. #2 might be
subscription, but is most likely pay-per-night. #2 might be expensive
enough that you hang out at a McDonald's to get your internet fix every day
or so.

SBC/Yahoo just announced a $1.99 per month add-on for WiFi for their
existing DSL customers which covers some McDonalds, but I see you are with
Earthlink. If you have T-Mobile cellular, they have an add-on covering
Starbucks.

If you subscribe, you have some locator guides as to where to expect the
next WiFi outlet. I used to stay at KOA Kampgrounds when travelling on
ad-hoc vacations for the same reason. I could find a reasonable campground
in roughly the area where I wanted to be the next night.
http://www.koa.com/hotspotzz/index.htm shows wireless KOA sites, powered by
http://www.hotspotzz.com/ which is a subscription service that has
locations at KOA and some trendy coffee shops.

Don't put the USB device in a "box" made of wood - just plastic would be OK.
but you want it positioned with the least amount of "stuff" - wood, RV
shell, cabinets, etc - between the antenna and the signal. (That includes
trees between you and the access Point.)

You can get powered USB extensions that allow you to go up to 80 feet or so
with "active USB cabling"
http://www.compusa.com/products/prod...653&pfp=BROWSE

Consider getting a USB adapter that also allows for an optional external
antenna. That way you could add on an external antenna if necessary. Or you
could buy a less expensive USB adapter initially and if it does not prove
successful, dump it and get one allowing an external antenna.
http://www.buffalotech.com/products/...5&categoryid=7

Of course, if you go with an external antenna, you want to minimize the coax
length to reduce power loss. Suggest you look at pigtails and antennas at
www.fab-corp.com

Now if you wanted to go low-cost and low-tech, you could configure a DIY
"tin cantenna" - a do-it-yourself antenna made out of a relatively low cost
USB dongle (such as the 802.11b D-Link DWL-122 - about $10 if you shop
around - w/ 7 ft extension cable.) and an old empty 11 oz coffee can. Of
course you have to do some positioning if the signal is weak, but if the
signal is weak, you will do that anyway. (Maybe a DIYtripod or portable
holder for when you place it out a top vent??)
http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/...-cantenna2.htm

http://members.cox.net/tulsaalstons/...Adapter%20.htm

Good luck!


--
Bob Alston

bobalston9 AT aol DOT com
"Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:bhcdd.1358$(E-Mail Removed) nk.net...
> Jeff, thanks again. I'm starting over. Sounds like I need a USB box and
> about 10 or 12 feet of USB connector.
>
> I can put the USB box in a cabinet just inches from the roof and a fixed
> antenna. From what you say it sounds like that would work a lot better.
>
> Can you recommend a decent vertical antenna?
>
> Can you recommend a USB WiFi box? And where to purchase these items?
>
> Dennis
>
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>> >I'll soon be traveling in my motor home and want to try WiFi but I am a
>> >total beginner.
>>
>> Welcome to "LearnbyDestroying"
>>
>> >I want a high gain external antenna.
>>
>> Why? Are you going for the DX distance record? Perhaps you expect to
>> find yourself too far from the hot spot? High gain antennas are a big
>> help, but have some limitations. The big one is that they require
>> fairly low loss coax cables and weird "pigtail" adapters. Low loss
>> implies either fairly short thin cables, or longer big fat inflexible
>> ugly cables.
>>
>> >I can attach the antenna to my TV
>> >antenna so it rotates, but I have no control over vertical or horizontal
>> >rotation. Do some WiFi locations use vertical polarization and other
>> >horizontal polarization? Any recommendations?
>>
>> Yes, but most of the hot spots are vertically polarized. Horizontal
>> polarization tends to used by point to point links (in order to
>> minimize interference with other users).
>>
>> >I want high power and am looking at the Senao / Engenius NL-2511 CD+EXT2
>> >card. Is this a good choice? Any other recommendations?
>>
>> Maybe you are going for the distance record. Yes, the Senao cards are
>> quiet good on both the power output and receiver sensitivity. The
>> offer a suitable connector for attaching a pigtail, coax, and then
>> antenna. However, you have a problem. Your radio and antenna are
>> going to be rather seperated by many feet of coax. That's very lossy.
>> You may find that all the money you spent getting a high power radio
>> is wasted in the coax loss. The antenna gain can help recover some of
>> that, but methinks keeping the loss low would be best.
>>
>> The NL-2511 CD+EXT2 is a PCMCIA card which will need to used in a
>> laptop. Do you have a laptop? Visualize a 1ft piece of 1/8"D
>> flexible coax cable coming out of the PCMCIA card, connecting to a
>> 1/2"Dia LMR-400 stiff coax cable going to the roof. Do you really
>> want that?
>>
>> Methink you find a USB radio more useful. Instead of a big fat lossy
>> coax cable run to the roof, you have a considerably smaller USB cable.
>> The official maximum run for USB is 16ft which methinks should be
>> sufficient. The radio would be mounted in some kind of waterproof
>> package (plastic electrical outdoor box). The RF will go right
>> through the plastic box, so no need for an extra antenna. You may
>> need to solder a pigtail to the radio if you insist on a high gain
>> antanna. The big advantage of USB is that the radios are cheaper than
>> other forms.
>>
>> If 16ft or the insipid power output is an issue, there are also
>> ethernet connected radios. (WAP54G, DWL900AP+, DWL-2100AP, etc) that
>> have a "client bridge" mode. There's also a class of device called
>> "game adapters" that will do the same thing. Instead of USB cable,
>> you have an ethernet cable. The boxes usually (not always) have
>> external RF connectors that will go to your high gain antenna. You'll
>> need to supply power to the box, usually via a PoE adapter or just
>> with a seperate pair of wires to the power connector. As before, some
>> repackaging will be required.
>>
>> You can also buy pre-packaged antenna/radio combinations designed for
>> outdoor use. See:
>> http://www.ydi.com/products/wireless-internet.php
>> in the Client Premisis Equipment section. These are rather expensive
>> which is why many users roll their own.
>> http://www.sveasoft.com/articles/armored/
>> (this is actually an access point, not a client radio, but the
>> construction and technology are similar).
>>
>> >I think I saw some software that helps locate WiFi locations. Is there
> any
>> >free software? Or recommendations?
>>
>> I'll assume Windoze as Mac and Linux users usually specify what OS
>> they're using.
>> http://www.netstumbler.com
>> http://www.netstumbler.org
>>
>>
>> --
>> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
>> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
>> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558
>
>


---
Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.778 / Virus Database: 525 - Release Date: 10/15/2004

On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 17:37:11 GMT, "Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Jeff, thanks again. I'm starting over. Sounds like I need a USB box and
>about 10 or 12 feet of USB connector.

Yeah, methinks that would would work. I still prefer the ethernet
client radios instead of USB because of the ease of connecting
external antennas. However, others have pointed out reflector type
antennas (coffee cans, tuna cans, sheet aluminium, carboard covered
with aluminium foil, etc). Lots of fun playing with antennas.

>I can put the USB box in a cabinet just inches from the roof and a fixed
>antenna. From what you say it sounds like that would work a lot better.

Well, by "cabinet" I hope its something RF transparent (plastic, pvc,
glass) and not wood, concrete, or anything that might get waterlogged.
2.4GHz does not go through water or anything wet. However, that
applies only if you use an internal (patch) antenna. If the antenna
is external, whatever you want.

>Can you recommend a decent vertical antenna?

Sure, but you need to tell me how far you wanna go, over what kind of
terrain, whether you have line of sight, and some clue as to hardware
on both ends. They, we do a fade margin calculation:
http://www.ydi.com/calculation/som.php
to see how reliable the connection will be. 10dB is the absolute
minimum fade margin. An omni antenna will be the easiest to deploy
and install, but since you have a rotator, why not use it? Look at
patch (panel) or reflector (dish) type antennas:
http://www.fab-corp.com

I have a few customers in trailer parks and have a little experience
in making them work. The metal boxes are pure hell as they create
reflections that cause multipath problems. I found that shooting
across the trailer rooftops is a loser. The best results so far was
hanging the radio in a nearby tree, about 4 ft above the roof line.
That was a ethernet client radio, not USB as the cable would have been
too long. I've had to use directional antennas not to get sufficient
gain to talk to a distant access point, but to reduce or eliminate the
reflections caused by bounces from behind the antenna. An omni will
pickup these reflections with equal strength, while a directional
antenna will pickup almost nothing from behind the antenna pattern.

>Can you recommend a USB WiFi box? And where to purchase these items?

I'm not sure what to recommend. I prefer the tiny "dongle" type of
USB radios because they are easy to modify and install at the focus of
a dish, coffee can, or other reflector. The larger boxes are easier
to mount on a roof (inside a plastic NEMA box), but require soldering
to attach a pigtail. I have a Netgear MA-101 USB radio that I use
with Netstumbler in the car to map access points. I also have a Dlink
DWL-122 for the same purpose. I really can't recommend any USB radio
simply because I don't use them enough to get sufficient experience.


--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff - A bit more about what "ethernet" connected radios can be used in
place of USB? Any that easily (no soldering) support external antennas

--
Bob Alston

bobalston9 AT aol DOT com
"Jeff Liebermann" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Tue, 19 Oct 2004 17:37:11 GMT, "Dennis Vogel" <(E-Mail Removed)>
> wrote:
>
>>Jeff, thanks again. I'm starting over. Sounds like I need a USB box and
>>about 10 or 12 feet of USB connector.
>
> Yeah, methinks that would would work. I still prefer the ethernet
> client radios instead of USB because of the ease of connecting
> external antennas. However, others have pointed out reflector type
> antennas (coffee cans, tuna cans, sheet aluminium, carboard covered
> with aluminium foil, etc). Lots of fun playing with antennas.
>
>>I can put the USB box in a cabinet just inches from the roof and a fixed
>>antenna. From what you say it sounds like that would work a lot better.
>
> Well, by "cabinet" I hope its something RF transparent (plastic, pvc,
> glass) and not wood, concrete, or anything that might get waterlogged.
> 2.4GHz does not go through water or anything wet. However, that
> applies only if you use an internal (patch) antenna. If the antenna
> is external, whatever you want.
>
>>Can you recommend a decent vertical antenna?
>
> Sure, but you need to tell me how far you wanna go, over what kind of
> terrain, whether you have line of sight, and some clue as to hardware
> on both ends. They, we do a fade margin calculation:
> http://www.ydi.com/calculation/som.php
> to see how reliable the connection will be. 10dB is the absolute
> minimum fade margin. An omni antenna will be the easiest to deploy
> and install, but since you have a rotator, why not use it? Look at
> patch (panel) or reflector (dish) type antennas:
> http://www.fab-corp.com
>
> I have a few customers in trailer parks and have a little experience
> in making them work. The metal boxes are pure hell as they create
> reflections that cause multipath problems. I found that shooting
> across the trailer rooftops is a loser. The best results so far was
> hanging the radio in a nearby tree, about 4 ft above the roof line.
> That was a ethernet client radio, not USB as the cable would have been
> too long. I've had to use directional antennas not to get sufficient
> gain to talk to a distant access point, but to reduce or eliminate the
> reflections caused by bounces from behind the antenna. An omni will
> pickup these reflections with equal strength, while a directional
> antenna will pickup almost nothing from behind the antenna pattern.
>
>>Can you recommend a USB WiFi box? And where to purchase these items?
>
> I'm not sure what to recommend. I prefer the tiny "dongle" type of
> USB radios because they are easy to modify and install at the focus of
> a dish, coffee can, or other reflector. The larger boxes are easier
> to mount on a roof (inside a plastic NEMA box), but require soldering
> to attach a pigtail. I have a Netgear MA-101 USB radio that I use
> with Netstumbler in the car to map access points. I also have a Dlink
> DWL-122 for the same purpose. I really can't recommend any USB radio
> simply because I don't use them enough to get sufficient experience.
>
>
> --
> Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
> 150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
> Santa Cruz CA 95060 AE6KS 831-336-2558


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Outgoing mail is certified Virus Free.
Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.778 / Virus Database: 525 - Release Date: 10/15/2004

Thanks everyone for the great help. I settled on a YDI USB-Ant 2.4GHz 18dBi
Flat Panel USB Antenna.

I'm hoping to get free Internet access from time to time in my travels. Once
every three days will do.

Dennis