Long range LEGAL wireless router recommendation for my "farm"

[MikeFarm]

Hi Newbury

Spyder suggested Ubiquiti's wireless AP's (Ubiquiti Networks, Inc.). I'm using Ubiquiti NanoStation M's on a farm of 100 acres to get pictures of our animals from the paddocks to the farmhouse. You can adjust the power level to keep with your states legal rules. Find out from Ubiquiti who is a local distributor and they should be able to advise on what to get (as they have many products) and how to set it up (the software assumes you know a bit about wireless). This equipment will easily cover your area even at low power.

Mike

 

[ronjhall]

RV parks are notorious for having bad WI-FI. One of the popular ways to improve on this is install a WIFI Ranger. One of it's features is it will repeat a WI-FI signal. I use it as a router for my air card. To bring in weak signals or extend range there is a fixed antenna upgrade.

 

[Mpking]

If you decide to go with some form of wireless router/repeater setup and are tech savvy, look at possibly installing ddwrt on your router/repeater. Its a free 3rd party firmware that will allow you to up the power on your devices and customize their configurations to a greater extent. This is what I used to get my wireless signal from my house to my barn (which is about 300' away) using only 2 wireless N routers. One was set up as a router in my office and the other was in repeater about halfway between the house and barn.

I wanted to try the powerline ethernet setup but it was a bit too expensive. I got my two routers for about $25 bucks a piece on sale at newegg.com.

 

[newbury]

Bumping this thread to see if there have been any more developments

I would recommend Ubiquiti's Unifi AP's. I am installing 3 of their Long Range units on our 5 acres and I expect to have near end to end coverage. The cost should be under $250 for a 3 pack, shipped. The Unifi's are based on a software controller that you install on any PC to manage the AP's. They support auto grid and roaming capabilities, allowing you to deploy them across several structures (within 300-500ft) and create a large mesh network.

Will this cover your entire farm? No, but it will cover you house, warehouse, and any other place within 300ft that you can extend outwards.

If the spyder is still out there - how did it turn out?

And does anyone else have input on the best long range wireless router? I realize I need a strong signal going both ways.

 

[aczlan]

I have a pair of Ubiquity Nanostation Loco M2 devices running between my inlaws place and ours (~1/4 mile) and have been very impressed with them. Got them in Nov or Dec of 2011.
~$50 each on Amazon, Ebay, et al.

Aaron Z

 

[k0ua]

I have a pair of Ubiquity Nanostation Loco M2 devices running between my inlaws place and ours (~1/4 mile) and have been very impressed with them. Got them in Nov or Dec of 2011.
~$50 each on Amazon, Ebay, et al.

Aaron Z

good to know.. thanks.

James K0UA

 

[MotorSeven]

I have a pair of Ubiquity Nanostation Loco M2 devices running between my inlaws place and ours (~1/4 mile) and have been very impressed with them. Got them in Nov or Dec of 2011.
~$50 each on Amazon, Ebay, et al.

Aaron Z

Aaron, how do they work and how do you set them up? I looked at several websites that sell them and there is no explanation at all on them. I need to go 100yds from my shop to the house.

 

[aczlan]

Aaron, how do they work and how do you set them up? I looked at several websites that sell them and there is no explanation at all on them. I need to go 100yds from my shop to the house.

They are POE powered, so you have a cable from your network which goes into a power brick, then a power/network cable to the box itself. The boxes are weatherproof, but I have windows available, so they are just behind the windows.
Here is the quick start guide: http://dl.ubnt.com/guides/NanoStation_M/NanoStation_M_Loco_M_QSG.pdf
Here is a walkthrough of how to setup a wireless bridge: How to bridge internet connections - Ubiquiti Wiki

If I were setting up a link to a shop, I would connect them as follows:
Home network >> Network cable >> Power brick >> Network cable (going through the wall) >> Nanostation << Wireless Link >> Nanostation << Network cable (going through the wall) << Power brick << Network cable << Wireless access point or computer (inside shop)

Aaron Z

 

[Lebneh]

I am currently planning on extending my wireless network. I have a field with a solar power source that I plan to use like a “wifi island” for my property.
My current setup is 1 wireless router that branches off to a 120 foot cat 5e cable run (under ground) that goes to another building. In that building I have a wired switch and a wifi access point.
--I plan to buy a high gain omni directional antenna to attach to my wireless access point.
--Then I plan on hooking up a repeater/extender up in my field with another high gain omni directional antenna.
--If that doesn't reach I'm going to switch the one in the field to a directional antenna and connect a bridge that I will use to hook up another “switch and access point setup”.

If you have power running through your property (running off the same panel) you could try power line adapters and hooking up wifi access points, that way. That would work real well (I have that setup running on another piece of property). This would be way less latency than a repeater, too!

I like TP-Link for my networking equipment: Check out their webpage for a complete list of their gear Wireless - Welcome to TP-LINK
Router: http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WR...0&sr=8-1&keywords=tp+link+long+range+wireless
Access Point (or can be used as a Repeater/Bridge):http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-TL-WA...43181850&sr=1-2&keywords=Tp+link+access+point
Power Line:http://www.amazon.com/TP-Link-Power...1343180441&sr=8-1&keywords=tp+link+power+line

This is the antenna I plan on buying: Long Range 14dbi WiFi Omni-Directional Outdoor Antenna 2.4Ghz Antenna
Simple Wifi has a lot of info/videos on their webpage. They also seem to be more than willing to answer questions if you call.

 

[newbury]

Good links Lebneh

Has anyone read about the effectiveness of the 900Mhz band that some sellers have for punching thru vegetation? You've got to have a unit on both ends and then pass it off to B G or N but I've an area with trees and it's that or a chainsaw.