This isn't really a Windows question...

I need to install wireless outdoors in an area approximately 750' x 350'.
My concern is covering an area that large.
Does anyone here have any experience with installing wireless for an outdoor
location?

I'm looking for things to watch out for.
Would I need some type of repeater to cover that kind of distance, either
wired or wireless?

I found this outdoor WAP.
http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/searchtools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=4199930&SRCCODE=GOOGLEBASE&cm_mmc_o=TBBTkwCjCVyBpAgf%20mwzygtCjCVRqCjCVRq

All input is appreciated.

JohnB wrote:
Show quoteHide quoteCoverage will depend, in large part, on what's in the 750 x 350 area. An
open field? Lots of trees? Lots of metallic RVs? The antenna(s)
connected to your WAP(s) will also play a significant role.

I don't know anything about the specific unit you mention, but note that
it comes with a 10dB *directional* antenna.  This may or may not work
for your application.
https://www.engeniustech.com/resources/EOC-2610%20Antenna%20Pattern.pdf

It does have some nice features, in addition to the high power and
increased receiver sensitivity, including a connector for an external
antenna and power-over-Ethernet (POE) capability.

Usual advice (for DIY) is to install something like Netstumbler on a
laptop. Buy and install 1 WAP. Wander (systematically) around the area
checking signal strength and install further WAPs as needed.


Much more discussion of this topic at alt.internet.wireless

This is an aerial view of the area I need to cover:
http://www.brigan.com/images/map.jpg

You are right.  Lots of metallic RVs.  It's an RV campground.
Very few trees.

I went to alt.internet.wireless and did some reading.  I think I'm going to
post something on there.
Thanks


Show quoteHide quote

Hi
If you do not want to install a multi  Access Points (as I mentioned early)
you can try the following.
Install on the club house an Antenna mast that is tall enough to be above
the RVs.
Install the High Power POE Access Point on top of the mast in a weather
protect box.
Connect to the Access point a 180 degrees directional Antenna facing the RV
park and connect the Access Point with out door Cat6 to your server.
YMMV, good luck.
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

Show quoteHide quote

I think we're going to go the route you describe below.   I met with the
campground owner today, and found out they had wireless in there before.
And, they had it removed because of problems with lightning damage to the
equipment.  This is Florida... and FL is considered the "lighting capital of
the world".  And after working in IT in this state for the past 10 years,
I've seen plenty of damage to network equipment caused by lighting.  So I
can understand his concern.  So I've got to do some research on addressing
that before they will go forward with this.

If you, or anyone else, has any experience with lightning suppression for
outdoor wireless, I'd appreciate hearing about what you did.

Thanks.


Show quoteHide quote

JohnB wrote:
You could do worse than starting here:
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&q=amateur+radio+lightning&btnG=Google+Search&aq=f&oq=

  Lightning protection is about earthing.  Many foolishly confuse
protection with magic boxes called protectors.   The effective
protector is only as good as its earthing.  That is the principle.

Lightning is electricity.  To damage something, lightning must have
both an incoming and outgoing path.  That outgoing path is always
earth ground.  Protection means diverting lightning to earth ground so
that lightning does not pass through electronics.  Such protection
from direct lightning strikes is routine everywhere ... when the human
learns the simple principles even demonstrated by Franklin in 1752.

  For example, so that lightning does not pass through the AP antenna,
one installs and earths a Franklin lightning rod above.  Lightning
that obtains earth via the earthed lightning rod does not travel
through the AP radio antenna.

  The principles are simple.  Every wire entering or leaving a
structure must first connect to the same earth ground.  Connect either
directly without a protector (ie coax cable) or connect to earth
through a protector.  That connection must be as short as possible (ie
'less than 10 feet').

  An industry professional application note demonstrates the concept.
In this case, both the building and antenna are treated as separate
structures.  Each structure has it own single point earth ground.  A
wire (even underground wires) must connect to that single point ground
before entering the structure:
  TN CR 002   The Need for Coordinated Protection
  http://www.erico.com/public/library/fep/technotes/tncr002.pdf

  Orange county also suffered lightning damage.  So they fixed the
only reason for damage.  They upgraded earthing to have direct
lightning strikes without damage:
  http://www.psihq.com/AllCopper.htm

  A FL engineer describes how protection is routine in:
http://www.harvardrepeater.org/news/lightning.html   (Gary Coffman)
Show quoteHide quote  Protection from lightning damage is so routine and so well proven
that lightning damage is considered a human failure.  Above are
numerous examples from FL.  In every case, protection is about
dissipating lightning energy harmlessly in earth.  Any solution that
does not earth lightning means damage is possible.

  Every AP is treated as a separate structure - as demonstrated by the
first app note. Even putting wires underground is not sufficient as
that app note demonstrates.  Every incoming wire in every cable must
have that common connection to earth.  Why does your telco not
disconnect their computers during every thunderstorm?  Why is their
computer not down for four days due to lightning damage?  Every FL
telco connected to overhead wires all over town does what is described
above.  Protection is about diverting direct lightning strikes
harmlessly in earth.  Damage because that electricity found a path
incoming and another path outgoing through electronics.

We use Cisco 1300 AP which is bridge and repeater wireless Access Point.
These search results may help.

a.. Cisco Wireless Designs
      (main)Cisco Wireless Designs. 1. Point-to-Point configuration is a
non-root bridge associates to a root bridge, which connects to two
locations. ...
      www.howtocisco.com/cisco/wireless/wirelessdesigns.htm  - Similar pages

a.. Web Cisco online marketing How to Configure Cisco Wireless Cisco ...
      Cisco Wireless Designs · Considerations of Cisco Aironet · How to
Assign an IP Address to Cisco Wireless Bridge Using the CLI ...
      www.howtocisco.com/cisco/wirelesshowto.htm


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Hi
The general approach that I take for Coverage issues is the following.
The best way is to lay few CAT6 cables to central locations in the house,
install Access Points, or Cable/DSL Routers configured as an Access Points
( Using a Wireless Cable/DSL Router as a Switch with an Access Point ), and
connect them to the Main Router.
You do not want/can not/hate/your client hate to lay Cables.
You start with One affordable Router that can Do WDS (the reason for the WDS
support is in case you need to add more Wireless hardware).
If you are lucky and your environment is conducive to get covered with one
Wireless Router you are done.
Routers that can do WDS as is are old by (Zyxel, SMC, Belkin, and some
others have models that do WDS as is out of the Box (
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wireless_Distribution_System ).
Linksys WRT54GL, and Asus, 520GU can do WDS when flashed with DD-WRT
firmware ( http://www.dd-wrt.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page  ).
Using a Laptop loaded with  Netstumbler, do a Wireless survey,
http://www.netstumbler.com/downloads/
According to the Netstumbler's signal strength reading, identify spots that
have strong signal. and spot with weak, or No signal.
Evaluate how you can cover the space and start placing WDS units.
Additional Wireless Routers in WDS Mode (Wireless Network - Configuration
Modes. ) has to be placed in spots were the signal is good about Half way to
the dead spots.
How many WDS units are needed? It depends on your specific environment (that
is a good the reason to buying WDS units one at the time, try it, and decide
on the Next step).
Jack (MS, MVP-Networking)

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