Wireless Network broadcasting 3km

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abizmal

31 posts

Geek

#37089 7-Jul-2009 11:51

I currently have a wireless network setup with an outdoor OMNI aerial that supports a few of my friends up to 1km away ... I set this network up almost 4 years ago now and the main access point which broadcasts to 2 repeaters using WDS supporting 7 people is the trusty old WAG54g running Thibor Firmware .. although this has served me well I am looking at replacing it as it is cutting out every now and again and requires unplugging about once a week.

I could happily replace with another Linksys however was looking for input ... I know there are other high power access points out there and would be interested if anyone has a similar setup to mine and is using another access point.

Im always one for " If it aint broke then don't fix it " however am afraid when it does break im going to have 7 people texting and phoning :)

Im really looking for stability and high power ... I know power can be gained through custom firmware so again would be interested in anyone else's experience.

lokeynz

105 posts

Master Geek

#231998 7-Jul-2009 13:05

I've had good experiences with Ubiquiti access points, for your setup I recommend taking a look at the Bullet2HP - capable of 800mW output power but you will probably need to turn this down a bit depending on antenna size to keep within legal limits - the NZ supplier is gowifi.co.nz
The other well known brand of high power access points is Senao/Engenius - avoid these like the plague - I've found them way too unreliable for a use in a wisp environment.

abizmal

31 posts

Geek

#232005 7-Jul-2009 13:16

Awesome thanks for the info ... will start reading / researching :)

cyril7

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#232152 7-Jul-2009 17:51

+1 for Ubiquiti.

Cheers
Cyril

Zeon

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#233328 10-Jul-2009 00:26

I ran a high powered Senao for 200m or so connections on 802.11g and it worked a treat. It was installed on the roof so never had any problems restarting it (and it was mounted inside a clic-clac cable tied to the aerial mast lol

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lokeynz

105 posts

Master Geek

#233661 10-Jul-2009 13:59

My Senao/Engenius experience:
ECB-3220 - Stopped working after 14 months, powers on but no one home
ECB-3610S - About once a week stops communicating with clients for 20-30 seconds at a time, requires power cycle to come right.
EOC-3220 & EOC-3220+ - Bought these for a point to point bridge between buildings, one of them wouldn't work in WDS mode
2x EOC-3220 - Another point to point bridge setup, this time WDS working fine but after about 6 months one unit kept dropping its config every 2-3 weeks.

Ubiquiti:
PS2-17D - Client AP 5.5km with line of sight blocked by trees - no probs
NS2 - Client AP 800m - no probs
Bullet2HP - Client AP connected to parabolic dish 5km, replaced a Dlink DWL2100 that could no longer maintain signal after trees blocking LOS grew larger - no probs
Bullet2HP - Client AP connected to parabolic dish 9.3km - no probs
Bullet2 - Client AP connected to parabolic dish 1.5km - no probs
2x NS2 Loco - Point to point bridge - no probs
2x NS5 - Point to point bridge - no probs

Your mileage may vary but for a set and forget setup I wouldn't recommened Senao

abizmal

31 posts

Geek

#233668 10-Jul-2009 14:07

Nice .. awesome information lokeynz ... I have spoken to gowifi.co.nz and he has pointed me to the Ubiquiti NS2 which for a couple of hundred dollars seems cheap. Reading the last post it's a no brainer thanks for your help guys :)

abizmal

31 posts

Geek

#240915 31-Jul-2009 12:07

Well have received my new NANO2 ... will be installing with my home made trevor marshall
( http://www.trevormarshall.com/waveguides.htm ) OMNI aerial in the next few weeks will let you know how it all goes ... im quite excited LOL ... thanks for all your help so far :)

Clint

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raytaylor

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#241241 1-Aug-2009 17:09

Note that if you use the external port of the nanostation2, you loose 3db of signal compared to using the internal antenna. This means if you connect a 12dbi omni, it only works as a 9dbi.
This is because of some loss in the antenna track on the circut board inside.

Use a bullet if you are going to connect it to an external antenna.

Ray Taylor

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cyril7

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#241262 1-Aug-2009 18:38

Hi, yes agreed the bullet has a better external antenna interface than the nano.

Cheers
Cyril