Wireless Networking Question.

Hello all!

I'm looking for some advice and part numbers for the equipment for the following situation:

Building A, Running a Windows Domain, file and print sharing in use and internet access available. Three switches available to plug into.

Building B, P2P network setup with a D-Link unmanaged switch.

Building B wants to be able to logon to the Windows Domain in building A but stringing a wire to do so is not feasible. Building B wants IPs assigned by building A, access to building A's printers and the ability to use Building A's internet connection.

What Building B needs (as far as I can see) would be some way to run a wire from a switch at building B to an antenna (and associated electronics). Approximately 200 feet away in building A we would (I assume) need the same antenna (and electronics) hooked into a switch located there.

What is the "antenna and associated electronics" called?
Wireless bridge???

This is a page full of Wireless Bridges that are easily available to me: http://www.tigerdirect.ca/applications/category/category_slc.asp?CatId=1594

Are these what I am looking for? Any favourites???

Thanks!
Rene

P.S. If you are wondering whether the signal will reach, I don't think that will be a problem. I currently have a Linksys Wireless Router (BEFW11S4) in building A and laptop in Building B has access to it (just barely but it works fine). It is direct line of sight with nothing between other then cars passing by.

I would not be surprised if all those wireless bridges you mention work for one computer at a time. On the other hand, yes, what you're looking for is called a wireless bridge and I did this exact thing years ago just before the 802.11b thing hit. We used a product put out by Aironet (before Cisco bought them, I think). They call what you want a (wireless) workgroup bridge, and others seem to have taken to that terminology, too.

I did pretty much what you're looking for with about $900 worth of gear from Buffalo Tech. That was a year ago, so prices may vary.

I used two each of:
WLA2-G54L Router/Bridge
WLE-HG-DYG Directional Antenna
P/N unknown: Power over Ethernet to match G54L router
WLE-CC5:5m Cable

The antennas were the most expensive parts (yeah I could have built a pringle can yadda yadda - no time for that).

I have the bridges installed up in the rafters, and use their shortest cable (5m?) to the antenna (less signal loss with a shorter wire). The Power Over Ethernet modules meant I didn't have to wire AC way up there. I used two towers from Radio Shack. They've been in service about 15 months and I've only had to reboot a bridge twice. Encrypted transmission between the two bridges. I get approximately 100 MB/Minute of throughput. We use the link for VOIP (5 channels of a proprietary Panasonic system), plus all the regular data uses - file sharing, DHCP, printing etcetera.

My two antennae are about 1/4 mile from eachother with a 80% clear line of sight (one maple tree during summer).

The html interface on the routers was pretty straightforward.

-Zeke

I did exactly what you're talking about several years ago, shortly before 802.11b came out.

We basically had a pair of wireless routers, one in each building, connected to directional antennas on the rooftops. Because this was pre-802.11b, it was only 1.5mbps, but it worked. Very simple to set up, and not terribly expensive. At least it was a lot less expensive than leasing a line from the phone company.

Nowadays you can do it with much faster routers. In many cases it's simply a question of getting a pair of off-the-shelf routers where you can unscrew the little antenna and attach a coax cable running to the big antenna on the roof.

When we did it several years ago, the company we got the gear from was "Proxim", and I'm pretty sure they're still in business.

Re-reading this...

If your buildings are only 200 feet apart, you don't need the rooftop antennas. Just stick the routers on a windowsill where they have line-of-sight to each other.

Check Hyperlink Technologies for inexpensive directional and omni-directional antennae. You can order them with the right connector for your WAP (ie...Linksys uses RP-TNC). You can probably get two old Linksys WAP11's cheap and put them in bridge mode.

I would do as Tony suggested and just put them in a window sill with line of sight. That way, you don't have to worry about grounding the antennae. I would, however, invest in the antennae, seeing as you can get both for under $100 and it helps guarantee you get a strong signal and full bandwidth.

The Linksys bridges are my favorites and incredibly easy to install. Plug them in either building and suddenly both networks are linked. No drivers needed, and there is a web-based set-up.

Do go to the trouble to set up security though. Also, at 200' w/o obstruction, I'd bet you could connect w/o other antenna's. I'm right at 250' through a window and an intermediate neighbors roof. The Linksys units (at least the ones I've used) do have removable whips should you need. The WET54G also supports P.O.E. which could be handy too.

A Linksys WRT54G can, I believe, be made into a bridge using the Sveasoft replacement firmware, and it opens up a whole bunch of security and other features, including power boosting.

Quote:
If your buildings are only 200 feet apart, you don't need the rooftop antennas. Just stick the routers on a windowsill where they have line-of-sight to each other.

But why do that when you can use strange looking antennae?

http://www.fab-corp.com/

Follow the link to Yagis and look for the Vagi series. This antenna is much cooler in life than the picture shows. Cast aluminum and dual yagi design.