Need to cover multiple structures via WiFi

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feckman

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Apr 11, 2012
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10,510
Hello, all!

I have a situation where I need to cover two structures (my home and detached shop) with a single internet connection and WiFi network. The shop is a 30' x 30' structure that is fully networked with Cat5e cable. This is where the internet connection is. The house is around 50 feet away and has a few Cat5e runs to key locations in the house, but generally needs to be covered by WiFi.

I currently have the house and shop connected via a powerline adapters, but the performance is pretty terrible -- 1.5 Mbps internet speeds on a RoadRunner Extreme (30 Mbps) connection. In the shop I get every bit of 30 Mbps internet connection via both wired and wireless connections.

I would like to replace the powerline adapters with a higher-performance connection. Unfortunately, a dedicated ethernet line is not an option at this point.

I just purchased a pair of Netgear Nighthawk routers and I'm wondering what the best way to do this would be? I was thinking that I could either:

a) Connect the two Nighthawk routers (one in the shop and one in the house) as a wireless distribution system where the shop router is the base and the house router is the repeater,

or

b) Purchase a third Nighthawk router (one in the shop and TWO in the house) where the shop router is connected to the first house router in wireless bridge-only mode and the second house router is wired to the first via ethernet cable and set up in AP mode.

I don't mind paying for three routers if it means I can get the fastest possible speeds and (ideally) use WiFi security.

I would appreciate any input or suggestions on these options or anything else I might not be considering.

Many thanks in advance!

--Jim.
 
Solution
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Your best option is to run a ethernet cable between the buildings even if it is a huge pain to install.

How much wireless signal do you get in the house directly from your shop. I suspect almost nothing. Repeaters only can repeat signal they can hear so if you have poor signal they will just repeat a poor signal and make it even worse. Using repeaters even in the best conditions will slow your wireless by half. It will also degrade the connections in the main location because it causes interference. The place you would likely have to place the repeater is 1/2 between the buildings...ie outside.

Once you can go outdoor wireless equipment wireless bridge devices are your best bet. You will easily get your 30m speed and more...
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bill001g

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Aug 9, 2012
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Your best option is to run a ethernet cable between the buildings even if it is a huge pain to install.

How much wireless signal do you get in the house directly from your shop. I suspect almost nothing. Repeaters only can repeat signal they can hear so if you have poor signal they will just repeat a poor signal and make it even worse. Using repeaters even in the best conditions will slow your wireless by half. It will also degrade the connections in the main location because it causes interference. The place you would likely have to place the repeater is 1/2 between the buildings...ie outside.

Once you can go outdoor wireless equipment wireless bridge devices are your best bet. You will easily get your 30m speed and more if you had it.
I normally use ubiquiti airgrid because they are cheap ($70 per unit) and go huge distance...I have gone well over 1000 ft they say 20km. Problem is they are physically very big units. Engenius makes smaller units that don't go quite as far but easily the distance you talk about. The cost in the same price range.

The method I can guarantee will work is a bridge unit on both sides. It would directly replace your powerline units as far as design goes. It might be possible to put one of these units running in AP mode instead of bridge mode on the shop side and transmit enough wireless signal into the house directly. No way to be sure on that one other than to try it.

 
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feckman

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Apr 11, 2012
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10,510
Oh hell yes -- this is fantastic information, thank you! I didn't realize that such things existed, and now I find myself wondering just how far I can extend my wireless network... I have perfect line of sight between the shop and the house, and getting access through walls to where the bridges need to be is no problem at all.

That said, for now I'm going to keep the two Netgear routers (one for shop WiFi and one for house WiFi) and get two of these outdoor bridges to connect the shop to the house. So, here's the plan -- please tell me if any of this sounds out of whack:

1) Install two Ubiquiti NanoStation loco M5 bridges (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EHSV4W/ref=ox_sc_a...) on Ubiquiti wall mounts (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004EHUR8U/ref=ox_sc_a...)

2) Connect the bridges to ethernet patch panels on each end

3) Connect the Nighthawk routers on each end, the one in the shop as a base and the one in the house in AP mode

4) Enjoy the new speed.

Sound reasonable?

Thanks again!!!
 
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feckman

Honorable
Apr 11, 2012
19
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10,510
Just wanted to follow-up on this. The Ubiquiti NanoStation Loco M5 Bridges are the perfect solution for what I needed to do. They were simple to install, simple to configure (once I found the right help article) and perform exceptionally well. I'm getting the full 30 Mbps/5 Mbps internet speeds on all devices in the house now, and file transfers between the house and shop are blazing fast.

Thanks again for the great advice on going with outdoor wireless bridges.
 
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