wireless routers and/or powerline adaptors

[larazovich]

Got a question:
Here is the situation:
I have a house, two story, with the cable highspeed hookup located upstairs on the south side of the house.
I have two other buildings, one is a couple hundred feet south of the main house, and the other is maybe 250 feet south west.
All buildings are on the same meter, though all have their own elec panels or subpanels.
I want to have wireless access in all buildings.
The main house is a nobrainer; I think any a good wireless router should work, but I have been reading about these powerline adaptors either as an alternative or adjunct to the wireless router, and was thinking I might need some kind of boost to reach the other buildings.
I am having trouble distinguishing the hype from the reality about these products.

Anybody have any experience with these or advice or suggestions to offer me before I go shopping ... I surely will appreciate it.

Thank you in advance for your help.

[Karen Mac]

If you do a wireless anteanna outside on the roof of the bulding where the cable is installed or on a roof within 100 yrds from it.. you can route to all your setups, however, the first one will be wired unless its also a wireless reciever.. but then you are getting into some bucks.

Hard wire is usually good for a hundred yards or so on Cat5 cable, but fiber optic cable may have been upgraded to do better. I havent kept up with it. Keep in mind that if you run the wireless you will also have to run a router and firewall your connections or anybody with wireless can HOOK up if you dont block your connections.

Karen

[larazovich]

Originally Posted by Karen Mac

If you do a wireless anteanna outside on the roof of the bulding where the cable is installed or on a roof within 100 yrds from it.. you can route to all your setups, however, the first one will be wired unless its also a wireless reciever.. but then you are getting into some bucks.

Hard wire is usually good for a hundred yards or so on Cat5 cable, but fiber optic cable may have been upgraded to do better. I havent kept up with it. Keep in mind that if you run the wireless you will also have to run a router and firewall your connections or anybody with wireless can HOOK up if you dont block your connections.

Karen

Thanks Karen.

I want to see if I am understanding this:

The broadband router is inside. So I need a wireless antenna, as opposed to a wireless router?

Not too worried about anyone hitchhiking on the signal, we are really rural - nearest farmhouse is across a couple acres of pastures..It is almost a miracle there is cable at all.. it is running on fibre to the pole, though, then cat5 to the house

But I really want to have access in the barn and other building..and in the close end of one pasture in the greenhouse that doesn't exist yet.

The powerline adaptor thing is supposed to carry the signal on the wiring and give a better signal, but I have only read about this, don't know anyone who has used it..

Thanks for your input, much appreciated..

[Collectors-info]

Hi, couple of alternatives. If you can get a cable to the other buildings, it will always be best. If pos upgrade to cat6, but install it very carefully & have no sharp bends or turns on any part of the cable what so ever & terminate as per instructions.

You can set up a home network via the power cables in your house, but check what type of supply you have coming onto the property. If you have 3 phases it may need adapters to work across the phases.

If you are thinking of wireless? You would have to take advice on aerials to mach the unit you have. Just putting a lead & large roof aerial will not work. Unless of a specific type & impedance. You can get what they call repeaters for a lot of makes of wireless home networks. These look like an adapter that you plug into any power outlet to extend the range of a home net work. But I doubt you have any power ouitlets in-between the buildings.

Good luck.

[Karen Mac]

The thing with wireless is the impedence and interference. A standard WIRED network is only good for about 100 feet. Wireless, even the best system runs interference and some of your buildings are 200 feet apart, and as Chris said theres repeaters etc, and yes you have to match your equipment all getting costly. Wireless systems can run quite a distance powered correctly but again, big dollars too.

If I were to invest, I think Id check with the cable company about what it would cost to install cable lines. Or you could have a handy dandy man come out and wire it as well. However, you might want to consider two cable connections if you are wanting them all to access the internet. The one you currently have, and then the one that networks all the rest together. Youd want to make a server on the second one, and then access for all the others to that server, and.. Id still keep the current connecttion and also allow it access to the network to keep things speeding along.

Karen