I had some trepidation about exactly how to go about doing the WiFi connection/boosting to the observatory, I posted on the Software and Computers section of the forum and got some very good feedback and while doing a trenched hard wired approach for the 50m out to the observatory or second best, a mini microwave direct link, were the two best options, they were also the most expensive and difficult
So I decide to try from the bottom up, to see if an inexpensive option would work. Using my lap top as a testing device, the current WiFi signal from the house is very weak up at the observatory, with only brief intermittent connections, no good
our house is a metal Nissen hut design and the router is right in the middle of the floor plan and inside a cupboard. So I purchased a Wavelink Dual-band Wi-Fi range Extender and after setting it up, plugged it into the power point in our master bedroom, which is on the observatory side of the house, with only a glass window to obstruct (I shut the blinds and closed the bedroom door for the below tests) and has a perfect direct line of sight out to the observatory (see attached photo)... aaaand bingo! it worked! Yaay!
Overall a good fast connection, both inside the site shed/control room and inside the dome
Taking several speed readings over 5-10min at each location, the average WiFi speeds today were:
Inside the house: 35-50mbps down/17-25mbps up
Inside the Dome: 25-45mbps down/12-20mbps up
Inside the metal site shed/control room, with security bars on the window and the metal clad door shut: 15-20mbps down/6-12mbps up
So the speeds inside the dome are only slightly lower than inside the house and while there is a more significant drop inside the closed metal site shed, it is still not too bad and very usable.
Happy!
...for now anyway
Mike