There are several wifi booster options available of enhancing your wifi signal range. Keep in mind I am discussing wifi here and not cellular data.
I purchased a Wirie several years ago for my sailboat but that unit is not compatible with my current MS-Windows 8.1 computer (at least I could not make it work) so a change was necessary. I really liked the packaging of the Wirie so decided to find something that could utilize that same hardware (weather tight enclosure and antenna).
For no good reason, I stumbled upon the “BearExtender PC USB WiFi Booster and Range Extender for Microsoft Windows” product. It is nearly the identical size and shape to the unit in the Wirie enclosure so I decided to give it a shot. It costs $45.00 from Amazon.
The BearExtender Wifi booster comes with two antennae – a 2 and a 5 decibel. I elected to use the 5 dBi antenna.
It is very simple to install – just plug it into laptop USB port and you are in business. The supplied USB cable is about two feet long so you may be limited with the stock hardware. In my case, this is enough cable length to be able to put the antenna is a side window.
I’ve been using it for a couple months and am happy. It’s performance is much better than the wifi antenna built into my HP laptop. The BearExtender will show five bars of signal strength in locations where the built-in adapter is down to one bar.
I’ve not yet taken the time to fit it to my old Wirie enclosure and 8 dBi omni antenna but I would expect to gain a bit more performance (better antenna and being able to mount the antenna outside and above the motorhome).
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