What type of Router for a small wireless broadband commmunity??

I am in the process of setting up a small wireless broadband network
for small rural area. At the moment it is only in the development
stage but if things get going we hope to have 20 to 30 users or
households.

The network would primarly be used for basic internet access however I
would also like to offer Voice over IP.

My connection to the internet is through ADSL. At the moment the
connection is just at 512 download and 256 upload. I can increase
that up to 2MB download 256k upload.

My quesition is what kind of Router would I need for such a set up??

I need a router that allows quality of service. Giving prefence to
VIOP.

Cost is a major issue so I'm not looking for something that is top of
the range, such that would be used in a normal exchange.

The 50% cost of the project is paid by the local community.

Are there other things that I may need?? or

Any issues that I should be aware of??


John Flanagan

> Are there other things that I may need?? or
>
> Any issues that I should be aware of??

The fact that you need t ask these questions suggests that you lack the
qualifications to do the job. Perhaps you should get some professional help.

In an earlier contribution to this discussion,
John Flanagan <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> I am in the process of setting up a small wireless broadband network
> for small rural area. At the moment it is only in the development
> stage but if things get going we hope to have 20 to 30 users or
> households.
>
> The network would primarly be used for basic internet access however I
> would also like to offer Voice over IP.
>
> My connection to the internet is through ADSL. At the moment the
> connection is just at 512 download and 256 upload. I can increase
> that up to 2MB download 256k upload.
>
> My quesition is what kind of Router would I need for such a set up??
>
> I need a router that allows quality of service. Giving prefence to
> VIOP.
>
> Cost is a major issue so I'm not looking for something that is top of
> the range, such that would be used in a normal exchange.
>
> The 50% cost of the project is paid by the local community.
>
> Are there other things that I may need?? or
>
> Any issues that I should be aware of??

I don't know the answers to your questions - but what you definitely *don't*
want is a wireless router designed for domestic use. These have a relatively
small range, and are intended to be used within a single building. It is
very unlikely that such a router would reach 20-30 households unless (maybe)
they were all within a single block of flats - and even then, the structure
would likely get in the way. Also, if you have a normal domestic type of
internet account, have a very careful look at the T's & C's. I would be very
surprised if your ISP allowed you to resell chunks of bandwidth to all and
sundry.

If you *do* find a wireless device with sufficient reach, you then need to
think very hard about security issues - because it will otherwise be all too
easy for unauthorised people to gatecrash your network.

It sounds to me as if you need the sort of equipment used in places like
airports - to provide internet access to people with wireless-enabled
laptops. I don't know what they use, but you can be pretty sure that it
doesn't come cheap!
--
Cheers,
Tim
______
Please reply to newsgroup. Reply address is invalid.

In message <(E-Mail Removed) >, John
Flanagan <(E-Mail Removed)> writes
>I am in the process of setting up a small wireless broadband network
>for small rural area. At the moment it is only in the development
>stage but if things get going we hope to have 20 to 30 users or
>households.
>
>My connection to the internet is through ADSL. At the moment the
>connection is just at 512 download and 256 upload. I can increase
>that up to 2MB download 256k upload.

There aren't many "small rural" areas which can get 2MB ADSL - you're
lucky. If such a good service is available to your community why would
anyone prefer a shared wireless network to their own ADSL service, from
the ISP of their choice?

>Any issues that I should be aware of??

You aren't thinking of reselling your own ADSL connection are you? If
so read your ISP's T&Cs and look at all other ISP T&Cs!

"John Flanagan" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) om...
> I am in the process of setting up a small wireless broadband network
> for small rural area. At the moment it is only in the development
> stage but if things get going we hope to have 20 to 30 users or
> households.
>
> The network would primarly be used for basic internet access however I
> would also like to offer Voice over IP.
>
> My connection to the internet is through ADSL. At the moment the
> connection is just at 512 download and 256 upload. I can increase
> that up to 2MB download 256k upload.
>
> My quesition is what kind of Router would I need for such a set up??
>
> I need a router that allows quality of service. Giving prefence to
> VIOP.
>
> Cost is a major issue so I'm not looking for something that is top of
> the range, such that would be used in a normal exchange.
>
> The 50% cost of the project is paid by the local community.
>
> Are there other things that I may need?? or
>
> Any issues that I should be aware of??

I would suggest you purchase an ADSL router,
D-Link DSL-504T or similar and use with a separate access point, (with
detachable external antenna).
This way you can install the access point(s)/antenna(s) in more ideal
locations.
I would look for an AP that has internal/external/both antenna selection in
the configuration and has POE.
I use DWL-2000AP's with D-Links POE adapters, works well, unfortunately they
no longer make them (DWL-2000AP's) and the later models do not have a
selectable antenna option in the firmware.

Also, having modular components should make upgrading easier.

Older 802.11b WAP's will probably be less expensive and easier to find
repeaters for, as you may need them.

Good luck,

John.

I'm not looking for a wireless router per say.

I will have wireless bridges etc which will make up the wireless
network for the community.

The router will be the gateway which the users on the network access
the internet. Router could be connected to the wireless network
through a switch. (Wireless Bridge connected to the Switch).

I want to be able to control the bandwidth to specific users and use
Qos to allow voip to have preference over other traffic. I would like
a router which is relatively cheap if that can be said about cisco
equipment. However I am open to other suggestions when it comes to
the type of router I should be using.

In regard to the 2MB internet connection. The connection and for that
matter the whole network will be own by the community. The community
has to pay for the connection which is about €160 which divided by 20
or more people is not much a month. They are also getting a
government grant for the setup costs of the network.

I am at the edge of the dsl coverage area and I was planing to
broadcast the connection to the community next to me who can not pick
up dsl. But I think I better call the ISP just to make sure. However
I'm not really undercuting the ISP since they do not provide the
service to the community in question.

On 3 Aug 2004 10:03:30 -0700, (E-Mail Removed) (John Flanagan)
wrote:

>I'm not looking for a wireless router per say.
>
>I will have wireless bridges etc which will make up the wireless
>network for the community.
>
>The router will be the gateway which the users on the network access
>the internet. Router could be connected to the wireless network
>through a switch. (Wireless Bridge connected to the Switch).
>
>I want to be able to control the bandwidth to specific users and use
>Qos to allow voip to have preference over other traffic. I would like
>a router which is relatively cheap if that can be said about cisco
>equipment. However I am open to other suggestions when it comes to
>the type of router I should be using.
>
>In regard to the 2MB internet connection. The connection and for that
>matter the whole network will be own by the community. The community
>has to pay for the connection which is about €160 which divided by 20
>or more people is not much a month. They are also getting a
>government grant for the setup costs of the network.
>
>I am at the edge of the dsl coverage area and I was planing to
>broadcast the connection to the community next to me who can not pick
>up dsl. But I think I better call the ISP just to make sure. However
>I'm not really undercuting the ISP since they do not provide the
>service to the community in question.

John

There's a community set up like this in Fordingbridge, too far
away for me to use.
If you look at the website:
http://www.fordingbridge.org/modules...howpage&pid=13
you might be able to find somebody to talk to who has already
dealt with some of your issues.
--
Jeff Gaines - Damerham Hampshire UK
Please reply to Newsgroup.

John Flanagan wrote:

>The community
> has to pay for the connection which is about €160 which divided by 20
> or more people is not much a month. They are also getting a
> government grant for the setup costs of the network.
>
To answer your question, the Draytek 2600+ ADSL modem/router allows port
throttling, but it only has 4 ports. I'm sure there's more choices out
there though.

BUT...for your info...

A commercial company (Invisible Networks) tried this in my area using
802.11a kit and a 2Mbit leased line prior to the local exchange going
broadband.

They got sufficient interest and started to implement the network across
5 villages, installing access points and repeats, but then went bust
before completion.

When the project was first mooted I couldn't see that it made commercial
sense - the business model looked wrong and with the local BT exchange
slated for broadband in 4 months time I kinda guessed that people would
lose interest and slope off to their own ADSL solution.

If, as you imply, some of the locals can't get any form of xDSL
connection then maybe your situation's different, but I'd be wary of how
any user-base churn will affect individual's running costs say, for
example, if 5 people decide to drop out for whatever reason - what
happens to the running costs - does everyone pay more or does some poor
schmuck (ie you) carry the balance.

It would be very wise, as others suggest, to look at others who have
implemented a similar solution.

I would ensure you have checked out:

ISP Acceptable use policies for sharing a connection and also charging
for a service.

The type and nature of the contract the users sign.

Your indemnity for service-delivery related issues, especially in terms
of what users might..ahem..download etc.

Your SLA for maintaining the whole lot (do you fancy a call at 3am
because Fred's connection's down?), especially relating to what you
don't cover (ie: it turns out that Fred's got a virus that's trashed
part of his hard disk), and what fault tolerance can be expected (are
you going to have a backup circuit, UPSs etc and spare kit?), also what
level of uptime/outage users can expect.

DTI rules for the use of outdoor transmitting equipment.

Your insurance/professional indemnity should you set foot in someone's
house to install or fix something.

Go have a look around: http://www.meshbroadband.co.uk

Good luck.

Linker3000 wrote:

Futher to my previous - this subject came up on Slashdot
(www.slashdot.org) around Dec/Jan and some posters proposed a linux
server acting as a gateway to the services because you could run Open
Source (ie: free) software as a firewall and other apps to manage user
logins/access authentication and also to manage bandwidth and other
services on a connection-by-connection basis (ie: 'Bill wants P2P use
blocked so his teenagers can't download MP3s all day/night')-
regrettably it's so long ago that I read the article that I couldn't
recall the proposed solution.

If you look at what the coffee houses and BT OpenZone, Voda etc. are
doing, any access to their LAN diverts you to a Web login page which you
have to satisfy before you can get any further, but I seem to recall
someone trying to assert a patent on this concept so heaven knows what
the current state of play is!

Rural broadband stuff...

http://www.rbig.co.uk/Links.cfm

I'll stop now, I promise!