Connect two PCs 200meters apart with Linksys

[amanaddis]

Hello guys,

Me and a neighbor of mine were thinking to connect our computers using linksys wireless devices. The computers are located in two different houses 200 meters apart from each other and there are roads, walls and other houses in between.
We are not quite sure which linksys devices are suitable for our situation. A data transfer rate of 11Mbps will be perfect for a max range of around 1600 ft.
So if there is anyone with practical experience then please we need your support badly.


Regards,

 

[sostek]

http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html

A Pringles can with some washers and threaded rod makes a great Yagi (directional) antenna for 802.11 devices.

You can get distances up to 11 or so miles with such a set up.

So 1600 feet would be like fishing with hand grenades. The thing to keep in mind is that this is a line of sight issue. So a small mast on top of the house might be necessary to align the two antennae.

As far as wireless routers - get pretty much any Linksys but be sure you can disconnect the antenna on the unit and that it isn't a custom connector but a BNC type.

 

[amanaddis]

Thanks sostek, am gone try your suggestion but what is the data transfer rate? does it depend of the linksys device the antennae is plugged to???
What we were thinking was to plug Linksys Wireless-G USB Network Adapter for both computers and place the units as high as possible, like on the roof and point the antennaes so as to create a line of sight. Any suggestion regarding this, linksys.com claims a max range of 1640ft in open space with a data transfer rate of 11Mbps for the Instant Wireless Netowrk Acess Point (WAP11), any idea??????

Thanks again,

 

[sostek]

Transfer rate is anywhere from 11Mbps up depending upon the router you use.

Here is the key to getting the maximum peformance though. The transmitter and the antenna should be as close together as possible. At 2.4GHz feed line loss can be significant. Of course you could always use hollow core with N connectors, that cuts down on the attenuation a bit.

But that distance is clearly ok for you, being you're only 600 feet apart.

 

[Frank4d]

Thanks sostek, am gone try your suggestion but what is the data transfer rate? does it depend of the linksys device the antennae is plugged to???
What we were thinking was to plug Linksys Wireless-G USB Network Adapter for both computers and place the units as high as possible, like on the roof and point the antennaes so as to create a line of sight. Any suggestion regarding this, linksys.com claims a max range of 1640ft in open space with a data transfer rate of 11Mbps for the Instant Wireless Netowrk Acess Point (WAP11), any idea??????

It probably will work if there is a true line of sight between antennas (or close to it). You will probably need to replace the antennas on both ends per sostek's suggestion because the antennas that come with the adapters do not have sufficient gain for over 200 meters.

But who knows? I recently installed wireless adapters in my kids' PCs with 6dbi external antennas (4 feet above the floor and inside the house) and had no problem connecting to two of my neighbors unsecured networks. I don't know if they were next door or 1000 feet away through 10 walls... but it worked for a couple of days until I hooked my router and secured the network.

 

[bcastner]

Wireless 11 gets you 4.5 or so at practical best. If you do not have line of site, and you Internet connection is under 4mbs, you can likely do this for under US $90 if your homes are on the same transformer:

http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030108S0003html

http://www.internetwk.com/story/INW20021125S0007?ls=TW_010303_fea&fb=20030103_network

And it keeps you both off the roof.

 

[bcastner]

I apologize, as both links are faulty for one reason or the other.

Fred Langa's article:

http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20030108S0003

Dave Strom's article is no longer available. Summary: he loved the stuff.

My brother and a neighbor had battled this for several months and asked for my help. I bought in route to their suburan Philadelphia homes two D-link powerline to ethernet bridges for $89.99 and tax, and had their routers connected within 15 minutes. With security.

While I did not test it extensively, their effective throughput was reliably 4.9mbs on average. (I used perfmon, Qtest, and Iperf).

Which is substantially higher than their cable ISP provisioned speed.

At one time powerless was crap. No longer. Do not ignore this as an option. It is often cheaper, more reliable, and for "non-line of site" situations often a substantially better idea. And I have no financial interest in powerline; I do about seeing friends on roofs trying to erect towers with consumer grade wireless routers or access points.

Bill Castner