Eye-Fi Pro Card=iPad and network extender

r9jackson

Thanks to all you dgrinners, I recently bought a Eye-Fi Pro card and got it up and running to send images to my iPad. YES IT WORKS.

It took a little while to configure, but reading the manual is certainly helpful along with advice and links here on dGrin. Just today, I got a wild hair and started testing to see if I could use it also as a network extension. In my house (which is long and narrow) I can't get a good wi-fi signal in my front room from my wiring closet in our back bedroom. I have read about expensive solutions to create a powerful new antennae system and buying a specialized network extender system (around $250).

I don't know if this is just a fluke, but today I discovered that the Aluratek Zalip portable wireless router that I had purchased to support a portable ad-hoc wireless network in the field would also work as an extender.

In the field with my camera I set up the router nearby and plug it in or use its internal battery to establish a connection between my camera and my iPad. This is needed in case my location does not have a wireless network or the local wireless network is secured and I don't have a password.

The Zalip router has a port for a 3G USB router that is only needed if you need to get to the Internet. Not something I need when shooting. The Zalip also has an RJ45 port to connect to a LAN or a PC to set up the router initially.

I discovered that, if you connect the Zalip to your local network with a regular PC network cable and turn it on, it will get a DHCP IP address from your local network and will magically transport you through your local router to the Internet. But what is really cool is that, IF you disconnect the LAN cable to your network and let the Zalip start up on its own it will retrieve a default IP address and work as a stand alone ad-hoc network.

Now don't get me wrong, I am still testing this and it seems too good to be true, so there may sill be a fly in the ointment, but right now it works as I have described. The Zalip is a $80 purchase and it looks like it will perform several tasks both at home and in the field with my camera.

I welcome any comments or anyone that knows why this might not work in all conditions.

ziggy53

It sounds like your Zalip router also has a wireless "bridge" capability. If it's working for you, that's a good thing.