This article will be feature my brand new Wi-Fire long range wifi adapter. This little gadget has really impressed me with it's ability to pull in distant wifi signals and boost weaker signals to make them more stable and useful.
I have been using if for about two weeks and have only tested it in a couple of situations. The first pulled in a decent signal from across a double wide trailer. The signal was adequate before but after attaching the Wi-Fire it was stronger and had a faster download rate.
The next test was much harder. We are parked outside our home church in Santa Fe, Texas for most of the winter and a good wifi signal is imperative for us to be able to keep up with news, family and of course check those all important emails. (Always praying for a new appointment.) I set up the church router with a cantenna antenna and directed the shaped signal toward our travel trailer. The signal has no direct line and must go through one wooden wall and then pass through, over or around a metal building before reaching us. To say the least the signal was always weak. I installed a wifi repeater but it really did not help. I would lose connection at crucial times and things like video or audio were impossible.
After connecting the Wi-Fire I was a little disappointed that the meter it uses showed only a 22% signal while the wifi adapter I had been using showed a 44% reading. This proved only to be a difference in the calibration of the meters not a true test of the signal. After a quick and easy installation I tested out the Wi-Fire on a video heavy website, Hulu.com. Before the Wi-fire I could not stream any video it simply would sit there and laugh at my foolish attempts but after installation video streamed like a lovely mountain brook. Speed now accurately registered between 24 and 48 Mbs connection speed and video streamed with no interuptions or stalls.
I also went from finding only 2 wifi routers in my area to over 5 none of which were unsecured except the churche's. (We probably should fix that Bro. Larry. No telling what kind of lowlife might be leeching our signal. By lowlife I of course exclude any missionaries parked on the church grounds.)
My only complaint is that the price is a little high $59 plus about $8 shipping but I found an online coupon for $10 off and so that made me feel better. If you are like myself and my wife while on deputation trying to find any place with a decent signal to check on the kids, the weather, news or your bank account you might find the Wi-Fire a great deal. It sure beats trying to explain to the hotel manager why you are parked in his parking lot and are not a registered guest.
Here is a link to the Wi-Fi http://www.hfield.com/the-wi-fire/ and you can find an older refurbished version on Ebay but I can't vouch for its range though from the picture it looks about twice the size of the new one.
Next time I'll share the best places we've found to get guilt free wifi. -Kris
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