Wireless ???

[freezer]

Hope someone can give some advice... I am trying to setup a wireless network at my church and was hoping someone could suggest how to set it up. There are two buildings, the chapel and the rectory. The cable modem is in the rectory and I need to connect it to the chapel. If I were to run cat 5, the route would be about 360ft… The limit for cat5 is 328ft… Fiber is too expensive!!! So wireless seems to be the way to go… especially since neither building is wired for cat5. Now the line of site distance between the two buildings is about 175ft.

If I were to get the Netgear WGT624 http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=214&view=
And add on a higher gain antenna like the ANT24D18 18 dBi Patch Panel Directional Antenna or the ANT24O5 5 dBi Omni-directional Antenna. Would this service the entire area?

The chapel has a garden level basement that is facing the rectory. In the chapel, there is an office and classrooms in the basement and one office on the main level. In the rectory, there is an office in the basement. I would like to setup the network so that there is coverage on both levels of both buildings.

I have seen some wireless systems that have repeaters but the wgt624 does not. Do you thing the wgt624 would service the entire site with the 5dbi antenna? How/what would you recommend?

Thx,
Rod

 

[skritch]

Originally posted by freezer
Hope someone can give some advice... I am trying to setup a wireless network at my church and was hoping someone could suggest how to set it up. There are two buildings, the chapel and the rectory. The cable modem is in the rectory and I need to connect it to the chapel. If I were to run cat 5, the route would be about 360ft… The limit for cat5 is 328ft… Fiber is too expensive!!! So wireless seems to be the way to go… especially since neither building is wired for cat5. Now the line of site distance between the two buildings is about 175ft.

If I were to get the Netgear WGT624 http://www.netgear.com/products/prod_details.asp?prodID=214&view=
And add on a higher gain antenna like the ANT24D18 18 dBi Patch Panel Directional Antenna or the ANT24O5 5 dBi Omni-directional Antenna. Would this service the entire area?

The chapel has a garden level basement that is facing the rectory. In the chapel, there is an office and classrooms in the basement and one office on the main level. In the rectory, there is an office in the basement. I would like to setup the network so that there is coverage on both levels of both buildings.

I have seen some wireless systems that have repeaters but the wgt624 does not. Do you thing the wgt624 would service the entire site with the 5dbi antenna? How/what would you recommend?

Thx,
Rod

Well, you've got a few issues here.

First, to get any sort of network between the two buildings, you'll need to wirelessly bridge the two buildings. This will require an access point in each building, and (preferably) directional antennas.

Once you've got the access point in the remote building receiving a good signal from the other access point, connect it to a switch. Then connect another access point to that switch. This third access point will be what people in that building connect to.

Do the same in the first building: Connect the first access point to a switch, and connect a fourth access point to the switch. This will be where people from the first building connect to.

It's necessary to do it this way because access points cannot currently operate as multi-client access points AND bridges simultaneously.

I'd also recommend that, on the third and fourth access points, you attach high-gain omnidirectional antennas, to ensure adequate coverage.

 

[freezer]

You are saying connect the modem to a router like Netgear RP614. From there, I could connect two access points like the WG302 on to the RP614 to service the rectory and bridge to the chapel. In the chapel, I will install a WG302 as a bridge and connect that to a switch like the FS105 and the will connect another WG302 to that switch to service the chapel.

With this setup I will need one wired router, 2 switches, and 3 access points. Is this correct? If I get a wireless router, I will need 4 access point… Correct?

 

[skritch]

Originally posted by freezer
You are saying connect the modem to a router like Netgear RP614. From there, I could connect two access points like the WG302 on to the RP614 to service the rectory and bridge to the chapel. In the chapel, I will install a WG302 as a bridge and connect that to a switch like the FS105 and the will connect another WG302 to that switch to service the chapel.

With this setup I will need one wired router, 2 switches, and 3 access points. Is this correct? If I get a wireless router, I will need 4 access point… Correct?

Well, you'll need one wired router (your connection to the outside world), 2 switches, and four access points: One in each building for bridging the two buildings together, and one in each building for use by individuals wishing to access the network (i.e., two access points in each building).

You may also want two directional antennas (one on each of the two access points being used to bridge the two buildings together), and two omnidirectional antennas (one on each access point being used to access the network).

 

[freezer]

I was just reading in

ftp://downloads.netgear.com/files/wg302_ref_manual.pdf

that you can set it up in repeater mode. Do you think with this I could get away with 2 or 3 302's in repeater mode? One 302 at the rectory with a c-antena pointed at the chapel, one 302 in the chapel amd maybe another 302 in the basement of the rectory or the chapel. I wonder why it has two antenna? One tx and on rx? or are they both tx/rx?

 

[skritch]

Originally posted by freezer
I was just reading in

ftp://downloads.netgear.com/files/wg302_ref_manual.pdf

that you can set it up in repeater mode. Do you think with this I could get away with 2 or 3 302's in repeater mode? One 302 at the rectory with a c-antena pointed at the chapel, one 302 in the chapel amd maybe another 302 in the basement of the rectory or the chapel. I wonder why it has two antenna? One tx and on rx? or are they both tx/rx?

Hm! I didn't know that they had started making consumer gear capable of operating as repeaters.

Yes, in that case, you could use two or three APs, with all but the first in repeater mode.

The dual-antenna setup is just a more effective way of dealing with Tx/Rx. Sometimes, one is transmit, one is receive, sometimes they're both Tx and Rx. It depends on the mode you use and the way in which you set them up (some APs allow you to pick how each antenna is used).

 

[freezer]

I would wonder if i connected a wired router to the cable modem and then connected a 302 with one antenna connected to a c-antenna and the other to a omni antenna to service the rectory and connect to the 302 in the chapel if i could expect to have a good connection between the two buildings as well as the rectory. Do you think i would need two c-antennas on one 302 pointed at the chapel.

 

[skritch]

Originally posted by freezer
I would wonder if i connected a wired router to the cable modem and then connected a 302 with one antenna connected to a c-antenna and the other to a omni antenna to service the rectory and connect to the 302 in the chapel if i could expect to have a good connection between the two buildings as well as the rectory. Do you think i would need two c-antennas on one 302 pointed at the chapel.

One should do fine. I didn't check the docs for the 302, but you should be able to set it to use just that one antenna.