One for the real geniuses (or at least the experienced)

[viperpaintball]

Okay...so I'm juggling the worst factors to try and network with...

* Building to building
* Metal buildings
* Long distance
* Metal fences between them

Our veterinarian (who is great) is still tiptoeing into the 21st century. She has an office (metal building) about 100 feet from her house (metal building) with multiple fenced areas between with 8 foot tall wire fences.

She has DSL in her house. We just helped her pick out a laptop (okay I went and shopped it) and she wants to be able to use it at the office. She has no computers in the office. Everything is paper and files. LOL

I was trying to give her an option that won't add to her monthly bills. so I am trying to get her connected to her homebound DSL. I'm fairly good at networking, but this is far and above what I've tackled in the past.

The end result was a Netgear N600 router at the DSL in the inner house, a Netgear WN2000RPT Range Extender about 30 feet away in a high window in the house, and another Netgear WN2000RPT Range Extender in the reception area of her office. The two extenders have line-of-site above the fences.

I managed to get signal and Internet on her laptop on the office end, but it's slow and barely sustainable.

So...for you folks who love a challenge, do you have any ideas/suggestions? I have no experience with commercial equipment, nor with "cantennas" and such. She isn't tech savvy so it needs to be something that will be pretty solid.

If you can point me toward some worthwhile equipment, external antenna options, directional antennas, or anything else I would really appreciate it. I'm just trying to do a favor for someone we really appreciate.

Thanks!

 

[Emerald]

when you test the wireless bridge are you connecting the laptop to the WN2000RPT in the office via wire?

If you are trying to connect wirelessly, it might be that you are picking up the wireless signal from the home.

to test the connection between the two buildings, turn off the wireless on the laptop and connect it via network cable.

 

[viperpaintball]

I named the original network Trilakes. The first extender was Trilakes_EXT (this is how the range extender config works) and the second extender is Trilakes_EXT_EXT

Because of this it is easy to tell one from another. I can connect to the extender at the office just fine. The problem is the link between the two extenders because they are at either end of that 100 foot span. The good thing is that they have line of site ABOVE all of the wire fences. The bad this is that it has to be this way as there is no electricity or building in that 100 feet where I could set up anything, so the only choice is to transmit a signal over that 100 foot span.

 

[wribbs]

Stop messing around with the WiFi, man up and bury a line of cat6 from home to business.
Don't think this is really designed for burying but it will still last a good many years buried.
100ft cat6 and maybe a Coupler
Use a shovel to seperate the earth, and shove your line down 6+ inches deep. If you couple outdoors make sure to wrap the hell out of it in electrical tape.
You might also need to drill, use some silicone sealant around the holes, and if you want to be fancy put in some wall plates.

OR another idea, crazy for someone technically troubled, she could potentially use a smart phone or MiFi to replace her DSL depending on her Internet usage and cell signal levels. This type of setup is probably a bad idea (too slow) at the moment but it will become more common with 4G networks.

If your set on WiFi you should just google for information on setting up a homemade directional antenna.
Here's a start: Youtube - How to make a Cheap WiFi Antenna Booster

Good Luck!