Computer Guru : Can you answer a computer question for me?

Look into getting a directional antennae for both the base station to transmit/receive from and for you to recieve/send on. Be careful when using wireless from your office to your home in that it is secure use as WPA, with a very complicated password to keep intruders out. Anything 802.11 n is very good, particular anything that uses the Airgo chipset offers the best quality.

CS_Doc wrote:

Look into getting a directional antennae for both the base station to transmit/receive from and for you to recieve/send on. Be careful when using wireless from your office to your home in that it is secure use as WPA, with a very complicated password to keep intruders out. Anything 802.11 n is very good, particular anything that uses the Airgo chipset offers the best quality.

Thank you for the information! Do you you have any recommendations for what type of directional antennae would work best? Will the N series routers work better with the obstructions in the line of sight?

Essentially, CS_Doc already pointed you in the right direction. Personally, I would go ahead and utilize a second connection, but that is just a matter of preference.

That being said, there certainly are some nice "draft N" tech solutions out there, but to tell the truth I have never been too anxious to utilize what amounts to beta equipment in an operational environment.

Ultimately, I suppose the bottom line is that whatever you are most comfortable with is the way to go.

Thanks Computer Guru! Do you think the N series will work better than the G series router? I don't want to spend the money on the N router if none of this will work. I understand what you are saying about getting a second circuit. Right now it doesn't seem cost effective. I'd sure like to see if I could get this wifi signal to work :)

Cheers!

Yes, if you're trying to extend your WiFi range to the lengths that you are describing, then you would definitely want to use an 802.11n solution.

This will sound funny, but it does work. I've experimented with a whole series of antennas, starting first with a USB style wireless adapater mounted in a stainless steel wok atop a 20' pole out back, it's highly directional but I can pick up access points as far as a quarter mile away. I've since upgraded to a bigger dish using an old tv sattelite system dish I found on trash day. Again, it's got a USB style wifi adpater mounted in, cable running into the house. It's best to have two people working it at first, use one to move the dish while the other uses software to scan for hotspots. I can actually leach off the library branch now, it's probably 1/2 mile away but the signal comes in very strong. Move the dish just a few inches though, and I lose it. Gotta mount it really strong so the wind doesn't move it.

Thank you! Do you think it would work without having to mount the adapter outside?

Back in 2004 I needed a portable wireless link for my timing company. Most of what I used has been superceded by newer stuff, so I won't give a list.

This outfit had good equipment:

http://www.hdcom.com

I put together a system using directional antennas with solid .25 mile-plus connectivity, that ran on batteries. You won't need portable and batteries, I'm assuming.

I'm sure that HDcom isn't the only place out there. But they were easy to work with, and perhaps more important, they offered packages that they had tested.

Do be prepared for sticker shock. You might well be able to get away with some less-expensive solutions. But if you need it to work all the time, I think going with a provider who's in the business is a good idea.

If nothing else, you can check out one of their packages, buy the radios at the biggest discount you can find, and then buy the antennas and cabling from HDcom (or similar vendor).

Not affiliated, etc.

Hi,

I'm not sure. I think height really helps, I live in a one story house so I can't get high up without going outside. There are scads of cool pages on building your own antennas, this is the site I got my ideas from:

http://www.usbwifi.orcon.net.nz/

See this one as well:

http://wireless.engadget.com/2005/11/15/how-to-build-a-wifi-biquad-dish-antenna/

That's a little closer to what I'm using now..