Ethernet-over-mains adapters (again?)

[<me9]

Terrible round here with homeplugs!

[John Stumbles]

Walkways are concrete. Both house-garage and house-'van.

I could do it overhead but it would be time-consuming and messy.

[Theo Markettos]

Another option if you can get line-of-sight is a focused-beam wifi installation. One antenna on the house, one on the caravan. Even in a congested wifi area, the increase in signal power by focusing two antennas at each other should swamp any interfering signals and increase the transmission rate. You could run this through windows if you don't want an external fit. Google 'pringles antenna' for some designs if you don't want to buy an antenna.

Theo

[John Stumbles]

aka 'cantenna' :-)

I recall a wibble somewhere describing 2.4GHz antennae made from Chinese cookery utensils!

But I want a connection to a machine that doesn't have wifi built-in so that would mean an access point as well as dicking about with Blue-Peter stuff.

[Theo Markettos]

You mean a woktenna? :-)

But I want a connection to a machine that doesn't have wifi built-in so

You can do the can/woktenna thing with a USB dongle on a cable if you want. Depends on far the PC is going to be from the dongle. I have a 7m USB cable run - the max spec is 5m, but I have a '5m extender' cable that's a long cable with a hub on the end to regenerate the signal, then another

2m cable. I imagine a dongle would be OK, especially if the hub(s) are powered.

Theo

[tony sayer]

Solwise do some 2.4 aerials, have a look under panel antennas.

[Simon Finnigan]

There's a freeware utility out there that scans all the wifi networks in your area, and shows clearly which channels are congested. used it and found that my neighbours both sides where using the same channels as me, so changed channel and found I got much better range and speed.

[Ian Jackson]

Maybe not quite as much gain, but easy to make out of a baked beans can (or similar).

Google 'cantenna'.

[Steve Walker]

Part of today's news is that Amateur Radio operators, the general public (with DAB and fm radios), the CAA and GCHQ have been complaining about interference from these things. GCHQ withdrew their complaint, but there is speculation that that may have been for political reasons or trying to hide what fequencies they were interested in.

I do wonder how devices that break all the regulations on interference can be sold. You can never make a compiant device when you are going to be radiating from an unknown household circuit.

Just out of interest, what's the earliest use of power-line communications that you've all heard of. I remember reading a Phd paper where reference was made to remote reading of electricity meters using it - trialled in 1898 !!!!!!

SteveW

[Dave Liquorice]

Or they have "obtained the keys" or cracked the encryption...