Need some purchasing help PLEASE

[bobcopro]

I need a little purchase help here. I have multiple internet sources at my location and have blended them together using a couple of dual WAN SysWan routers.

I would like to provide internet service to my neighbors. Each house is approximately 200 to 500 feet apart, going back probably 20 houses. I was thinking I could use the Pico's as bridge repeaters or just as repeaters and keep pushing the signal from house to house, with each one tapping off for their connection.

I currently am doing my adjacent neighbors already using an EnGenius AP on my roof and basic Linksys routers running DD-WRT located inside the houses. I have no confidence in these Linksys in their ability to retransmit with the required power.

Here's the questions:

Is the Pico right for this or should I use the Nano?

Lot of scrub brush and small trees between houses. Currently my antenna is on my roof. Would I be better off locating it at around 6 to 8' where there is a bit of a break in the foliage when it comes back in? I can see these houses (and them each other), but there is brush and leaves and such.

How many jumps can I make with these before the signal or bandwidth becomes an issue. I could use a pair of PS2's to push the signal back in a ways and move on from there.

Better sender than the EnGenius (software is crap)? Use one of the Pico or Nano? Maybe the PS2 with the external connector and one of those antennas that look like a ring of soda cans?

Any ideas on limiting bandwidth per user without a degree or $4000 router?

I'm trying to make a little money and provide high speed where no one (utility) is willing to put in the infrastructure. I do not have a lot of cash and like the value to cost ratio of the UBNT stuff, so if someone can give me some general idea if I'm heading in the right direction I would really appriate it.

[UBNT-Mike.Ford]

Hello Bobcopro,

You can use the PS-Ext units with high gain omni's to achieve this. I would recommend using PS5-EXT's as 2.4Ghz will be crowded. You can set each one on a house, an use AP-WDS mode to repeat the signal, and run etherenet cable to each house that you want to connect. You can use PS2-EXT if you are going for a just wireless hotspot type implementation.

Please be aware that Every hop after the 1st one, you will lose 50% of your bandwidth (per hop)

Thanks,

Mike

[bobcopro]

Mike - Thanks for the info. Can I get away with Pico's or Nano's in areas where the houses are close 100-150' with line of sight. For instance; run a PS2 EXT at my location (#1) and a PS2 EXT at a house 400' away (#2) with the remote operating as a repeater, and have a few nearby houses (100'-150') using Nano's as clients (not repeating) - then have another PS2 Ext father away (#3) connecting to #2 and repeat the little cluster idea.

I assume I'll lose 1/2 the bandwidth at the first location (with all the Nano's at half the bandwidth as well) and then another 1/2 the signal (1/4 the original) at the #3 location?

I assume on the PS2's I'll be running them in WDS mode? Will the nano's and Pico's run in WDS mode if I wanted them to? I'm thinking of getting a few of each and experimenting with range and coverage, but I want to get a basic understanding of their capability. At the moment I can connect with my MacBook alone at a couple of the houses that are 400' away.

I assume I could simply bridge the first two PS2's and add a second at the far end in AP mode as long as I have the channel separation and I'd have no loss at that point. I'd really like to do a mesh type setup where the signal can just propagate out using multiple paths, but maybe I've not got the amount of money to do that right. This is a VERY rural area with no existing wireless traffic except for maybe a cordless phone or two.

I'm at Lat 41°22'20.72"N and long 70°28'15.15"W if you wanted to look at Google earth you can see the nearby houses. The closest ones hit my roof top AP with their built in wireless. I definitely will be ripping the Engenius crap off the roof. I previously setup a pair of PS2's as a bridge and love the equipment.

I appreciate any help and am a buying customer - I'm not looking for free advice to use elsewhere!

[guidonet]

Wow men!... you live in the forest... there are not a few trees.
May be us better if you try to link under the trees. How tall are they?

[bobcopro]

They look like a lot of trees, but none are over 30' and all produce extensive canopy. That's why in the first post I was thinking of putting the access point at 6' to 8' as I have line of sight at that height (below canopy but above scrub brush. I can stand on my roof and see most the other roofs for longer shots, but neighbor to neighbor may be better at 6'.

I have two PS2's functioning as a bridge over a .7 mile stretch of these. I'd really like to order the equipment tomorrow and the other company has given me all sorts of answers, but I like this equipment better and it's cheaper, so I'm hoping my last slew of ignorant questions will get answered.

Thanks to all who read.

[guidonet]

When you get clear LOS with NS will be enough. It is a good idea to jump for secondary AP powered by a PS and redistribute for a few NS, using external omni in PS to access clients in clear LOS.

[UBNT-Mike.Ford]

Mike - Thanks for the info. Can I get away with Pico's or Nano's in areas where the houses are close 100-150' with line of sight. For instance; run a PS2 EXT at my location (#1) and a PS2 EXT at a house 400' away (#2) with the remote operating as a repeater, and have a few nearby houses (100'-150') using Nano's as clients (not repeating) - then have another PS2 Ext father away (#3) connecting to #2 and repeat the little cluster idea.

I assume I'll lose 1/2 the bandwidth at the first location (with all the Nano's at half the bandwidth as well) and then another 1/2 the signal (1/4 the original) at the #3 location?

I assume on the PS2's I'll be running them in WDS mode? Will the nano's and Pico's run in WDS mode if I wanted them to? I'm thinking of getting a few of each and experimenting with range and coverage, but I want to get a basic understanding of their capability. At the moment I can connect with my MacBook alone at a couple of the houses that are 400' away.

I assume I could simply bridge the first two PS2's and add a second at the far end in AP mode as long as I have the channel separation and I'd have no loss at that point. I'd really like to do a mesh type setup where the signal can just propagate out using multiple paths, but maybe I've not got the amount of money to do that right. This is a VERY rural area with no existing wireless traffic except for maybe a cordless phone or two.

I'm at Lat 41°22'20.72"N and long 70°28'15.15"W if you wanted to look at Google earth you can see the nearby houses. The closest ones hit my roof top AP with their built in wireless. I definitely will be ripping the Engenius crap off the roof. I previously setup a pair of PS2's as a bridge and love the equipment.

I appreciate any help and am a buying customer - I'm not looking for free advice to use elsewhere!

Hello Bobcopro,

The first unit will be at full speed, teh second at half, the 3rd at half of # 2 ect.

All units will be operating in AP/WDS mode

Thanks,

Mike

[Roger Zeinstra]

I need a little purchase help here. I have multiple internet sources at my location and have blended them together using a couple of dual WAN SysWan routers.

I would like to provide internet service to my neighbors. Each house is approximately 200 to 500 feet apart, going back probably 20 houses. I was thinking I could use the Pico's as bridge repeaters or just as repeaters and keep pushing the signal from house to house, with each one tapping off for their connection.

Let us know how you make out with this project. One question. What is the distance between you and your farthest 'customer'.

I really don't think it is going to work below the tree line. I think that you need to go above the tree line to make this work. Also take a look at this web site. Might give you some insight on where to position the antennas.

http://www.terabeam.com/support/calculations/fresnel-zone.php#feet

[WHT]

http://forum.ubnt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=6500&highlight=

Its beginning to sounding like bobcopro is in vain trying to find someone to say it will work and ignore all the responses that say it most likly will have problems.

Kid: Mommy, can I go outside to play?
Mom: No

Kid: Daddy, can I go outside to play?
Daddy: Yes

[bobcopro]

Well - theoretically my initial link .7 miles to my DSL source shouldn't have worked, yet I have a great and stable signal and still have the ability to move both of those PS2's up another 20'. I link with a bridge to here running on channel 1 and then rebroadcast it with an omni on channel 11. I don't see why I can't repeat that procedure from here as needed, watching for the channel separation.

Initially I could hit my close neighbors (100-600') with a Trendnet N router in my attic and the closest ones picking it up directly on their laptops and the ones at 400-600' using Linksys WRT54G2 running DD-WRT micro. The farthest customer I'd like to hit on my local signal is maybe .3 miles away.

There are a couple of other "clusters" I'd like to get by using a pair of PS2's as a bridge, then an omni again (same setup as here). I just got the OK from the local municipality to use one of their buildings to setup a link so I can push commercial cable over here (16Mpbs down) to add to the DSL and satellites.

We have almost no 2.4Ghz interference here, very rural and basic. I know most people and can get a number of good high (for here) locations to setup equipment with secure basements to locate power sources.

I had been using WPA for security but will probably open them up since I now grant access by MAC address with the SysWan router. The SysWan provides load balancing between sources and allows me to configure Qos by MAC as well as determining what protocols use which interface.

At max I could end up with 100 houses, most likely half of that except during the summer as we are a resort area. Most people will know how to get service as the SSID has my phone number in it (Call xxx-xxx-xxxx for Internet). I'm not trying to make a living off of this, but to get decent internet and provide it to others who are in the same situation. We're cheaper than the only other choice (satellite) and faster too.