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Extending wifi


mdbill

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Rural doc in middle of a cotton field, not IT expert at all. Need to extend office (cable based) WiFi approximately 5 miles to home. Currently use very expensive Verizon homefusion (canteena). Line of sight hampered by some pine trees (grown for timber). Any suggestions?

Thanks, Dr. Bill mdbill@hotmail.com

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Hi mdbill,

What you want to do is possible but it will take an investment. Ubiquiti is a company that makes some pretty good gear when it comes to these types of applications. I once was able to extend a network connection through 1/2 a mile of thick forest. I used their AirMax product line. If I remember correctly, we purchased a radio for each end and a directional antenna for each. That was several years ago and they appear to have even better stuff now.

https://www.ubnt.com/products/

Assuming that you do the research or hire someone to put together a solution for you, you'll have two challenges using this equipment. The first is elevation. If there is any roll in the earth between your house and office, you'll need to elevate your directional antennas on both sides. Putting it on the roof of both places might be enough but it will depend on the geography over the five miles. The second challenge will be those trees. You'll need to get out a compass or something similar and make sure you have both antennas pointing towards each other without the luxury of having eyes on target. Also, if the forest is thick and wide enough, it could easily kill your signal.

If you decide to go this route, by sure to keep your receipt and make sure the distributor has a decent return policy. :smile:

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Agree with Skinny. In a previous life we used Ubiquiti products quite a bit. The Nano line of products should suit you well. We also used their Air Fiber antenna's which are (or were) around $1500/each and you'd need two. We were able to achieve ~750/750 with them, although nothing near 5 miles. They were supposedly coming out with a line of Air Fiber antennas that could extend quite a ways (60 miles they SAID, not sure if I believe it).

I'd check out their Powerbridge product. We did all sorts of crazy stuff with their antenna's. Created an Air Fiber ring in a downtown environment that did G.8032 ERPS, the name of the product that did the switching escapes me, but the brand was Performant Networks.

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Trees kill wifi. If you can't get above the trees, don't bother. It might work today, but in a few months when the leaves start getting filled out you're going to have issues. Also trees get taller. What works today, might not in a couple years. I've done 12 mile wifi shots, but they were on towers, really tall towers.

Edited by barry99705
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So what about a house where 4 people live (bills split etc) my sister pays for a portion of the internet but it doesnt have a strong enough signal to here room. My sister lives on the third floor and the wifi router is on the main floor in the landlords bedroom. He doesn't care if anybody has a signal as long as he does. Problem with this is that she needs wifi for her phone and pc. I just contacted her today, she has no access to the wifi router but has access to use the internet.

I told her to see if she can access the router setup page but have not heard back. She is not tech savy and live 1200+ miles away. I can help her with any setup over facetime or skype, but I was wondering if a netgear or tplink or whatever brand wifi extender would help her get the signal needed, even if she doesnt have access to the router or access to a hardline

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Are these fairly easy to setup for this application as my sister will be doing it(she is not tech savy) but I will most likely be on the phone with her the entire time to make sure it is fully functional before sending her off lol

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Unless she can install it on the second floor it's not going to do here a damn bit of good. If she puts in in her apartment, it's just going to get the same crappy signal her computer is getting now.

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Unless she can install it on the second floor it's not going to do here a damn bit of good. If she puts in in her apartment, it's just going to get the same crappy signal her computer is getting now.

its two store house, my other post was wrong. But yes she will be able to place it between her and the router, in a different room or hallway.

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its two store house, my other post was wrong. But yes she will be able to place it between her and the router, in a different room or hallway.

Should be okay then. If she can, try to get it as close to the main access point as possible, but not directly above it. That end of the house anyway.

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