iStumbler and Safari Great Combo!

P

Pat Anderson

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Joined
Nov 2, 2003
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C Dory Year
2005
C Dory Model
25 Cruiser
Vessel Name
Daydream
I am sitting here in Squalicum Harbor right now, as far as the Mac Airport card can see, bbx (Broadband XPress, a $$$ service) and a couple of secure access points are all that exist. iStumbler found at least two other open access points, with weak signals, including the omnipresent "linksys" at about 13% - 28% signal strength (constantly changing). Firefox simply CANNOT load pages from these weak signal access points - the spinner just goes on and on until FF gives up. Fired up Safari, this is the Apple browser of course - hey presto! Pages load fast, I can read and post. I definitely recommend iStumbler (somebody said use Net Stumbler for Windoze) and Safari, which I understand Apple has recently released for Windoze. I just am just amazed at how many places there is some open access point...
 
Jeez Pat - you're pretty hep to the technology. Now that you have istumbler, you'll soon have to make (or buy) a cantenna - see http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/cantennahowto.html to make your own and
www.cantenna.com to buy one. You'll soon be the coolest kid on your block. Oops, I forgot, you already own a C-Dory AND a BREWERY, you're already the coolest kid on your block.
 
The BBX people sell a souped-up bridge that definitely pulls in the WiFi signals better than a bare Airport or the like. The price shown on the web page is pretty outrageous but you can get it cheaper with a promotion at SBS. You can also go the cantenna route, mentioned earlier. Of course, you can use the bridge with other vendors besides BBX, and I'm sure you could buy a generic bridge, but I don't know about where to get the high-power antenna they supply. I bought one at SBS to use with my old TiBook which, as you may know, has a severely limited AirPort range. Got a new MacBook so that won't be as much of an issue.

Warren
 
Cantenna! Way cool, have to build one!
 
OK, I see NO reference anywhere to an external antenna connector for the MacBook...is there one? If so, where?
 
Pat,

The macbook doesn't have an external antenna connector. You have to open up the case and do a little surgery to make it happen. There is an expensive alternative - http://www.welovemacs.com/27xvrusb.html - this is a transceiver that is powered from the USB port and which has it's own external antenna and which boosts signal in both directions - $225 - is a bit pricey.
 
Or, if you have house batteries and an inverter, you can buy one of the many Linksys, etc. wireless router products for $60 or so and connect via your ethernet port.

Warren
 
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