Help with home to shop wireless setup up

[bartlett]

I need some help deciding what the best and cheapest way to get wireless into my shop. Here is the problem..

I run wireless N and the house, my shop is 350ft from the house and is an all metal building. I have good signal in the open overhead doorway of the shop. But once the door is closed signal drops from about 80% to 0%. To get around this I have plugged in a wireless usb adapter into my computer and connected it to a double quad antenna mounted on the outside of the building. Works great, about 98%, but I am limited to the length of the cord, which I hate.

What is the easiest and cheapest way to have wireless inside my shop? It would be nice to be able to hook up more than one wireless device at a time, such as my laptop and wifi phone. Is there a bridge or extender that has one antenna that receives from the host and the other to rebroadcast?

This is my private workshop where I tinker around on old cars and such, so I can't justify spending a ton of money.

Any ideas are appreciated, I am an above average computer user, but I am limited when it goes beyond basic networking.

Thanks.

 

[Saga Lout]

I need some help deciding what the best and cheapest way to get wireless into my shop. Here is the problem..

I run wireless N and the house, my shop is 350ft from the house and is an all metal building. I have good signal in the open overhead doorway of the shop. But once the door is closed signal drops from about 80% to 0%. To get around this I have plugged in a wireless usb adapter into my computer and connected it to a double quad antenna mounted on the outside of the building. Works great, about 98%, but I am limited to the length of the cord, which I hate.

What is the easiest and cheapest way to have wireless inside my shop? It would be nice to be able to hook up more than one wireless device at a time, such as my laptop and wifi phone. Is there a bridge or extender that has one antenna that receives from the host and the other to rebroadcast?

This is my private workshop where I tinker around on old cars and such, so I can't justify spending a ton of money.

Any ideas are appreciated, I am an above average computer user, but I am limited when it goes beyond basic networking.

Thanks.

If you were to have a wireless repeater on a window sill in the shop so the signal from the house could get through without fighting metal, you could get a clean signal.

 

[bartlett]

Won't work, I should have added there are no windows in the building. But a good idea.

 

[mhelm1]

String a network cable, bury when the ground gets soft!

 

[hang-the-9]

You're lucky you have a good signal from that far away to begind with! 350ft even for N is pretty good.

Do you have a cell phone with a data plan, and how much browsing do you do?

If it's not a lot of data usage, you can setup your phone as a mobile WiFi hotspot with something like http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16875997432&nm_mc=AFC-Jellyfish&cm_mmc=AFC-Jellyfish-_-Cell+Phones+Accessories-_-CradlePoint++Inc.-_-75997432, but for your cell phone service.

Why can't you connect the repeater to the same antenna you are using on the adapter now?

 

[bartlett]

cell phone idea is good, the problem is I live in the middle of nowhere and don't get a 3g signal. No matter what phone carrier you have here it is just a little faster than dial up.

Using the antenna I have on a repeater is an idea, but this is where I am limited in my knowledge. My guess is, and correct me if I am wrong, the single antenna receives the original signal and boosts it, plus receives the signal from my laptop and sends it on to the router. If I move the antenna outside, it will boost it but I will have the same trouble. The signal from the repeater will be outside and can't get in the metal building, and my laptop can't get its signal outside to the repeater antenna.

Am I think about this wrong?

 

[hang-the-9]

cell phone idea is good, the problem is I live in the middle of nowhere and don't get a 3g signal. No matter what phone carrier you have here it is just a little faster than dial up.

Using the antenna I have on a repeater is an idea, but this is where I am limited in my knowledge. My guess is, and correct me if I am wrong, the single antenna receives the original signal and boosts it, plus receives the signal from my laptop and sends it on to the router. If I move the antenna outside, it will boost it but I will have the same trouble. The signal from the repeater will be outside and can't get in the metal building, and my laptop can't get its signal outside to the repeater antenna.

Am I think about this wrong?

The setup you would have is: Router in main house > booster antanna outside your garage > cable going from antenna inside the house to the repeater > wireless devices connect to the repeater.

 

[budsatawny]

I need some help deciding what the best and cheapest way to get wireless into my shop. Here is the problem..

I run wireless N and the house, my shop is 350ft from the house and is an all metal building. I have good signal in the open overhead doorway of the shop. But once the door is closed signal drops from about 80% to 0%. To get around this I have plugged in a wireless usb adapter into my computer and connected it to a double quad antenna mounted on the outside of the building. Works great, about 98%, but I am limited to the length of the cord, which I hate.

What is the easiest and cheapest way to have wireless inside my shop? It would be nice to be able to hook up more than one wireless device at a time, such as my laptop and wifi phone. Is there a bridge or extender that has one antenna that receives from the host and the other to rebroadcast?

This is my private workshop where I tinker around on old cars and such, so I can't justify spending a ton of money.

Any ideas are appreciated, I am an above average computer user, but I am limited when it goes beyond basic networking.

Thanks.

I can get signal from over 300 feet through the walls of 3 houses and trees with my setup...the dish was free.

http://i876.photobucket.com/albums/ab323/Rich_Snyder/pc%20stuff/Picture6.jpg

 

[bartlett]

The setup you would have is: Router in main house > booster antanna outside your garage > cable going from antenna inside the house to the repeater > wireless devices connect to the repeater.

ok, then a repeater will receive a signal from my laptop (in the shop) to the unit base, and the antenna which will be outside only send the signal between the repeater and the router the house.

Along with this, some repeater have two antennas, does it matter which one I connect the outside antenna to?

 

[bartlett]

Anyone know the answer?

 

[budsatawny]

Anyone know the answer?

Check out this article....
http://hacknmod.com/hack/make-a-diy-wireless-repeater/

And like I said...get a used direct tv dish and place your wireless adapter at the end where the reciever was and presto long distance wi-fi!!

 

[bartlett]

Check out this article....
http://hacknmod.com/hack/make-a-diy-wireless-repeater/

And like I said...get a used direct tv dish and place your wireless adapter at the end where the reciever was and presto long distance wi-fi!!

Hey, thanks for the answer. I currently have my antenna on hooked to a old dish and it works great. I read the articles you linked for me, but this is where I get confused.

Signal is great, but the metal building blocks it inside. If a repeater is hooked to the antenna outside, and rebroadcasts the signal wont it just boost the signal outside? The dish antenna will catch the base signal, repeat it, and it will still be on the outside of the building, how do I pull it inside so my laptop can communicate with it. Is the antenna on a repeater, catching the base signal and rebroadcasting it on the same antenna, or is the signal being broadcast by the base unit?

This is hard to explain, but the way I see it is I need a router inside in repeater mode, hooked to the outside antenna, then another wireless router, hooked to the repeater to allow for communication within the building. Am I wrong in my thinking.

Thanks again.

 

[eibgrad]

Hey, thanks for the answer. I currently have my antenna on hooked to a old dish and it works great. I read the articles you linked for me, but this is where I get confused.

Signal is great, but the metal building blocks it inside. If a repeater is hooked to the antenna outside, and rebroadcasts the signal wont it just boost the signal outside? The dish antenna will catch the base signal, repeat it, and it will still be on the outside of the building, how do I pull it inside so my laptop can communicate with it. Is the antenna on a repeater, catching the base signal and rebroadcasting it on the same antenna, or is the signal being broadcast by the base unit?

This is hard to explain, but the way I see it is I need a router inside in repeater mode, hooked to the outside antenna, then another wireless router, hooked to the repeater to allow for communication within the building. Am I wrong in my thinking.

Thanks again.

Why is it necessary to repeat the signal at all? Why can't you just create a wireless ethernet bridge, feed a wire from there to inside (I'm sure there's something, drill a hole!), patch it to a wireless AP inside, and whalla, there's your wireless.

Seems to me you're stuck on the notion of the wireless repeater having to penetrate the all metal building.

Yeah, this would be nice:

[wireless router]<-- wireless -->[wireless repeater]<-- wireless -->[wireless clients (inside building)]

But this should suffice:

[wireless router]<-- wireless -->[wireless ethernet bridge]<-- wire (straddles inside/outside) -->[wireless ap]<-- wireless -->[wireless clients (inside building)]

For all intents and purposes, this effectively pushes the repeater inside. Most ppl would certainly prefer the “all in one” wireless repeater, but you have no choice due to the situation w/ the all metal building. And frankly, the use of a separate wireless AP has its advantages. A wireless repeater actually cuts your bandwidth in HALF since each side of the signal uses the SAME freq. By using a separate wireless AP, you can use DIFFERENT freqs and avoid that problem.

 

[als3800s]

Hey, thanks for the answer. I currently have my antenna on hooked to a old dish and it works great. I read the articles you linked for me, but this is where I get confused.

Signal is great, but the metal building blocks it inside. If a repeater is hooked to the antenna outside, and rebroadcasts the signal wont it just boost the signal outside? The dish antenna will catch the base signal, repeat it, and it will still be on the outside of the building, how do I pull it inside so my laptop can communicate with it. Is the antenna on a repeater, catching the base signal and rebroadcasting it on the same antenna, or is the signal being broadcast by the base unit?

This is hard to explain, but the way I see it is I need a router inside in repeater mode, hooked to the outside antenna, then another wireless router, hooked to the repeater to allow for communication within the building. Am I wrong in my thinking.

Thanks again.

Why is it necessary to repeat the signal at all? Why can't you just create a wireless ethernet bridge, feed a wire from there to inside (I'm sure there's something, drill a hole!), patch it to a wireless AP inside, and whalla, there's your wireless.

Seems to me you're stuck on the notion of the wireless repeater having to penetrate the all metal building.

Yeah, this would be nice:

[wireless router]<-- wireless -->[wireless repeater]<-- wireless -->[wireless clients (inside building)]

But this should suffice:

[wireless router]<-- wireless -->[wireless ethernet bridge]<-- wire (straddles inside/outside) -->[wireless ap]<-- wireless -->[wireless clients (inside building)]

For all intents and purposes, this effectively pushes the repeater inside. Most ppl would certainly prefer the “all in one” wireless repeater, but you have no choice due to the situation w/ the all metal building. And frankly, the use of a separate wireless AP has its advantages. A wireless repeater actually cuts your bandwidth in HALF since each side of the signal uses the SAME freq. By using a separate wireless AP, you can use DIFFERENT freqs and avoid that problem.

Hi. I'm thinking of trying the same thing with an antenna outside of my shop and run the wire in to a access point for wifi inside. I get almost full bars to the outside of the building then nothing inside. Now I'm new to all this stuff so bare with me. You said before to run an antenna in and to the ap now if the ap has two antennas do I take just one off and hook the outside one up to that one then? And if don't mind what would u recemend for an outdoor antenna and access point plus a good web store for purchase. Thanks Al