mobile office

[droid_ca]

Had a weird idea today, Was wondering if anyone has used their trailer as a mobile office, if you have or know some one that has, how'd it work out? And pictures please

[GPW]

Droid , when I sold my first TD , it was to a gentleman who was going to use it as an office /shelter/base of operations on his job site ... it was a bigger TD .. 6' X 12' ... guess it worked out , never heard back from him ... ?

[2bits]

I KNEW I shoulda taken that pic this afternoon! It is not really an office, but it was some kinda snow cone shop but it was an old Shasta or something, and it looked totally cool. there are some mobile BBQ places too, but I have never seen a mobile office except for Jim Rockford's Mobile Home office on the beach in the Rockford Files LOL

[tnsurveyor]

I have thought of building a "simple" style tiny trailer exactly for this reason, and for when I have to work out of town.

I am getting close to getting some things paid off, and will probably really get serious about it.

[2bits]

I have thought of building a "simple" style tiny trailer exactly for this reason, and for when I have to work out of town.

I am getting close to getting some things paid off, and will probably really get serious about it.

You're in the right place! Please post any secrets you uncover for us all

[Engineer Guy]

See below what I thought was a sharp Office implementation...

When you consider how much Data a >1 Terabyte Drive will hold, and how links to other Office Gear can be Wireless, the actual space req'd could be pretty modest. It could also morph into other uses as a Table Top folds down to free up space, etc..

I've been mucking around with a ~$30- USB WiFi 'Amp'. I connect it to my Laptop with a 3 Meter USB Cable. It Velcros to the handle of a ~12" Wok that acts as a Reflector. I've hopped onto Open Networks about 5 Miles out in 'Nowhere' CO w/no problem. Much beyond 6 miles, there's 'timing' issues in the Signal Handshake, and communication typically cannot be established. Yah, it's not secure, but it's free for checking e.mail and doing background Recon on pertinent topics. My point is that there's alternate, compact ways to achieve mobility. You can Skype your calls, too.

Mobile Office Links

[droid_ca]

Engineer Guy do you have any pictures of this setup??

[Engineer Guy]

See a pic below. The WiFi Adapter is from 'Alfa', and is linked below. I see now that there's an outdoor 'Marine' version; that Adapter might be better for you? I have the +5 Dbi Whip Antenna screwed onto mine. I bought this Product based, in part, on the Amazon Customer Reviews. Part of a Review mentioned the PC Processor 'overhead' used up when running the Alfa Software. So, I skipped all that and setup this Network option via the generic MS Wireless Networking Program. It's about like setting up to hop on WiFi at a Library or Coffee Shop except you're not using internal [~20 milliWatt] PC Wifi where the Antenna is typically looped around the Screen.

The info download I got from a very knowledgeable local fellow is that a 3 meter USB Cable is about the longest you can use when powering a device, as is the case here. Longer Cables are sold and they are promptly returned, he tells me, because Users can't figure out what's causing the Cable to not perform [DC power loss over Cable distance]. There are powered USB Extender Cables, but I've not used one. FYI, last time I read up on it, USB 2.0 can provide 0.5 Amps @ 5 VDC. USB 3.0 is supposed to supply 1.0 Amp @ 5 VDC max.

The Wok I had laying around friction-fits into a piece of 1" PVC I hammered into the ground for testing, and it maintains direction once set. This setup is 'pretty' directional. You could mark directions with a Sharpie, etc., to get back to various directions. This ex-Ham 'ran the numbers'. As luck would have it, the distance from the Antenna to the Wok Reflector is 'just about right' to work well at WiFi 802.11b and 802.11g frequency.

Last night, I got my first chance to try this setup here in the 'Burbs. I picked up MANY more Signals than the Hawking +15 Dbi Antenna I have linked below. One 2 out of 5 Bars Signal was from a Brand Name Hotel ~7 miles away line-of-sight across a Valley. However, the timing issue mentioned above precludes connecting.

There's a 'sliding scale' of WiFi output power vs. Antenna Gain one can use to stay within FCC Regs and avoid creating interference. You can Web surf and read up on that issue separately. When you read about amazing long distance Links some Geeks are achieving, note that these are Links like House-based Routers where each end is set for protocol compatibility and 'handshaking'.

Signal strength and distance affect DL/UL speeds, as is the case with my Verizon Wireless Modem whether on 3G or 4G protocol. It's also possible to Velcro a USB-connected Wireless Modem out on the end of a Satellite Dish 'arm'. I didn't achieve nearly the same signal strength while geeking around with that setup. Write ups on such Experiments are readily found on the Web.



Alfa WiFi Adapter

Hawking Hi Gain Corner Antenna

[droid_ca]

http://www.data-alliance.net/-strse-158 ... Detail.bok would this work and then use a parabolic dish like they use for listening devices cause being able to have some access to the outside world might be nice

[Engineer Guy]

The Product from Alfa you linked should work fine. What I see:

1. Max power output specified is 2 Watts vs. 1 Watt.

2. The newest 5 gHz 802.11n Channel is supported. There's not 'much' WiFi out there yet on this frequency, but buying a dual-band Product compatible with it is a good idea.

3. I would buy their neato weatherproof Box and USB Cable at the same time. Then, you're good to go for whatever environment you operate in.

A few Amazon Reviewers note what they perceive to be the physical fragility of the Alfa Product. So, I handle mine while testing with the proverbial Kid Gloves. A weatherproof Box will help in this regard.

Have fun connecting from 'wherever'!

[droid_ca]

What else would you need in an office setting scanners fax printer...