On Mon, 08 Jan 2007 09:29:11 -0500, Glenn Ashmore wrote:

"Geoff Schultz" wrote

OK, then maybe you can tell me where in the Bahama **Out Islands** you
found wireless. If you're talking Nassau or the Abacos, then yes,
wireless
is available.

Netstumbler was very useful on Exuma for finding signals. Found 3
usable signals at Georgetown with weird radiation patterns. 200 yards
made a lot of difference in signal strength. Also at the Four Seasons
Marina, Emerald Bay, Staniel Cay and Cat Island.

Marina wifi antennas are aimed out over the slips and tend to fall off
rapidly near the edges of the pattern. If you can find the center of
the pattern you can be a fair ways off and still get a usable signal.
The problem with marina systems is that you have to go in and open an
account which cost a few bucks if you are not in a slip. A lot of
villas along the beach have unsecured APs too and they have very erratic
patterns. Must have something to do with the position of the AP to
windows and metal in the house. With a good wifi rig you can sometimes
find them several hundred yards off shore.

Coverage is hit and miss but with the right tools you can sniff out more
spots.

I've had pretty good luck finding networks all around lower British
Columbia. The household and small business ones are usually stronger than
the (expensive) marina ones provided by Broadband Express, etc. I've
even come across household networks with welcome screens! (Lotsa techies
with waterfront homes in BC.)

I even picked up a network from a large yacht once, wide open for anyone
to hop on an run up his satellite bill, or poke around his network,
hacking his personal computers and onboard systems! Of course I wouldn't
dare, but I hope he's fixed this!

Matt O.

On Wed, 10 Jan 2007 12:34:23 -0500, Matt O'Toole
wrote:

I even picked up a network from a large yacht once, wide open for anyone
to hop on an run up his satellite bill, or poke around his network,

Many of the large cruise ships have WiFi networks but I've never been
able to reach the public internet from one. They typically charge $1
per minute for that priviledge.

That's still cheaper than the casino. :-)

Abacos = Bahamas out islands? LOL

More like a suburb of the US.

Glenn Ashmore wrote:
Get yourself an UEB-362 USB wifi adapter for $70, a $100 marine wifi
antenna, a 15' USB cable and 20' of LMR-200 coax and you are set for Out
Island or any other available access point you find. The EUB-362 is about 5
times as powerful as a regular adapter and with a good antenna mounted That
can give you about 2 mile range to almost any hotspot.

The hotspot lookup sites list less than 5% of what is available. You should
find several in West End, New Providence, and Georgetown though you will
have much better luck ashore than on the boat. As Larry said, get a copy of
Net Stumbler so you can scout out what is available.

Glenn,
What is the status of your boat? I noticed you have not updated your
web site in a few years, does that mean the boat has been put on
temporary hold?