What on earth is an Alfa long range USB adaptor I hear you cry? These days, many motorhomers and caravanners carry everything with them, often amongst their essentials for the trip, a laptop. Internet access can often be achieved with a dongle and sim card from a mobile ‘phone operator. Alternatively, you may get online via a wireless connection.
The Alfa long range USB adaptor plugs into a USB port and acts as an antenna. The antenna draws in “signals” from further afield than the laptop would do alone. Prior to connecting the Alfa long range USB adaptor to my laptop, I had one WiFi connection available, but only one bar strength. However, after connecting the Alfa long range USB adaptor, I had three WiFi connections available. The one I was using increased from one bar of signal strength to four bars!
When arriving at a campsite, it might be possible to pitch close to the site’s own WiFi transmitter, but, particularly when overseas, where wild camping and free WiFi connections are often available, from restaurants, hotels and even tourist offices, the Alfa long range USB adaptor would really come in useful. I tested my Alfa long range adaptor outside a fast food restaurant today. Without entering the premises, I was able to connect to their WiFi from the car park!
Alfa long range USB adaptor – what’s in the box?
pack includes the USB lead, a mounting plate with both a clip connection and a suction cup, the user manual/driver on a disc and the antenna. The clip on connection is really useful – I attach mine to the Heki rooflight handles! Equally the suction cup can be used to attach the Alfa long range USB adaptor to a side window.
The adaptor is available on-line. I found the device easy to set up and install to the laptop.
Do you have an Alfa long range USB adaptor and if so, what have you found it’s operating range/coverage to be?
Russell wrote…”Do you have an Alfa long range USB adaptor and if so, what have you found it’s operating range/coverage to be?”
I can’t say what it’s range is/was Russell, but when used with an external 8Dbi omnidirectional antenna, ours picked up over 40 signals at Stratford Racecourse, many of which were BT Home Hubs giving access to BT Fon/Openzone for existing BT customers.
Regards,
Jock.
On your advice I bought the Alfa adaptor which is absolutely brilliant. On the campsite the wifi reception increased from 1 to 2 bars to constant 5 bars with excellent signal strength. I could usually get weak reception on fast food restaurant car parks. Now I am looking forward to trying to access free wifi from outside these car parks which are usually very awkward to get on. Recommending this adaptor will be very easy to do.
Thank you for the information Elaine. Please drop by the blog again and let us know how you get on with the ALFA device. I think most McDonalds in France offer free WiFi so if you go overseas with your motorhome/caravan, you may try there!
Testing device so far has proved successful as I have access free wifi outside car parks of McDonalds,as well as free town wifi in France. Its looking good cheers Russell.
Oh by the way Tesco Dover has a three hour waiting limit now so no overnight parking. Bad news with regard to all Tesco stores possibly!!!
Enjoy
Elaine
Bad news about Dover – the local one is the same, so you might be right. Probably better to get a late evening ferry/tunnel and overnight at Cite Europe or the ferry terminal.
Can it be used to enhance a dongle reception and how would it be configured please?
Hi- no it cannot improve dongle reception. Certain dongles can however accept an external aerial.
Thanks for the heads up about this Russell after your comments about it on Caravan Talk I decided to get one. It was delivered yesterday and after about 5 mins loading the software and rebooting my netbook it was up and running. We use BT at home so have access to various free BT / Fon hotspots when we are out and about hopefully it will be great if the test at home is anything to go by.I can normally pick up 2 wifi signals at home which with the Alfa adaptor connected increased to 6 with a good signal, the range compared to the netbook’s wifi adaptor has increased dramatically as I know where the other signals originate great bit of kit and only £20
Dave
Seems I must be the only one where when I installed the CEE driver from the disc that came with the Alfa it changed my Welcome start up and shut down!
I inserted the disc and clicked onto the 2nd line i.e. Cee driver and it installed.
I then plugged in the Alfa adapter.
Then I had to insert disc again and it seemed to instal software/driver ? again.
I had a Alfa icon on the desk top and clicking onto this started the Alfa wifi.
Due to the way it changed my start up/shut down on my Netbook (Win XP) I uninstalled it.
Now I have plugged in Alfa and then inserted disc when it wanted to search for driver.
This time it didn’t affect the Netbooks Win XP start up/shut down. However I do not have an icon on the desktop.
However when plugged in the Alfa shows as wireless connection 2 on the system tray/bottom bar on RHS.
I disabled my internal wifi on the netbook and used the wireless connection2 and it saw my home wifi and so I connected via that to the internet ok.
I am just wondering if that will be ok or not?
Yes I turn off my wifi thing on the laptop otherwise I think the laptop is trying to look at two connections?
Yes a good piece of kit Russell.
Initially I had problems with the install as it altered my startup and shut down on the windows xp of my Netbook. The instructions that came with it were not entirely clear as to the process.
Anyway I then removed it and after much deliberation I then attached the device to the Netbook first and only when asked installed the driver from the disc.
All seemed ok after that and the shut down and start up was as normal for windows XP.
Now in use I find it pulls in the signal just great. Here at Mortagne in France the signal without shows one or two bars. With the Alfa it shows 4 or 5. So an absolute gem of a gadget and worth the money.
What a wonderful piece of advice. Plugged it in an we have had signal enough to update our blog within 500 meters of a poor WiFi access point. Thank you.
After installing it initially it didn’t work, but after following the instructions rather than my usual guessing, it works a treat.