Long Range Marine WiFi

Getting the most from WiFi

Marine WiFi system on the S/V Johanna Rose.  An 8dBi gain antenna
& Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP are mounted on the masthead.  Outdoor rated
Cat5 e cable is run through the mast to the navstation.  A PoE injector
provides 12V power to the WiFi radio whereas the terminating end of the
Cat 5e  cable is connected to the WAN port of the Linksys router.

At my marina,  internet access is available but the WiFi signal barely makes beyond the marina office.  WiFi systems for boats have become very affordable to build, simple to install and set up, and have a proven track record of performance and reliability. These new systems greatly boost the signal making connections easier allowing for remote/long distance WiFi connections which normally are considered unrealistic.

I originally planned on purchasing a WiFi system from IslandTimePC.com but for some reason they decided to no longer use the Ubiquiti BULLET as the main WiFi radio. So instead of purchasing a complete vendor package, I decided to piece together a system myself based on the Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP WiFi radio. While you don't get any hand-holding in setting up and configuring the WiFi radio, you can save over half the cost and have a working system for a little over $100.

This system not only provides dockside access to the local marina WiFi network, it has also successfully connected to a remote WiFi network while anchored 3.5 miles away from the WiFi network(on the hook in an island cove, yea!).


Component List

• Ubiquiti BULLET-M2-HP Outdoor 802.11 B/G/N M2HP 
• The Bullet is the transmit/receive radio portion of this setup and comes with its own setup and configuration software built into the unit (AirOS). The Bullet attaches directly to an antenna and receives its power over ethernet (PoE) through the Cat 5e cable and POE injector. 

• Engenius Outdoor High Gain 8dBi Omni Antenna (EAG-2408)
• A 2.4GHz Omni-Directional Outdoor Antenna designed to provide increased coverage for existing 802.11b or 802.11g networks.
• Huacam HCP05 Passive PoE Injector/Splitter DC Connector
• simple & affordable PoE injector connector
• Linksys WRT54GL Wireless Broadband Router
• This is a typical home WiFi router which can be powered by 12V.  It is rated to run from 5V to 40V, so it should run fine with 12V deep cycle marine batteries even with voltage fluctuations.   It consumes about 0.5 A. 
• Cat 5e Outdoor UTP Solid PE Cable
• 75' of outdoor cable was purchased from ShowMeCables.com( $0.21/ft)
• RJ45 Cat 5e Connectors

Masthead showing WiFi radio & antenna.  Also

 seen is the Metz Manta 6 VHF antenna

 and Davis windex.

Hardware Installation

The hardware installation was simple. Prior to restepping the mast, an old TV antenna was removed from the masthead, and the antenna wire was used a messenger for running the Cat 5e cable through the mast. The WiFi antenna screws directly onto the Ubiquiti BULLET forming a single unit. Holes were drilled and tapped for mounting the antenna bracket which support the WiFi radio/antenna unit as a whole. The Cat 5e cable plugs directly into the base of the Ubiquiti BULLET. The base has a screw on weather proof cap with a rubber cable seal. To provide additional weather protection, the RJ45 connector was coated with silicon grease prior to connection and DOW 795 was used to provide additional cable sealing at the cable/base cap.

The Cat 5e cable runs directly from the top of the masthead through the mast to the mast step and then over to the Navstation. At the Navstation, a PoE injector connector connects the Cat 5e cable to the Linksys router and provided 12V PoE to power the WiFi radio. The Linksys WRT54GL router comes with an external power supply on its AC power cord. The AC/DC transformer (aka, the brick part) was cut off of the power cord with remaining part of the power cord connected to a 12V supply at the breaker panel along with the power cord for the PoE connector. Currently the label on the breaker panel for the WiFi has the name "COMPUTER" but Blue Sea makes custom labels for their panels. I may order a "WiFi" label or something a little more descriptive.

Blue Sea custom label

Bullet M2 Setup & Configuration

The Bullet is WiFi bridge/router.  Unfortunately the default configuration is as a bridge which is not what one wants.  So in order to get the system working properly, the Bullet needs to be reconfigured as a router.  This configuration change is rather simple, and there are several online instructions including a few so-so how-to videos online.

The important point to realize is that the system, as a whole, will have two routers each severing IP addresses via DHCP.  The Linksys WiFi router will provide the local boat wireless network which all of your devices will utilize.  Like most WiFi routers, the Linksys uses the private IP network  192.168.1.x.  The default DHCP server on this router will assign devices IP address from 192.168.1.2 through 192.168.1.254.

The second router, the Bullet router, will serve a DHCP IP address for the Linksys unit (i.e. much like what you cable modem provides).  The problem is that the Bullet uses the same default private IP network address space of 192.168.1.x.  So to avoid any IP assignment clashes, the DHCP server on the Bullet router should be reconfigured with a different private IP address (in this case: 192.168.100.20 ) and reconfigured to assign a different set of IP address: 192.168.100.100 -192.168.100.200.  Note that this is not a unique choice, one could have simply used 192.168.2.x.

There are several ways to reconfigure the Bullet as a router.  Most online methods instruct one to use an ethernet cable and directly connect a laptop to the Bullet.  The instructions below are a simple method which uses the local WiFi network.

1. Set up the local WiFi router
• This is the Linksys WiFi router.  Set up private WiFI SSID name, security( like WPA2-PSK [AES]), and network password.
2. Connect the Bullet to network and reconfigure as a router
• Connect Bullet to PoE injector connector using an ethernet Cat 5e cable(make sure you use a cable so that you get the powered side of the PoE to the Bullet), and power the Bullet with 12V. Once you see that the Bullet led lights indicate that the Bullet is operating, connect the other end of the PoE connector directly to one of the LAN ports on the Linksys router (not the single WAN port). You should be able to connect the PoE connector directly, without a Cat 5e cable.  You should now have the Bullet and local router connected via the ethernet cable/PoE connector. 
• Using a computer/laptop connected to your local WiFi open a browser and go to: http://192.168.1.20
• This is the default IP address for the Bullet.  You should see main AirOS page for the Bullet login configuration.
• Login in and change default password 
• login (ubnt)/ passwd (uint)
• Once logged into the main AirOS page
• change the Bullet's AirOS password (and don't forget what the new password is!) 
• Reconfigure as a router and change the DHCP IP address space
• Go to the "NETWORK" tab:
• Under the Network Role
•  change Network Mode to: "Router"
• Under the WAN Network Settings 
• set WAN IP Address to: "DHCP"
• change DHCP Fallback to: "192.168.10.1"
• set NAT to: "enable"
• Under the LAN Network Settings 
• change IP address to: "192.168.100.20"
• set Netmask to: "255.255.255.0"
• set DHCP Server to: "enable"
• set Range Start to: "192.168.100.100"
• set Range End to: "192.168.100.200"
• set Netmask to: "255.255.255.0"
• Now click the change button on the bottom of the page and then click on the apply button at the top of the page.  
• Now move the ethernet cable from the local router LAN port to the single WAN port.
•  It is important to note that when changing any configuration on the Bullet, BOTH the "change" and "apply" buttons must be selected in order.  This is because the "change" operation saves the settings to the Bullet configuration file but it does not take effect until it is applied.  The "apply" operation reloads the Bullet's configurations and restarts the device.  Once "apply" is selected it may take several seconds or so before the Bullet is responding again.
• See screen shot image of Bullet M2 Network settings.
3. Use the Bullet to connect to remote WiFi networks
• After the Bullet reconfiguration and after replugging the ethernet cable to the WAN port, change the browser address to go to: http://192.168.100.20
• When the AirOS Setup screen appears click on the Wireless button and then on the ESSID Select button.
• The Site Survey screen will appear. You will normally select the Access Point with the strongest Signal level (smallest –dBm = strongest signal) and then click Select. In a low WiFi Signal density area a signal strength of -90dBm or more will normally work. However, if there are lots of signals in the area then a stronger signal will be needed in order to provide a decent connection.
• If you are Marina based or connecting to a pay for use Access Point, you would select the associated ESSID and then enter a password as required. A new screen will popup and at the bottom click Change. then Apply.

Bullet M2 router configurations with new private DHCP IP network settings

Bullet M2 remote WiFi connection of 3.5 miles

Login in screen for the remote WiFi.  The Bullet works great,
in this case it is password protected.