Of Hotspots and Wi-Fi
I recently spent some time in Central Pennsylvania at my daughterβs house. Since I was going to be there a while, I brought along my Raspberry Pi hotspot. While Iβm not really active in digital voice modes (or any voice modes, for that matter), there are a couple of DMR nets I like to check into each week.Β
One issue I ran into in the past, is that my hotspot refuses to connect to their Wi-Fi network. Their Wi-Fi SSID has both an apostrophe and a space in it, so Iβm guessing thatβs the issue. I could have connected the hotspot directly to their router via an ethernet cable. Because of their routerβs location, I would have had to move some furniture and put the hotspot in an awkward location. So, this time around I brought a little travel router to try another approach.Β
Back when I was working, I had a TP-Link Nano router that I took on business trips. Typically, I would connect it to an Ethernet port in my hotel room to create a personal Wi-Fi network for my laptop and phone. A while back, I upgraded to the newer (and faster) TP-Link TL-WR802N travel router. I donβt travel nearly as much these days, so the new router hasnβt seen much use.
I brought the travel router along on this trip to create a wireless bridge from the houseβs Wi-Fi to my personal Wi-Fi. The routerβs Wi-Fi network has an SSID that my hotspot likes. I havenβt used that mode much, so I had to resort to the user manual to refresh my memory on how to set this thing up.
Actually, it was pretty easy to set up. It was simply a matter of connecting my laptop to travel travel routerβs Wi-Fi to access the admin functions. From there, I set it up in the βHotspot Routerβ mode. Then, I scanned to find the houseβs Wi-Fi network and logged into it.
Testing the internet connectivity with my laptop, the speed looked good. I had previously added my travel routerβs SSID and password to the hotspot, so soon after powering up I was hearing the sounds of DMR coming from my HT. This configuration worked great, and I successfully checked into a few nets during the week.Β
The next time I go out there to visit, Iβll just need to power up the router and the hotspot, and everything should work. (Knock on wood)
No ground-breaking technological advances here. I just love when a plan comes together.Β
73, Craig WB3GCK
[Disclaimer: I have no monetary interest in this product, and there are no affiliate links in this post. Iβm just a satisfied owner.]