Connected
I have no Wi-Fi complaints about where we are tied up now. Even without an amp, our laptops are picking up several open signals, which is appreciated. Ironically, I do have a functioning Wi-Fi amp though, having borrowed our friend Kirk’s Alfa unit to test it out. Because he didn’t have the installation disk with him on his boat, we had to download the proper drivers to run it on our Mac. That took a tiny bit of effort to find them online but now having done so, everything is working great. At this point I would say that the Alfa is working better for me than our N3 ever did. The connections are fast to make and even after closing and reopening the computer, the signals are still available.
So, what have I been doing with this nice internet connection?
- Ordered my own Alfa unit from Amazon, along with a book Kirk recommended, Seasoned by Salt
- Paid our credit card bills. Groan!
- Uploaded a Bazillion photos to our Facebook Page
It was also recommended that we swap the banner images on this blog, getting rid of the placeholder images that I had there previously. I think it was a good suggestion. Thanks Donna. 🙂
Hopefully it stops raining today so we can get out and enjoy the city a bit more!
ZTC, safely tied in her new dock space, squeezed between our friend Tom’s boat and a couple of pilings.
Mike,
Like I said…the Alpha is one of the best and a great price. Good to see your doing well
I remembered you telling me that, Douglas. I was happy to have the opportunity to test it out before forking over and cash.
The Alpha unit you mention, is it a 2w unit? Truly enjoy following your trip and adventures.
I ordered the 1W unit, as opposed to the 2W. I had read (where, I don’t remember) that there were some connectivity issues with the 2W. Since the 1W one that I have here is working great, I decided to order the exact same one, with the 9dbi rubber antenna.
Hope your NOT using the rubber ducky much 🙁
Yes, there is a Wifi thread on Cruisers forum and I posted about the testing results of the newer 2W vs the current 1W. In summary, Alpha used a different chipset for the 2W (802.1 N) then the 1W (802.1 b,g). it has been proven the Realtek chipset used in teh 1W is superior in connectivity and reciever sensitiviy than the 2W.
I’m glad I didn’t just make that up.
I was thinking of you guys when I heard there was a tornado watch for Baltimore yesterday. Glad you wanting nothing to do with that business!
I heard some talk of tornados yesterday but told the guy he was crazy. Apparently I was wrong!
Mike, What model did you order? Thank You, JC
I just added a link to the unit in the original post.
JC,
Here is were I ordered mine from. A little less $$$
http://www.data-alliance.net/-strse-73/Alfa-AWUS036H-1000mW-USB/Detail.bok
I was also thinking of you when I heard the weather alerts giving a tornado watch for Baltimore. Of course, there are others in that area, but I think of you guys first!
That’s very nice, Helen. We appreciate the concern, especially considering we had no idea there was a even a threat!
Love the two new pictures on your web site! It was time to show ya’ll in action. =)