Free Muni or other hotspot access from a sailboat??

  So, the world is migrating to free internet access.  Even the NYTimes,
today, has an article on the subject, saying, in effect, "It's not coming,
it's here!" (The first paragraph, in part: "No fewer than 300 cities and
towns around the nation have taken wireless Internet access, or Wi-Fi, to
the people. San Francisco's aim is to make the entire city a hot spot,
Chicago plans to blanket the city with access, and large parts of
Philadelphia are to go wireless soon.")
(http://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/06/opinion/06tue3.html?th&emc=th )

Many airports, umpteen hotels, and countless other sources intentionally
offer their bandwidth freely.  So, please spare me the moralizations and
legal citations about stealing someone's signal as we address the following
technical challenge:

I'll be on a boat full time.  I'll be in range, more or less, of lots of
freely available access - such as San Francisco Bay, for example.  I want to
be able to sit in the cabin (less signal due to fiberglass, mast, rigging,
etc.) or on deck, and access *WITHOUT WIRES* the available signal(s) on my
laptop.

Where I am now, there are very marginal signals available from several free
sites. There are also stronger signals available from several subscription
sites. So, I need either my external antenna's configuration utility, or my
internal Windoze Zero Configuration utility to be able to specify to which
of the access points I wish to associate my computer.  Because I'll be in
differing locales, I'll not know the SSID or MAC addresses in advance.
Likewise, because I have no control over what's used, I have no assurance
that what I have installed will be the same manufacturer's in the AP.  So,
requirements that I have the same mfr. gear, or specify SSID or MAC are out.
Likewise, as subscription sites are likely to have more powerful stations,
or just where I am at the time might have such differences, just having the
gear associate with the strongest signal won't get it either.

Previous attempts to find something I could put up the mast, with some minor
amplification to enable returning the signal, and about an 8.5dBi omni
antenna to hear the signal (omni because at anchor one never knows the
direction we'll face, and it changes all the time, and 8.5 because it's
strong enough without having a totally narrow pattern which would limit what
it saw) have failed miserably.

However, I'm reasonably sure that's just because I haven't looked in the
right places.  I have a relatively unlimited amount of 12V available to
power this setup, whether POE or directly wired.  If it doesn't come that
way, I can put whatever it is in a NEMA waterproof enclosure, keeping it
safe, with the antenna N-mounted to the box or the mast, putting all that
very high up, assuring good range.

So, who knows what I need to accomplish this?  Recall that I want to be able
to have my laptop see the shoreside point, through whatever is up the mast,
and be able to communicate with it, in the same fashion as I'd do if I were
in immediate laptop range.  Intermediate steps (such as seeing the SSIDs and
manually entering the one I want after selection from what's available) are
acceptable, but definitely not preferred over WZC or the like's point and
click.

I've entertained, but had defective/faulty/somehow not work
ethernet-connected bridges with the same omni 8.5dBi antenna setup associate
but fail to actually pass data, to a station known good as I can (like now)
communicate over it with my USB external antenna.  As both of the Senao
2611CB3 Deluxe units I had behaved in that fashion, I assume this is another
case of manufacturer specific or other limiting circumstances, as I (gasp!)
about wore out the owner's manual, and did every possible change, one at a
time, with no success (other than association and the same signal and link
ratios as found on my USB antenna).  So, I've given up on those.

Is there a plug-and-play solution to this technical challenge?  Anybody done
the equivalent (something free-standing, some distance away from your
laptop, and a very long distance from the selectable AP you're using)?

Thanks for the assistance.  We're getting ready to leave, permanently, and
would surely like to be able to access all the free APs now arising.

--
L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig   KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/p7rb4  - NOTE:new URL! The vessel as Tehamana, as we
bought her

"Believe me, my young friend, there is *nothing*-absolutely nothing-half so
much worth doing as simply messing, messing-about-in-boats; messing about in
boats-or *with* boats.
In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter.  Nothing seems really to matter, that's
the charm of it.
Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your
destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get
anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in
particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and
you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."
 

 Skip Gundlach wrote:

Typical pointless newspaper article. How could they claim "its here"
when most of those cities are in the thinking about it stage?



Actually you posted in a public forum so if you are using it without the
owners permission then what would you call it?



So it sounds like you have an answer already.


So, I need either my external antenna's configuration utility, or my

  Thanks so much for the enlightenment and entire disregard for objective.
I'll try to remember your name so I don't waste any more time than this on
you, which doesn't include the very obvious observations which are begging
for view to your comments, left below for the entertainment of archive
readers.

--
L8R

Skip

Morgan 461 #2
SV Flying Pig   KI4MPC
http://tinyurl.com/p7rb4  - NOTE:new URL! The vessel as Tehamana, as we
bought her

"Believe me, my young friend, there is *nothing*-absolutely nothing-half so
much worth doing as simply messing, messing-about-in-boats; messing about in
boats-or *with* boats.
In or out of 'em, it doesn't matter.  Nothing seems really to matter, that's
the charm of it.
Whether you get away, or whether you don't; whether you arrive at your
destination or whether you reach somewhere else, or whether you never get
anywhere at all, you're always busy, and you never do anything in
particular; and when you've done it there's always something else to do, and
you can do it if you like, but you'd much better not."

 [POSTED TO alt.internet.wireless - REPLY ON USENET PLEASE]

"Skip Gundlach" <skipgundlach at gmail dotcom> wrote:


Just a thought:  You're more likely to get free help you seek if you get the
chip off your shoulder and exercise more restraint.

--
Best regards,   FAQ for Wireless Internet: <http://Wireless.wikia.com>
John Navas      FAQ for Wi-Fi:  <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi>
           Wi-Fi How To: <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_How_To>
Fixes to Wi-Fi Problems:  <http://wireless.wikia.com/wiki/Wi-Fi_Fixes>

 I recommend an oudoor short or long range 2.4 GHZ cpe unit. You can buy
one at this place http://store.totalaccess.net  online. They range from
179 to 229 based on how far away you want to reach. Then you can plug
this into DC power system of the boat, and simply add a short range
access point so you can wirelessly get internet anywhere on the boat.

Visit there places for examples:
http://www.wirelessworlds.com