I do pretty much the same thing that you are doing; but on a boat. I have an external Wifi adapter for connecting to the marinas Wifi and use the internal Wifi adapter on the Pi to "share" the connection to a variety of devices...(Linux computers and Android tablets/phones mostly)
I'm using a Pi3 as the hotspot device and have set it up via the Gui...which makes it easier for non technical crew to connect to a different marina...and we use that Pi for other uses when on passage too.
It works fantastically.
What WiFi adaptors are you using?
I found that some WiFi adapters work better than others. The one that I have initially required a driver to be added to the kernel. It was added recently as standard to the kernel; but initially the "official" driver was a bit ropey, so I carried on with the non standard one for a while. Now the issues seem to have been resolved.
I've also found that using a metal case really messes up the Wifi. Are you trying to use this inside a steel ship?? That may well cause an issue too as you will effectively be operating within a Faraday cage.
It can also be susceptible to interference....which also might be an issue in your environment. Does it make any difference if you move the devices right next to each other?
Are you using 5ghz or 2.4ghz?
5ghz can be more susceptible to interference; so you could try just with 2.4ghz. (disable the 5Ghz)
I'm using a Pi3 as the hotspot device and have set it up via the Gui...which makes it easier for non technical crew to connect to a different marina...and we use that Pi for other uses when on passage too.
It works fantastically.
What WiFi adaptors are you using?
I found that some WiFi adapters work better than others. The one that I have initially required a driver to be added to the kernel. It was added recently as standard to the kernel; but initially the "official" driver was a bit ropey, so I carried on with the non standard one for a while. Now the issues seem to have been resolved.
I've also found that using a metal case really messes up the Wifi. Are you trying to use this inside a steel ship?? That may well cause an issue too as you will effectively be operating within a Faraday cage.
It can also be susceptible to interference....which also might be an issue in your environment. Does it make any difference if you move the devices right next to each other?
Are you using 5ghz or 2.4ghz?
5ghz can be more susceptible to interference; so you could try just with 2.4ghz. (disable the 5Ghz)
Statistics: Posted by kip_the_elder — Thu Jan 23, 2025 9:37 am