Home Network spanning two buildings

[Stephan Golux]

Hello.

I will soon be moving to a rural area and have need for a computer
network that is partially in my home and partially in a barn that is
some 700 feet away. I suspect this is too far to imagine that a
wireless connection will work. I also suspect that simply burying a
twisted pair cable in the ground will not be the best way to network
across that distance.

Anyone have a suggestion on how this should be done, or where to look
for more information on it? Will wireless work after all?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions on this technology.

-stephan golux

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Stephan Golux > wrote:

>I will soon be moving to a rural area and have need for a computer
>network that is partially in my home and partially in a barn that is
>some 700 feet away. I suspect this is too far to imagine that a
>wireless connection will work. I also suspect that simply burying a
>twisted pair cable in the ground will not be the best way to network
>across that distance.
>
>Anyone have a suggestion on how this should be done, or where to look
>for more information on it? Will wireless work after all?
>
>Thanks in advance for your suggestions on this technology.

Stephan,

just a few raw thoughts. 700 ft exceeds the leg limit for 100
Mbit/s Ethernet over UTP cabling. But with some good switches it
may still work.

You could put a switch in the middle, half way. Or you could use
a 10 Mbit/s connection that allows longer distances. I'm not
sure whether it reaches 700 ft, but again, with a good cable and
two switches, one on either end, it may work well.

If that fails, you could use some network bridging technology.
There are several ways to do this.

The next thought is whether standard WLAN equipment wouldn't do
after all, particularly if the antenna is positioned favorably
or perhaps a better antenna fitted. Could you test this, perhaps
borrow some WLAN equipment for a test? That would be the easiest
way, no long trench to dig or long cable to pull.

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

[Stephan Golux]

Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
> Stephan,
>
> just a few raw thoughts. 700 ft exceeds the leg limit for 100
> Mbit/s Ethernet over UTP cabling. But with some good switches it
> may still work.
>
> You could put a switch in the middle, half way. Or you could use
> a 10 Mbit/s connection that allows longer distances. I'm not
> sure whether it reaches 700 ft, but again, with a good cable and
> two switches, one on either end, it may work well.
>
> If that fails, you could use some network bridging technology.
> There are several ways to do this.
>
> The next thought is whether standard WLAN equipment wouldn't do
> after all, particularly if the antenna is positioned favorably
> or perhaps a better antenna fitted. Could you test this, perhaps
> borrow some WLAN equipment for a test? That would be the easiest
> way, no long trench to dig or long cable to pull.
>
> Hans-Georg
>

Thanks for this idea - a couple of questions:

1. Putting a switch half-way seems problematic. Half-way is a field,
which is in Vermont and subject to extreme cold temperatures in the
middle. Can switches handled this? Also, don't switches need power?
Which is also not so easy.

2. You mention "network bridging techology". What do you mean by this
more exactly?

3. I would love to try "better" WLAN equipment -- I imagine that some
sort of WLAN transmitter/receiver pair might exist, but can't find
anything like this on the LinkSys site and the Cisco site is so
confusing it makes my head spin. Any ideas where I might look at this
equipment?

Thanks again!

[Tony Marsillo]

Steve,
I think DLink sell antennas for there wireless routers that can be mounted
in a remote location from the router and network card. The antenna would
have to be connected to the router and network card with suitable cable.
This might allow you to position the antennas in a favorable location. Your
distance will be cut down if there are any buildings in the way, and the
more walls the signal must travel through the more it will be attenuated.
They have a DI-614+, that you can find on sale and with rebates that comes
to about $30. The DLink web site is :

www.dlink.com

Good luck.

--
Tony Marsillo
Nutmeg Repair
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Stephan Golux" > wrote in message
...
> Hans-Georg Michna wrote:
> > Stephan,
> >
> > just a few raw thoughts. 700 ft exceeds the leg limit for 100
> > Mbit/s Ethernet over UTP cabling. But with some good switches it
> > may still work.
> >
> > You could put a switch in the middle, half way. Or you could use
> > a 10 Mbit/s connection that allows longer distances. I'm not
> > sure whether it reaches 700 ft, but again, with a good cable and
> > two switches, one on either end, it may work well.
> >
> > If that fails, you could use some network bridging technology.
> > There are several ways to do this.
> >
> > The next thought is whether standard WLAN equipment wouldn't do
> > after all, particularly if the antenna is positioned favorably
> > or perhaps a better antenna fitted. Could you test this, perhaps
> > borrow some WLAN equipment for a test? That would be the easiest
> > way, no long trench to dig or long cable to pull.
> >
> > Hans-Georg
> >
>
> Thanks for this idea - a couple of questions:
>
> 1. Putting a switch half-way seems problematic. Half-way is a field,
> which is in Vermont and subject to extreme cold temperatures in the
> middle. Can switches handled this? Also, don't switches need power?
> Which is also not so easy.
>
> 2. You mention "network bridging techology". What do you mean by this
> more exactly?
>
> 3. I would love to try "better" WLAN equipment -- I imagine that some
> sort of WLAN transmitter/receiver pair might exist, but can't find
> anything like this on the LinkSys site and the Cisco site is so
> confusing it makes my head spin. Any ideas where I might look at this
> equipment?
>
> Thanks again!
>

[VManes]

"Stephan Golux" > wrote
I will soon be moving to a rural area and have need for a computer
network that is partially in my home and partially in a barn that is
some 700 feet away. I suspect this is too far to imagine that a
wireless connection will work. I also suspect that simply burying a
twisted pair cable in the ground will not be the best way to network
across that distance.
Anyone have a suggestion on how this should be done, or where to look
for more information on it? Will wireless work after all?
--

Wireless should be very doable for that distance. There are narrow
beam/directional antennas available commercially, and you can find designs
for homebuilt antennas as well.
Try http://www.turnpoint.net/wireless/has.html for starters.

Val
***************************
Practice safe eating -- always use condiments.
***************************

[Hans-Georg Michna]

Stephan Golux > wrote:

>Thanks for this idea - a couple of questions:
>
>1. Putting a switch half-way seems problematic. Half-way is a field,
>which is in Vermont and subject to extreme cold temperatures in the
>middle. Can switches handled this? Also, don't switches need power?
>Which is also not so easy.

Stephan,

it may not work then. A switch needs power, but if you pull a
cable, you might as well add a power cable half way. But the
cold could be an insurmountable problem.

I would first try a good quality cable, pull it all the way, and
test it, first with 100 Mbit/s, then, if that doesn't work, with
10. I think it is quite likely that with good cabling and good
switches, this distance will work.

>2. You mention "network bridging techology". What do you mean by this
>more exactly?

There are professional network bridges using radio waves or
infrared laser beams. The two problems are high cost and
blockages by rain or fog.

>3. I would love to try "better" WLAN equipment -- I imagine that some
>sort of WLAN transmitter/receiver pair might exist, but can't find
>anything like this on the LinkSys site and the Cisco site is so
>confusing it makes my head spin. Any ideas where I might look at this
>equipment?

No idea. Perhaps somebody else can chime in. Hasn't anybody else
tried WLAN over 700 ft?

Hans-Georg

--
No mail, please.

[VManes]

Here's another story about long distance ( 5 miles !!! ) on 802.11b (also
search on the O'Reilly site for other info on antennas)

http://www.oreillynet.com/pub/a/wireless/2001/05/03/longshot.html

Val

[Stephan Golux]

Thanks all for lots of great info here.

Now a configuration question -- of course all the actual devices that
need to be networked are INSIDE the buildings in question. So do you
put an external antenna connected to an internal WAP in each building,
or do you just have a single WAP with an external antenna at the
building that gets the most use? If you use two WAPs, don't they need
to be bridged somehow?

Thanks again. Great responses.

-s