PUZZLE: Networking Apartment Building

Hi.

Riddle me this...I'd like to install broadband access for a 12 unit
apartment building I own.
The available options are DSL and satellite service (cable not available.)
I guess leased lines could be an option as well.

SETUP:
Service will be offered to tenants for an additional monthly fee.
There's locked space in the basement where I can set up a wiring closet.
This is an old building and I'd ideally NOT like to fish cable through the
walls to all the units so Wi-Fi might be a better option.

REQUIREMENTS/DESIRES:
I'd like to have one inexpensive access point to the building. (I suppose if
costs were laid out appropriately I could afford two satellites for
instance.)

There needs to be enough bandwidth so that 6-10 college students can use the
service simultaneously and feel that they are getting valuable service for
the price they pay.

I need the ability to switch on and off the service to each unit via cable
unplugging or password change for that single unit's connection point.

Please reply to with any responses please. Your
help is appreciated!

John

 

If these units already have their own individual telephone lines, then i'd
suggest using HomePNA (phone line networking). This uses the unused
bandwidth of the phone lines (i.e. any part not dedicated to voice
transmission) to send data. It can usually work at upto 10Mbps which is the
same speed as old-time Ethernet, which is more than good enough speed. It
also connects upto the telephone wall outlet via an Ethernet jack, while the
phone line connects up via a phone jack. Modern HomePNA probably goes beyond
10Mbps too.

Yousuf Khan

Check out the following general website:
http://www.homepna.org/

 

Forget about HomePNA unless the whole building uses the same phone circuit
(not likely), otherwise it would be way too expensive. If your building has
shared power, you can use the building's electric grid with HomePlug.
Homplug is about 14Mb/s. Network access can be restricted using 56 bit DES
encryption. USB adapters are available so network cards don't need to be
installed. DSL is probably your best bet for the building's internet access.
Some DSL plans offer 5 Mb/s bandwidth.
In any case, unless you install dedicated Cat5 lines between each unit and a
wiring closet, it will be nearly impossible to control access. It's always
easiest just to unplug somebody if they don't pay.