Running BT broadband to end of garden?

I've just had a lodge type building constructed
at the end of my garden and I want to set up a
network in it in order to re-establish my home-
office after losing the spare room to my second
child!

I currently have BT broadband feeding my internet
access to my Macintosh G4 via one of the stingwray
looking Alcatel modems (SpeedTouch USB) and as
the name implies, this is connected to the USB port
of my mac.

The BT ADSL terminal downstairs is about 250-300ft
away from where the lodge is at the end of the garden,
and I was wondering what my options are for getting
the access fed to the new network position.

Should I be looking at a hard-wired solution, which is
obviously going to mean lots of cable running and trench
digging in the garden, or is there a comparable wireless
solution that would give me the same performance (or better)
and wouldn't break the bank?

Any suggestions?

Many thanks,
Dean.

Dean Heighington wrote:
> I've just had a lodge type building constructed
> at the end of my garden and I want to set up a
> network in it in order to re-establish my home-
> office after losing the spare room to my second
> child!
>
> I currently have BT broadband feeding my internet
> access to my Macintosh G4 via one of the stingwray
> looking Alcatel modems (SpeedTouch USB) and as
> the name implies, this is connected to the USB port
> of my mac.
>
> The BT ADSL terminal downstairs is about 250-300ft
> away from where the lodge is at the end of the garden,
> and I was wondering what my options are for getting
> the access fed to the new network position.
>
> Should I be looking at a hard-wired solution, which is
> obviously going to mean lots of cable running and trench
> digging in the garden, or is there a comparable wireless
> solution that would give me the same performance (or better)
> and wouldn't break the bank?
>
> Any suggestions?

You could pick up an ADSL Wireless router for about £75 plus postage.
Add a decent USB receiver (not the USB pen type...something with a
better antenna) at around £35, and you'd be sorted. If there are no
obstructions in the radio line of sight, I can't see you having much of
a problem. Do go for good name kit though....US Robotics, 3Com,
Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and so on. Your ADSL router & USB transceiver
do not necessarily need to be the same make.

If you can, get the 54Mb/s kit, as this is much better speed
possibilities over greater distances, but bear in mind that even 11Mb/s
is going to be much faster than your available ADSL speed (0.5-2Mb/s
depending on what you have signed up for).

You may need to carefully position the ADSL router. And make sure you
switch on encryption if you use wireless!

Rob

In article <(E-Mail Removed) >,
(E-Mail Removed), a.k.a Dean Heighington says...


> The BT ADSL terminal downstairs is about 250-300ft
> away from where the lodge is at the end of the garden

AIUI, with RJ45 you will be limited to approx 100m of cable, which may
be a factor if the run isn't in a straight line.

Rob <robin@.uk.org.brol> wrote in message news:<4173cb6c$0$29419$(E-Mail Removed)>...

> You could pick up an ADSL Wireless router for about £75 plus postage.
> Add a decent USB receiver (not the USB pen type...something with a
> better antenna) at around £35, and you'd be sorted. If there are no
> obstructions in the radio line of sight, I can't see you having much of
> a problem. Do go for good name kit though....US Robotics, 3Com,
> Linksys, D-Link, Netgear and so on. Your ADSL router & USB transceiver
> do not necessarily need to be the same make.

Do you have a personal favourite amongst the above manufacturers
and if so, what models of that manufacturers range would be most
suitable?

> If you can, get the 54Mb/s kit, as this is much better speed
> possibilities over greater distances, but bear in mind that even 11Mb/s
> is going to be much faster than your available ADSL speed (0.5-2Mb/s
> depending on what you have signed up for).

At the receiving end of the wireless zone, would it be better to use
a USB receiver or something else such as an internal card or
Ethernet receiver, i.e. There are many more ports available on the
macintosh (or PC if it came to that) that would be serving the hard-wired
network within the lodge, than just the USB port. I'm sure that the WiFi
receiver (whatever its port type) would need a host machine to act as
a gateway to the rest of the systems on the ethernet network.

> You may need to carefully position the ADSL router. And make sure you
> switch on encryption if you use wireless!

I'm thinking that I should perhaps position it somewhere upstairs, at the rear
of the house, in order to have a direct line of site to the end of the garden...
is there a limit as to how far away these can be from the BT terminal?

Thanks for the reply Rob, as you can probably ascertain from my
comments above, I'm nervous about getting this wrong and the
financial implications of doing so!

If the Mac will only be used in the lodge, your cheapest and simplest
solution it to extend the phone line to the lodge.
Just connect to the two wires at your master socket to another master socket
in the lodge.
If you do go wireless get USB receiver on a end of cable, you may need to
position it high up to get good signal.
Regards,
Martin

On 18 Oct 2004 15:55:38 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) (Dean
Heighington) wrote:

> I'm sure that the WiFi
>receiver (whatever its port type) would need a host machine to act as
>a gateway to the rest of the systems on the ethernet network.

you can get a device that has a client mode, something like a WET-11
http://www.linksys.com/products/prod...id=432&scid=36

Phil
--
spamcop.net address commissioned 18/06/04
Come on down !

"Dean Heighington" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) m...
>
> Thanks for the reply Rob, as you can probably ascertain from my
> comments above, I'm nervous about getting this wrong and the
> financial implications of doing so!


Interestingly if you order online you can return products within the 1st 7 days
under the Distance Selling Regulations.

This should mitigate the financial implications of making a mistake!


Michael Chare

If you but from PC World you can return stuff within two weeks.
Not the best prices though.
Regards,
Martin

"Michael Chare" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message news:<3fidnfl1x-Wme-(E-Mail Removed)>...

> Interestingly if you order online you can return products within the 1st 7 days
> under the Distance Selling Regulations.
>
> This should mitigate the financial implications of making a mistake!

Well, can't ask much more than that really.
The only question now is which brand to go for.
Any favourites?

d.

In article <3fidnfl1x-Wme-(E-Mail Removed)>,
(E-Mail Removed), a.k.a Michael Chare says...


> Interestingly if you order online you can return products within the 1st 7 days
> under the Distance Selling Regulations

Not if you used it you can't.

The DSR only gives 7 days to examine the goods, not to use them to
assess suitability.

IANAL