Long distance wireless:best setup?

R

Rage99

Limp Gawd
Joined
Aug 16, 2004
Messages
354
Background:
Ok. A friend of mine (basically family) just got a new house close to where his business is. He doesn't want to pay for another cable modem installation+monthly free if he can just share access from his workplace. I've never been to the house yet, but he says that it's about 40 yards away from the business, so lets just say its 50-80 yards away to be safe.
He has 4 computers wirelessly connected in his business already, im not sure which router he uses currently, but that is not an issue.
The problem: My other friend who runs a computer 'business' wants to charge him $100 for two WRT54gs, $200 for labor, and another $50 for security. i feel like my friend is getting ripped off and want to help him, but im not sure what i should install instead. I am assuming that my one friend was going to ad hoc one wrt54g from the business to another 54g at my friends house. how well would that work?
If I just bought one of those linksys router with MIMO could that get better range then the two 54Gs?
anyway, if you have any suggestions, or i left out something, let me know.
 
You would need better antenna than the one linksys router has.

That is too much for labor I agree but really cheap for the routers. If you actually read some stuff about wireless setups you wouldn't have to pay your friend. You would actually need 1 linksys router for his home to bridge to the other router.. You don't need another router for your friends business since he already has a router there.
 
see if he can get the routers without labor and security ;)

Set the router in the office to serve as an access point, and assuming you know nothing about setting up security, the new routers come with some (crap) automatic secure easy setup function, or you can just read a couple guides.
 
he cannot run an ethernet cable over?
because from analyzing this situition (yes, spelled wrong, its midnight here), you could prolly just get away with buying 1000 ft of ethernet cable, and then just running 1/3 of that cable over to the business and invest in a switch...
ask your neighbors if you can run like an ethernet cable through a pvc pipe through their yard (perferabably the edges of their yard.)
so
like cost =
switch (10 bucks)
cable (80 bucks)
pvc (no clue? 100 dollars for 80 yards???)
money to bribe your neighbor.. (20 dollars???)
i think its more secure/dependable and faster than wireless
 
That isn't too much for labor. If the guy knows what he is doing it is very cheap actually. Well, without seeing the sites it's hard to say for sure but it sure sounds like he is doing your buddy a favor with that sort of pricing. He'll need more hardware than that though, unless he is going to build his own "cantenna's" or something. if he thinks he is going to get a point to point at 50 yards with the default rabbit ears then he does not know what he is doing. May actually get a link but it wouldn't be reliable. if he does know what he's doing then he'll be putting in two directional antennas. Probably will have to mount them externally which means a mount at the very least and probably a mast as well. That would also facilitate a coaxial run on one or both sides.

To me it sounds like nobody involved really understand what's involved with a PtoP bridge.

To address some of the other posts here. You would absolutely need a dedicated device on both sides of the link since each side will need a dedicated directional antenna. That pretty much takes it out of the equation as an AP at the parent site. If your going to bridge then bridge. Workgroup bridging has some merit in some situations. This isn't one of them. And if you can buy in conduit then fiber would be a decent choice. A fiber run could be expensive but it's probably the best choice if it's physically possible. Certainly more reliable than wireless. Ethernet cable would not be part of any equation. .
 
ktwebb said:
That isn't too much for labor. If the guy knows what he is doing it is very cheap actually. Well, without seeing the sites it's hard to say for sure but it sure sounds like he is doing your buddy a favor with that sort of pricing. .
Click to expand...

I agree with the above....it's incredibly cheap. There's no rip off involved here...he's practically volunteering the job below cost.

Anybody here who thinks it's a rip off...you seriously think the guy will not spend more than 2.5x hours doing this, including 1x way travel, time ordering the parts, and time spent afterwards documenting the setup and security? All of that in under 150 minutes?
 
I agree with Stonecat, that's resonable, cheap even.

The only thing I see is Antennas are not mentioned. A 14 dB directional on one at least one end would not hurt matters. About another $75 to $100 worth of equipment.. i.e. Antenna, Cable, Lightning arrestor, Grounding wire, Sealing tape, Caulk for hole in wall.

Also what type of "security". I would expect WPA of some type..
 
Well, to us, who have the knowledge of setting up a basic wirelesss network, that seems expensive considering we know how to do it by ourselves. But it does sound like attaching directional atennas can get a little more complicated.
 
whiteboy said:
Well, to us, who have the knowledge of setting up a basic wirelesss network, that seems expensive considering we know how to do it by ourselves.
Click to expand...

You can apply that to everything. For those who know how to change brakepads and bleed their brakes on their car...they can avoid an expensive trip to the garage. For those who know how to change a circulator pump on their home heating system, and take the air out of the hot water baseboard system, they can avoid an expensive trip from the local home heating company.

But...I also always say..."You get what you pay for".

In the above examples, were the brakes properly bled, quality pads used. On the furnace, changing a pump may seem simple, but were other things done correctly, ALL the air taken out of the system so you don't cook your heater cores?

I've seen lots of networks setup by someone who "claimed" they knew what they were doing, to find things setup so incorrectly it wasn't even funny. My motto..."Other consultants are my best source of business". The $45.00 per hour guys go in...try to setup a network..a while later, the client goes to find someone who knows how to set it up properly after firing the first guy. The guy who knows how to set it up properly will often cost $100.00 per hour or more.

Here's a case in point...just a few hours ago I came back from New York City..I went to Microsofts NYC office on Ave of the Americas for an SMB Nation workshop by Harry Brelsford. While down there...I did a site survey of 2x clubs that I'll be tying together using a router to router VPN solution, for their Micros POS system. The prior computer guy, who apparently sold himself as a network tech, wow....what a joke. The server areas of each location were a mess. But the horrifying part...wireless routers enabled with no security turned on, existing peer to peer networks with full shares, just a disaster waiting to happen. The SSID with the business name clearly in it...hey...advertise it why not! :rolleyes: I booted up my laptop and was digging around the network within a minute.
 
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