community wifi

Can anyone help. I've recently purchased a new laptop (Dell inspiron 1545) which works just fine in UK. However when I bring it over to spain( Vera Playa)  I am unable to make a connection  from my apartment with the community wifi. I can make a connection if I take laptop down to area where the antenna is located and have no problems surfing the net. But when I return to apartment I am unable to make a connection. My apartment is out of sight from nearest antenna which is appx 80ms away on the other side of  an apartment block. Any help re solutions would be appreciated.

regards to all

Ray

Could be that you are too far away, especially if you are out of sight of the aerial. Wi- fi signals don't travel very well through solid objects. Have you tried checking the signal strength? Have you tried moving closer to the aerial to see if you can connect then? Not wanting to teach you to suck eggs, but do you have the correct SSID (network) and the correct security and password?

The three above are generally the only things that prevent a connection.

Mark

Mark,

Thanks for your reply but I must not of made myself clear. I have moved closer and when I go down to pool area where nearest antenna is located I can make a connection without a problem. The problem is that when I move away and make my way back to apartment I lose the connection. As you've pointed out it's the distance combined with being out of sight of the antenna that is making connection difficult. I am not very familiar with the workings of computers and wifi and what I am looking for is some advice as to whether it is possible to improve the ability of my laptop to pick up the signal by way of a signal booster?, aerial?.

regards

Ray

Sorry Ray, I should have read the question better in the first place .

80 metres is a fair distance for a wifi signal to travel, I believe the aerials are located by the lift shafts? I know the signal from my wireless router struggles to reach me in my garden as it is travelling through the walls. I don't know how many aerials there are as part of your system, but I think you may have to ask the community for some repeater aerials to be placed around the site to enable you to gain a signal. It does seem a bit unfair that some of the urb receives a signal while others don't.

There is lots of potentially interesting information to be found here (you need to scroll down past the first couple of pages), I thought the idea of changing the frequency to be quite interesting, but you will have to ask the community to do this! It also has tables showing signal loss through various media.

Hope you get a solution.

Mark

Mark,

Thanks for your prompt reply. I will research the issue a little more. Will let you know if I find a solution. And yes, it does seem a liitle unfair re coverage, the saving in calls back home  would be quite significant. £100 last time i was there.

regards

Ray

You community could put in wi=fi repeaters.  These are devices similar to the wi-fi modem router but they pick up the wi-fi signal and just repeat it.   Positioning them requires an understanding of signal propagation and the charateristics of your development.  And the obviously need electrical power.  But at say £18-25 a device they will provide more residents with a better signal.

I had to put a repeater in my own home because of the thickness of the internal walls and solved my problem and even gives me a good connection up the back garden now.

Ramon:

Was the WIFI connection agreed as (1) an improvement by the Community of Owners or was it given to you by developer as part of the contract?

If first (1) you need to check on the minutes where that improvement was decided and see how it is set.

If second (2) as a member of that community, you have got rights to enjoy all facilities and rights, so the developer needs to fit things at their expense, for you to be able to have connection from inside the apartment.

Best,

Maria

The wifi was provided has something to do with the lift telephones and I believe was installed F.O.C as part of a deal. There is a thread in the Thalassa forum where Noreen has said back in September and October 2008 that there are issues with signal strength, especially in phase 2. I would suggest dropping Noreen a PM, or there is also a forum specific to Thalassa residents.

Mark

Thanks for all the  advice in last three posts. I am looking into the situation re repeaters, a neighbour on Thalassa has suggested it previously. If I can have one installed on or inside my apartment  then this may be the solution.

Maria, the situation re installation of wifi was for the benefit of the community as it was needed to improve the lift emergency telephone systems which were not reliable. There had be several incidents where persons had been trapped inside the lifts and the emergency telephone was not working. The use of the wifi for accessing the internet was a bonus and has been a welcome addition to community facilities. Unfortunately it's reliability re signal strength is variable throughout the complex and is non existant in my apartment. I am aware that improvement to the system is under consideration, but I don't think it is high up on the agenda. Therefore I have been looking into finding a solution  for myself. Although the wifi is a bonus and was not part of the package when I purchased my apartment, it does represent the possiblity of making a saving on keeping in contact with my family and answering emails.

regards to all

Ray

Hi Ramon

I hope you get it sorted, if you do could you post back to let us know how you get on?

I would like to get this setup for my communuty in the future so am quite interested if the repeaters work!

Sorry for being slightly off-topic! (but if anyone knows of any companies in the Calpe / Moraira area that could quote for this then could you please let me know?  I'm fairly IT literate but don't want to put in a household solution if there are good outdoor solutions that would stand the test of time. Currently no-one has put in landlines are we are new community and think wireless for the community would be cheaper over time for everyone

Thanks

Funluvin

Hi Funluvin,

Will do. Our community  is the same, we don't  have landlines. Some owners have made their own arrangements for wifi/internet. I agree a community system that works for all is by far the cheapest arrangement.

regards

Ray

muchas gracias Ramon!

I'm preparing a report for our committee on setting up a WiFi network and I'm looking for companies in CDS that offer installation services in the Manilva area.

Can anyone recommend any such company?