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Wireless Antenna Suggestions

L

Lowbatt

Gawd
Joined
Aug 9, 2001
Messages
752
I know this has probably been answered a few times but I didn't find any good answers in a quick search. I also know there are plenty of smart people that have done this before.

I have a customer that has a very large house that I have set up 3 netgear WG302 one on each floor wired directly into a router in the basement with existing catV connections. That is working great all floors have total coverage and they love it. Now the next problem is they have a guest house that is 200ft or so away from the main house and there is a concrete driveway between the two so me running a underground catv is out of the question. I've never had to setup a point to point wireless connection and am wanting some advice on equipment to use to do this. Price isn't a huge issue as they want something that works right nad have plenty of money. So any advice of equipment that works good with those AP's or I can always add another device. Also it would be best if the equipment could be mounted outside and just have a cable run.

thanks!

Here is the best picture I can find to show the distance between the two.

wireless.jpg
 
you have two options here...first option is to install another WG302 at the guest house but put it in repeater mode. This requires no cat5/6 cable...it would pick up the wireless signal coming from the house and amplify it for the guest house. im not 100% sure a repeater at the guest house would pick up the main wireless signals though. it's dependant on a lot of factors and not something I can just guess over the internet.

second option is to install another WG302 at the main house but get an external antenna meant for these situations. Most antennas that ship are omni-directional...not good for long distances. a high-gain directional antenna pointed at the guest house should provide proper coverage.

I would first get another WG302 and test in repeater mode. If you are experiencing signal or connectivity issues, look into an external antenna.
 
i wouldnt really suggest repeater mode.... it probably wouldnt work that great since you have to be well within the coverage area of the root AP....
 
Get a wireless card for the guest house and two canteen (spelling?) antenna's pointing at each other. This will be a better and faster solution then getting a repeater in my opinion as the range would be far to be picked up (it seems like). If not a canteen then get a 2 directional antenna with a output of at least 9+ db. This would be more secure since it's not throwing out the signal throughout the area. It's a pretty close point to point.
 
I have had good results using these antennas http://sharperconcepts.zoovy.com/product/YSC-HG2412P for a point to point link over about 160 yards, with clear line of site except for a few branches. The construction was good, and I didn't have any trouble with signal strength. Their other antennas seem resonably priced as well, but I don't have direct experience with them.

I ended up using a Dlink DI-624 (connected to a DSL modem) on one end and a DWL-2100 on the other. The 2100 was set to AP client mode, with another wireless router on a different channel connected to it by ethernet to provide wireless access at that end. I wasn't very happy with the functionality and stability of the dlink firmware, and would try something else if I was going to do it again.

Despite the antenna being directional and mounted outside, users in the house with the DSL modem and DI-624 didn't have any trouble accessing it. It was a small house with wood walls however.

You might be able to just a use high gain, external directional antenna aimed at the guest house, with clients connecting directly to that, rather than setting up a point to point link and another AP to provide wireless to the clients.

I would avoid repeaters if possible, since they can have a negative impact on performance.
 
I would mostly agree with "reyalp", but If possible I would try and go a little more Db on the antenna. It looks like you are shooting through trees as well as you mentioned the current AP's are in the middle of the house. If you are trying to reach one of those then you may need something that can catch that signal. If you plan on buying 2 APs with directionals and use those antennas that "reyalp" mentioned then it looks a bit better. I have set up a point to multipoint with 14 Db directional backfires at the out buildings, and a 15 DB omni at the main building, and it has been working flawlessly. Maximum distance was 900 feet. I originaly had a 7Db at the main building and it wasent making the 900 feet. I actualy think it was an issue with multipath, but you certinaly dont want to come up short.

It also sounds like you do consulting.. I would suggest a wireless card with an external antenna connector and a collection of antennas, as well as an AP, so you can do a proper site survey. I have a couple of 14 Db backfires, 24Db Grid's and a few omni's that I "keep in stock", for just this reason.
 
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