[ALEXIS_DH]

hi.
am very new to wireless networks.

i´ve got this situation going on.

i have about 60+ computers scatered over an area of about 1.5- 2 sq miles. they are connected to each other, and to the server by modems. its time to upgrade.

i want to setup a wireless lan for all of them.

the computers are old, so i´ll have to upgrade most of them. i want to keep the costs down.

i´ve started to check out options.

the easiest so far (the 1st that popped to my mind), is to buy wireless internet access for each one of them (128k about $35 each per month, plus $300 installation each). am looking for more cost-effective options.

any of you 1337 monkeys and binary visions (the king 1337) knows what kind of routers would i need to setup a wireless intranet over that area???

the computers are pretty old and the amount of data is not very big, nor my software requirements are high, but i need to be constantly updated in a reliable fashion, so for the sake of keeping costs low, i´d rather replace as little as posible and use low spec pcs... (they get trashed a lot by the employees).
right now most of the computers are p1s. we´ve been using this sytem and software for about 8 years.. it still works fine, but now its time to make upgrades because i need to access the information instantly. and with the modems i cant (plus the phone company is not like in the US with a flat rate. we pay per minute of airtime (about $3/hour), so i cannot have them online all the time)

there is a lot of upgrade to be done, and i´d like to keep costs down. so any thoughts are very welcome.

thanks

 

[binary visions]

Hmm... 1.5-2 sq miles is a very large area for a conventional wireless network.

First of all, previous generation operating systems were NOT particularly wireless-friendly. Is there a current LAN in place of ANY sort? I mean, even if individual buildings are wired together?

Here's the deal.

Wireless Access Points are very configurable. Much more so than wireless routers. These access points can be used in several configurations, including Wireless Repeater mode. All that means is they take the signal from the router you specify, and rebroadcast it so that you've got another strong signal.

The problem is that Wireless G is a very weak signal as it is, so 1.5-2 sq miles is talking about a lot of access points. Still cheaper than wireless internet for each machine, though.

You could approach this in a number of ways. You could purchase a wireless card for each machine. That would be the most direct way, but I'm not sure it'd be optimal. First of all, computers are often stashed under desks, behind walls, etc. which obscures the signal one more step (since we're already talking about a weak signal). Secondly, as I said, previous generation operating systems are not particularly friendly to wireless devices.

The optimal way, IMO, would be to wire the individual buildings' computers together in a regular, wired LAN, and have an uplink going into your wireless access point (which is rebroadcasting a signal from the wireless access point that has internet access). This would allow the individual buildings to have an excellent wired network, would elminiate potential headaches getting old operating systems to work with wireless devices, and would reduce the number of wireless access points you'd need since you could mount the WAP(s) in an optimal location (near the roof or whatever).

The number of access points per building would depend on how things are set up, how many computers are running through it, and how big the buildings are. I don't have the specs for Wireless G in front of me so you may want to do some research on how strong the signal it is, degredation through walls, etc.

I know that there are strong commercial signal antennas that can be mounted on the roof of a building to allow better signal broadcast/reception, but I don't know anything about them. Look into it.

Is that relatively clear?

Again, just my opinion. I've never set up that sort of a network so it may not be the optimal solution, it just makes good logical sense to me and that's how we had a setup at a place I worked at.

When the WiMax standard actually takes hold, it will eliminate a lot of these problems, but until then, we're stuck with a pretty short-range wireless signal.

 

[Transcend]

Directional antennas and repeating access points would probably be my suggestion.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

Hmm... 1.5-2 sq miles is a very large area for a conventional wireless network.

First of all, previous generation operating systems were NOT particularly wireless-friendly. Is there a current LAN in place of ANY sort? I mean, even if individual buildings are wired together?

Here's the deal.

Wireless Access Points are very configurable. Much more so than wireless routers. These access points can be used in several configurations, including Wireless Repeater mode. All that means is they take the signal from the router you specify, and rebroadcast it so that you've got another strong signal.

The problem is that Wireless G is a very weak signal as it is, so 1.5-2 sq miles is talking about a lot of access points. Still cheaper than wireless internet for each machine, though.

You could approach this in a number of ways. You could purchase a wireless card for each machine. That would be the most direct way, but I'm not sure it'd be optimal. First of all, computers are often stashed under desks, behind walls, etc. which obscures the signal one more step (since we're already talking about a weak signal). Secondly, as I said, previous generation operating systems are not particularly friendly to wireless devices.

The optimal way, IMO, would be to wire the individual buildings' computers together in a regular, wired LAN, and have an uplink going into your wireless access point (which is rebroadcasting a signal from the wireless access point that has internet access). This would allow the individual buildings to have an excellent wired network, would elminiate potential headaches getting old operating systems to work with wireless devices, and would reduce the number of wireless access points you'd need since you could mount the WAP(s) in an optimal location (near the roof or whatever).

The number of access points per building would depend on how things are set up, how many computers are running through it, and how big the buildings are. I don't have the specs for Wireless G in front of me so you may want to do some research on how strong the signal it is, degredation through walls, etc.

I know that there are strong commercial signal antennas that can be mounted on the roof of a building to allow better signal broadcast/reception, but I don't know anything about them. Look into it.

Is that relatively clear?

Again, just my opinion. I've never set up that sort of a network so it may not be the optimal solution, it just makes good logical sense to me and that's how we had a setup at a place I worked at.

When the WiMax standard actually takes hold, it will eliminate a lot of these problems, but until then, we're stuck with a pretty short-range wireless signal.

there is no lan at all right now.

all the computers have modems, and send the information by modem to the central. thats the way we´ve been working.

the "strong commercial antennas" is what am kinda thinking about.
the computers themselves are not together within one building. they are each one alone, and at least 50 yards away from the next one and they are located in a way that the antenas can be brought to exteriors or close to it.

what are this commercial antennas called? any standard that i should look for? any brands? what about the repeater stations? or names that i should search for?
i know a competitor set up a similar wireless setup, but i heard he had a lot of problems with down times and the like....

 

[binary visions]

Can't help you on the antennas, sorry. I'm out of my depth there. Google is your friend.

I've had great luck with all Linksys products. Have had at least 6 different switches/routers/access points and all have been flawless. Linksys is a division of Cisco.

Currently, I run a Linksys WAP54G wireless access point which will serve your purposes, and again, no problems with it. Can be configured in several different modes.

 

[Kornphlake]

I'm thinking that what you need is really beyond the scope of what SOHO (small office/home office) equipment is going to be able to handle reliably. I'd try to contact one of the vendors of industrial quality networking equipment and see if a sales engineer can point you in the right direction, I'm guessing you'll need something with the cisco name rather than linksys.

 

[ALEXIS_DH]

I'm thinking that what you need is really beyond the scope of what SOHO (small office/home office) equipment is going to be able to handle reliably. I'd try to contact one of the vendors of industrial quality networking equipment and see if a sales engineer can point you in the right direction, I'm guessing you'll need something with the cisco name rather than linksys.

yeah, i know, thats what we did the last time we made an upgrade.

it was very very very expensive, but business is kinda bad right now, and by our estimates about the next couple of years... i dont think it would be wise to make such an investment.... thats why am tinkering about cheaper temporary alternatives....

and even if i end up with those guys.... i dont want to walk sheeplishly towards them like the last time my sister did... i want to learn a bit about that so i dont get ripped off too much...