On 31/10/03 11:05 am, in article bntfhv$bq2$1$(E-Mail Removed),
"Rich" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> Hi folks,
>
> I'm thinking about the possibility of purchasing say, 6-10 wide-range access
> points
If the properties are close Omni antennas will do but I see further on,
distance is an issue.
and antennas for my local town. I have five properties in the area,
> one of which has a high-speed 10MB leased line to the Internet.
>
> I'm inviting comment on how to do this! My houses are all two-storey
> buildings, and we live in quite a denseley populated area (although it's
> quite flat so not too much of a problem there).
That is a problem - your house is as high as everyone else's so no clear
line of sight !
>
> My hosues are all within a 5 mile radius of my house with the leased line,
> which is conveniently located in the centre of the others.
A long way !
>
> My question is, what equipment would be required to offer a service to
> wireless users, at say, £10 per month, allowing them unmetered access to the
> web? I know ZyXel G-AIR 4000 offers authentication for such a service, but I
> am unclear as to how to bridge my properties together, using each property
> as a range booster and a link back to the house with internet connection.
>
Its a lot more complex than that !
Zyzel are okay but cannot be controlled remotely and so you are not really
good for networks. They are signal point hotspot devices with little
management networking support - there is a thread here that covers their
issues.
You need to learn about antenna calculations, RF patterns and power
calculations.
Try looking on Amazon for a book called Wireless Community Networks - all
you need in one book.
Online for RF calculations, try
http://www.ydi.com/ for a start.
5 miles - forget wifi - you might get it if you had 101% line of sight but
bandwidth would be severely degraded. In a built up area, chimneys ands
trees will put paid to that.
You would also need to set up a company to run it, if you're going to
charge, and that means AUP, SLA, T&C,Service Agreements. If its just for
friends - well done ! Get them involved as you'll spend a lot of time up
ladders aligning antennae and that¹s easily a two man job. Also don';t
forget that you do not have the automatic right to put up any antenna you
like just because you own a property - wifi tends to be unobtrusive but
check with your local council just in case.
Have a look at
www.ledburybroadband.co.uk for ideas as well as;
http://www.communitywireless.org/
http://www.essexbroadband.com/index.php
If you are gong to do this, you really need to know the RF side of things,
as wifi really needs putting together well otherwise, crap service.
Best of luck but it aint for total amateurs (I am not suggesting you are
one, just observing that it is complex ) !
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