Sharing Wifi Across the Street

[Xiee]

The title could be a bit confusing but let me try to explain my situation as clearly as possible.

I've got a DSL connection at home that I'd like to share it with my dad who lives across the street. Our houses are almost perpendicular to one another. The only obstructions are the trees on the middle island of the street that are a bit taller than the electricity posts. The distance from my house to my dad's is about 75 meters rounded up.

A few IT friends of mine said that I should get those new routers that has Wifi capable going beyond 100M or so, but I'm not really sure what they're talking about. Another friend says that I can keep my existing router (an old Linksys WRT54G) and get one of those outdoor directional antennas and just point it at my dad's house so he could get the Wifi signal.

I'm a bit concerned about the tall trees blocking the view though. Will they have a significant effect on the wifi signal? So right now I'm just concerned as to what to get. I tried asking the local stores about this stuff but the sales people aren't sure either if any particular router or wifi setup could get beyond 75 meters.

Any help would be much appreciated and thanks in advance!

 

[ngrego]

In theory you should be able to get a connection, but that's theory... In practice, things that would obstruct the signal are thick concrete, metal and mirrors. Trees are not an issue, if you cant get a signal trees are not the cause.
The router you are using now is wireless G so a wireless N will give you a stronger signal. If you plan on getting a new one I would suggest one with external antenae.
Another thing is the adapter your father is using, what kind is it? Is it in a clear line of sight? A PCI adapter that is possibly under his desk would have worse chances of getting a weak signal than one with the antenna on his desk by the window.
If you do plan on upgrading the router to N you will have to als look into upgrading his adapter to N. Otherwise you will not be able to maximise his chances of getting a decent signal from accross the road.

 

[Xiee]

Thanks for the reply.

Actually my dad has a Samsung laptop that's about 2 years old, I'm not sure if the built-in wifi card supports N but I'll check. If not I can always buy a USB Wifi N Adapter right? That's what he uses to get on the internet and my mom uses a Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus when she does her surfing. I think the Galaxy Tab at least supports N.

Any suggestions on what router I should get? I recall one of my IT friends recommending the Linksys E4200 and get it hooked up to an external antenna of some sort.

 

[ngrego]

The Samsung Laptop should be OK for N. I would say anything bought in the last 2 years should be N compatible.
Linksys is a good brand for routers and generaly all networking hardware since it is a ciso brand. But I dont know if its worth dishing out the extra cash...
There are many low cost brands out there that do a great job and you will surely save yourself some cash. I checked out a few reviews and the general view is not too great, you should check it out for yourself.
Here is a great example for $50:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16833704150&Tpk=TP-LINK%20TL-WDR3500

If you are looking for some more valid options and opinions you could check this out:
http://www.smallnetbuilder.com/lanwan/router-charts/view

 

[Xiee]

Thanks for the help!

 

[Xiee]

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