Anybody here uses wireless networks?

[WoundedWallet]

I was just checking on how afordable are the Linksys WAP and cards.

Then I thought that maybe I could set up a wireless network in between four or five of my neighbors and we could split the costs of a real fast ADSL line right now. Or at least start planning on that for when the 8Mb/s connection arrives here.

They say that up to 150feet indoors, I can get a 11Mbps connection, which would be enough for the internet. But I wonder how well this really works now.

Would walls make this crawl?
How does it work relating to IPs. Like a switch or a router?
Anything else that is only known with experience?

I'm serious about this. There is a good potential for fast and cheap internet access. If I can gather 10 of my neighbors I could even make money on this. Heck if I go across the street and sell 1Mbps for $10/mo I could even over subscribe.

I can see myself putting a WAP on my roof with a nice weather/squirrel proof enclosure and be the provider for my block. Next the city, THEN THE WORLD!!!! Ops! That sliped out.

So is a 5 computer wireless network among my neighbors feasible now? Or should I put it in the back burner?

Thanks.

 

[IsOs]

Intel USB wireless usually runs $79 each. We use it to network computers and share ADSL. 1.5MHz is more than enough to share ADSL. That installation combined both wireless and wired 100MHz system.

If you go this route, use a third party proxy program to share your internet. Intel USB expect the IP in a particular range that the other wired computers might reject.

Metallic building parts like window frame or studs will interfere with the module so you'll need to locate the unit away from these objects. Also, 2.4 GHz telephone will interfere with the wireless system so hopefully non of your neighbor is using one.

Is your location, single family home area or are you enclosed in a single building, like a condo or apartment?

 

[xyyz]

I did something like this for a client... using the Cisco Aironet 340 products.

PC Magazine rated the Aironet Products the best wireless product on the market... but they still have a long way to go before they're anything great.

I have the access point about 40 feet away from the two wireless systems... and the access point and wireless cards are pushing the max 30mw signal power... the signal quality is 100% but the signal strenght is really weak... this is odd considering there are only a few drywall walls between the two.

Hang on... lemme get the documentation folder and i'll quote some figures and tell you what experience I have with them.

The cisco products (and i'm sure most higher end products) have somthing called Direct Sequence Spread Spectrum (DSSS)... which was developed for military "anti-jamming" and "low probablity of intercept" purposes. Meaning the signal is transmitted over a brad freqency range... and by using these multiple frequencies at the same time... you have a lower incidence of interference...

Honestly... if you wanna make a buisness out of this... I suggest you have someone conduct a site survey to give you an overview of what you can do and what you can't do and what to do to improve reception.

 

[WoundedWallet]

Thanks. I wasn't thinking that the connection could be using the same range as the phones do.

I don't have a 2.4GHz but at least one of my neighbors do.

Also the buildings are set up is like this. I'm on "single family" island, surrounded by buildings on my back and sides. Every unit(23 of them) has a direct line of sight to me. They call it the fish bowl effect

These are old buildings, no metal frames I suppose. The closest neighbor is just about 30 feet while the furthest is probably 100 feet.

I'm not planning to spend a lot of money right away to make this into a business, so a consultant is out of the question. My idea is to do a trial test with a few connections (~4) and have everybody split the cost of the line. If it works then I could think about expanding to make some money or just to afford a 8Mbps line when available.

IsOs, how far do your units go?
How many walls in between them?
Would MS Proxy do the job?

xyyz, how much was this Cisco transmiter?
How long ago did you do this project?
Is signal quality one with constant connection?
Is signal strenght the speed of the connection?

Thanks guys, the price of Intel's USB wireless makes this project even more enticing to me. Heck if nothing else I could put a PC in the John so I can read the news while... you know what I mean

 

[xyyz]

Actually, older building might be more problematic... because they used harder materials in ther construction.

The Cisco Equipment was as follows:

2 x Cisco Aironet 340US PCI (128-bit encryption) - $340... but you get them cheaper than $240 now

1 x Cisco Aironet 340US Access Point... this was the expensive guy - $1200 (it's cheaper now as well I think).

Do some research... to see what's out there... the higher the power output the better signal you'll get... Cisco makes some Aironet products (the bridges) that can push 100mW which will reach 18+ miles!!!!

Gimme a bit more about the layout... how far in feet are the locations of each terminal... the houses 2 stories... where will the poitioning be for the antenna etc.

There are alot of things to consider here...

Honestly, I'd recommend something like Cisco, 3com or Lucent instead of Intel's USB stuff if you wanna do this.

 

[xyyz]

Oh yeah one more thing... the more expensive products have an ethernet jack.. so you can connect the wireless network to a wired network... meaning you don't need the proxy... you can get a cheapo linksys dsl router or something...

I think i mentioned this... if I did ignore this comment

 

[Mytv]

I want to know how secure a wireless network is before lauching mission critical applications and projects.
Because I can run Iris on my network to scan for packets of information but wireless means another person could get ahold of my information.

If there is encrytion then I have to suffer from the encoding and decoding process.

I would rather stay with a wired network for now.

 

[bonkers325]

hehe not me my damn slow dsl is killing me
cable soon

cheers,
bonkers325

 

[xyyz]

I sound like a Cisco salesman here...

The Aironet 340 come in two flavors... 40 and 128 bit encryption... you make the key... and assign it to the access point and each station... decrypting the packets doesn't eat up too much processor time. I have the wireless stations setup on 128-bit encryption and I have noticed no difference compared to no encryption.

 

[WoundedWallet]

Thanks,

that sounds like the right stuff for/if when I pull the big enchilada thru.

For right now Cisco costs too much for a test project. It can't be to expensive or an individual DSL line to each apartment will make more sense.

But if I can work something out in the low hundreds....

 

[xyyz]

you know... you might wanna look at the Linksys products... I saw something that was alot cheaper than Cisco's Aironet products... considering you can get the linksys access point that has 2 antennas for about $250, where it's Cisco couterpart would run you $1000... it's worth looking into...

 

[VoodooExtreme]

I saw somewhere that D-link have wireless products too, they are a bit cheaper than cisco and are using the same system? (i think)

Dig a little deeper there...

 

[xyyz]

When you say the "same system" do you mean DSSS? Or do you mean the Aironet engine? Cisco bought Aironet and I dunno if they'd let anyone use their technologies.