wireless for aprtmnt bldg

[tuomas]

I've got two new friends who are hot chicks that live in the same apartment building as me. They need me to pull through on setting up a wireless network for the three of us. One of the chicks has DSL that she presently runs a long ethernet cable to while carrying around her apartment (and so would prefer wireless). The other chick has no internet whatsoever but very much wants it. I too want internet but would rather not pay $600 a year for a cable modem.

An issue is that I live on the 4th floor but the girl with DSL lives down on the first floor directly below me. The 2nd girl lives on the same floor as me, but all the way down (about 50 feet) on the opposite end of the hall.

Would something like the Speedstream 2624 that I saw recommended for someone else on the forum setting up network in house be good for us too? Since between the 2 of us we'd be saving a tremendous amount of money by using other girls connection, we wouldn't mind spending somewhat more if it would work better/faster. When did these devices get so incredibly cheap anyway? Or do I really need something much more expensive?

Oh, the apartment building is like 80 years old so the walls are actually brick and plaster while the floors are wood and I think the electrical system is way too sketchy to do any kind of powerline networking.

You don't know how much I'd appreciate any advice here.

 

[Oaf357]

I think this is illegal.

But you need directional antennas.

P.S. - Chicks dig nerds.

 

[Soybomb]

I would say get some to play with or easily returnable because I honestly have my doubts to your success. In older buildings you'll often find construction that doesn't help wireless transmissions. Wire mesh used for the plastering is great at stopping signals. My strongest doubts are for the through a couple floors link, but I don't even think the other is that possible. Try it out and see what happens.

 

[ktwebb]

Even with thin walls what your suggesting is extremely unlikely to provide solid connections, even at the lower cells, 1 or 2 Mb. You will definitely need aftermarket, higher gain antennas to even have a shot, but the higher the gain, the flatter the pattern, so it's somewhat of a catch 22 with the environment your describing. You can try. Won't hurt if you can return the hardware. That should be pretty easy to do with the AP equipment. The client cards might be more dificult to return and the antennas, well not likely easily returned, but you can check around. Hyperlink is a decent place to start, though you might as well start without adding any antennas and just see what your coverage area will be. Then you'll have an idea what your up against. Th speedstream does have a 5 dBi dipole. Still not going to do what you need it to do, unless your off in your measurements.

 

[Paulson]

get a router and network your building!

set up a wireless access point for the one chick...

bam... everybody's happy and you got 2 hot chicks fighting over you

 

[AtomicDude512]

...and you got 2 hot chicks fighting over you

Oh lala.

 

[AWEstun]

First, get one DSL WAP and 2 wireless cards and see how that works.

Second, if the signal isn't Excellent to the guy above, then in addition to the DSL WAP, the guy also gets a WAP, that way it acts like a repeater to the other girl's wireless card that's 50 feet away.

Third, if the signal still isn't strong enough to reach the other girl, then all 3 should get WAP's.

shelbY

 

[tuomas]

Ok, just to clarify since I'm new to wireless and its terminology (i dont really know what an WAP is exactly), what AWEstun is saying is that I should buy something like the Speedstream 2624 and set it up in the downstairs chick's apt (as close to the window as possible I'd think), then see if I get a decent signal up on the 4th floor, then either give up on getting free DSL b/c signal too weak (buy my own DSL + another Speedstream 2624), or celebrate b/c signal good enough for me and then go check if chick down hall getting signal.

Correct?

How about if I have a decent signal but too weak for chick down hall. How would I wanna repeat the signal for her? Lastly, where do I go to find all these antennas, especially directional ones?

 

[Eug]

I'm pretty sure it won't work unless you get high end equipment and directional antennas. To many walls and floors in between. $$$$$

It does work for me 3 floors down in my townhouse, because my floors are wood, but the signal is pretty mediocre. However, I can't even get signal out the front door. The front is all brick.

Netgear wireless access point, considered one of the better basic ones.