Commercial Wireless Networking Services

ORiNOCO Trained Specialist

Apple Airports:

Wireless Vendor Links

Long Distance

How not to create a wireless network

Scenario: a city neighborhood of triple-decker houses, on a hill.
Objective: to share an Internet connection with a neighbor who lives half a block up the hill and half a block over.
Distance: about 300 to 350 feet distant (though behind a line of other houses).
Site Survey: A standard Airport Base Station with a simple antenna will reach to a PowerBook on the neighbor's porch, or the same machine inside his office when used with a small external antenna. The signal is not great, but it is there. This should be do-able.

  • Starting with: An Airport Base Station ($300.) and a small 5db antenna ($100.)

  • First Attempt: to get hardware that will be compatible with the neighbor's PC - a WaveLan card and a PCI to PCMCIA adapter. ($250.)

No signal with the card's built-in antenna at the rear of the PC case on the floor of the office - this was expected.

  • Second Attempt: Add a small 5db antenna at the client side ($100.)

No signal seen. The 6-foot long antenna cord will not reach from the PC to the window (where we know there is reception.)

  • Third Attempt: Splice the thin-gauge coax of the antenna to extend it to reach the window. ($20.)

Power loss from the splice and addition cable negates the gain of the small antenna.

  • Forth Attempt: Acquire a LinkSys USB radio, connect to PC, using a longer USB cable to reach window. ($150.)

LinkSys is unable to receive a signal at the window location, and has not facility for an external antenna.

  • Fifth Attempt: Acquire an amplifier to boost the signal strength at one end. ($580.)

Though reception throughout the neighborhood was improved (from the sidewalk by the diner, to the sidewalk by the pizza place as well as the neighbor's porch - the reception in the office is still not working.

  • Total Cost: In excess of $1500.

This is the tale of a true-life, expensive, time-consuming learning experience of how NOT to do Wireless.

back to How TO create a wireless network

Date Created: Thu Mar 07, 2002 01:35:27 PM US/Eastern