Village Hall WiFi?

LOLGEOFF

LOLGEOFF

The Name's Lol, Not Geoff.
UKGSer Subscriber
Joined
Jul 26, 2003
Messages
6,128
Reaction score
2,012
Location
Hartley, Kent.
The W.I. have asked for WiFi in the Village Hall to help their speakers with their presentations. The hall does not have a landline.

What would be the most cost effective way of supplying WiFi considering we have two W.I. groups that meet once a month so it would be standing idle for most of the month?

If we install WiFi and offer it as a PAYG service, how can we secure it from other users, who would no doubt find any access passwords from other users?

Thanks for any suggestions.
 
What is mobile coverage like in the area?
Would a PAYG data SIM in a Mi-Fi type device be an option?
 
Yup. That would be my suggestion too.

I’ve got a Netgear Nighthawk M1 & Poynting antenna you’re welcome to borrow to test the theory.

I really should get round to selling it!

I use an unlimited SIM from Three which is about £16/month from memory.

With regular events it probably makes more sense to go for a contract rather than PAYG - unless they might change venue at some point soon…
 
Mobile signals are a bit sketchy despite being at the top of a hill, some service providers better than others apparently.

I'm not too sure of the mechanics of WiFi although I know my camera can send out a WiFi signal to download photos to printers, laptops, phone etc. I'm guessing that they want some way for devices to speak to each other rather than connect to the internet?

If you use a mobile as a hot spot does it limit the amount of data that can go through it?
 
Thanks, I'll search Mifi but I've got to go out now, be back soon.
 
Do you need WiFi
It sounds to me like Bluetooth speakers are what is required
 
If no one else has asked for wifi, perhaps get someone within the WI to use their phone as a hotspot ? (And explain that as they're the only users of it....they'd be asked to fund it?)
 
Starllink? I’m sure it can be hired and simply pass the cost on to the WI.
 
RedRick Esq. said:
Do you need WiFi
It sounds to me like Bluetooth speakers are what is required
Click to expand...
Well I did ask this in December.
Davey B said:
If no one else has asked for wifi, perhaps get someone within the WI to use their phone as a hotspot ? (And explain that as they're the only users of it....they'd be asked to fund it?)
Click to expand...
I also suggested this in December too but with due respect they are mainly old ladies.
Pepsi said:
Starllink? I’m sure it can be hired and simply pass the cost on to the WI.
Click to expand...
Shhhhh! I don't want warlord spamming my threads...

The main reason I'm asking is that there is another meeting tomorrow and I notice it's back on the agenda and I thought I'd try to get as many options as possible together.
 
SOAA said:
Personally I would say that StarLink would be massively overpriced for this use case
Click to expand...
Yes I absolutely agree but if the WI want a solution then this is one option for them to consider. 👍
 
Thanks everyone, I'll ask them what they are hoping to do with it if they get it and then report back.
 
RedRick Esq. said:
Do you need WiFi
It sounds to me like Bluetooth speakers are what is required
Click to expand...

lots of people running presentations will use online media as part of the presentation e.g. a short Youtube video embedded into a Powerpoint or maybe a webinar of a national or regional event

if the 4/5G signal is adequate, using a phone as a wifi hotspot has to be the easiest and most cost effective solution. As well as providing the solution for the village hall meetings, if each WI branch takes responsibility for their own needs, they would be able to use their phone for general communication needs such as calls, SMS & Email, and for wifi at any branch event, whether in the village hall or external event.

They might need some support to set it all up but in the long run, they need to be encouraged to become self sufficient and up to speed with technology.
 
How about a village social media training one Saturday morning for the hall users?

Get a voluntary village media expert (or 12 year old) and make sure each user sends a willing to learn representative, brings their phone, gets some training on how to creat a WiFi hot spot, as a bonus they get a cup of tea and biscuit plus meet other hall users.

Handy time to do a fire drill or at least explain what users should do in the event of fire.

You might even suck in some new volunteers for the village hall committee.
 
Well I've found out what they want it for, it's in case a guest speaker cancels at the last minute and they can find a replacement at short notice to join the meeting by zoom. One of the W.I. said that she has done a bit of research and her friend Flo's husband Andy recommends Starlink. She went into great detail about screwing the self seeking satellite dish to a paving slab placed on the flat roof, how the cable would need to enter the building through a hole that had to be large enough because the plug could not be remove, how it shouldn't be turned off because of the delay caused by the dish searching for a connection.

We advised her that it might well be a solution but all other cheaper options would be considered first, the Clerk will be asking companies to tender quotes for the supply of a broadband connection such as cable, Bt and trooli who keep spamming the area. She is also going to enquire about data only sims and the relevant equipment from the main phone providers.

Thanks for your help everyone, I'll let you know of any developments in a few months time.
 
LOLGEOFF said:
Well I've found out what they want it for, it's in case a guest speaker cancels at the last minute and they can find a replacement at short notice to join the meeting by zoom. One of the W.I. said that she has done a bit of research and her friend Flo's husband Andy recommends Starlink. She went into great detail about screwing the self seeking satellite dish to a paving slab placed on the flat roof, how the cable would need to enter the building through a hole that had to be large enough because the plug could not be remove, how it shouldn't be turned off because of the delay caused by the dish searching for a connection.

We advised her that it might well be a solution but all other cheaper options would be considered first, the Clerk will be asking companies to tender quotes for the supply of a broadband connection such as cable, Bt and trooli who keep spamming the area. She is also going to enquire about data only sims and the relevant equipment from the main phone providers.

Thanks for your help everyone, I'll let you know of any developments in a few months time.
Click to expand...
My lad uses Starlink on his boat , a snip at $200 month, plus if he uses it out in the ocean its extra $$ per gb , got to pay for those satellites somehow
 
The Marine and RV Starlink plans are charged at premium rates - but that's because they're competing with solutions like VSAT which make Starlink look affordable!

Starlink would certainly do the job, but I'd say it's overkill for just the WI.

If the Village hall are looking for a permanent setup for WiFi which could be made available to other groups using the venue then they might do better looking at BT/Virgin etc with a couple of WiFi access points / MESH system. Monthly costs would be much lower.

That assumes that there's a decent internet infrastructure in the area.
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
You must log in or register to reply here.


Back
Top Bottom