Need help creating wi-fi network; delivery to 3 buildings

[kbricked]

I have a 2.0 mbps cable connection I need to deliver to 3 buildings, ranging from 20' to about 300' from the office building housing the cable modem, dubbed the office.

The office has an upstairs in which I plan on installing an ENH200EXT with 8.5 omni directional antenna with pig tail (?). To the best of my understanding this will also handle DHCP. The computer downstairs, in the office, will be wired via a cat5e cable from the ENH200EXT.

The house adjacent to the office, approximately 20-50', will have an ENH200 with a wireless b/g/n router wired to the ENH200.

The Garage ~100' to the left of the office and directly across from the house adjacent to the office will have an ENH200 with a wireless b/g/n router wired to the ENH200.

The house directly across from the office ~ 300' across the way will have an ENH200 with a wireless b/g/n router wired to the ENH200.

Is this particular set up overkill? I want to ensure that all wireless devices can connect to the Wi-Fi network without complications. It will be an isolated wi-fi network and will not require wi-fi encryption short of mac-filtering the client bridges. (?)

It is also possible that I would want to extend one last connection a few thousand feet (unsure of exact distance) uphill through trees to a cottage.

Will an ENH200EXT 8.5 omnidirectional antenna be powerful enough to broadcast the distance required? Will it be necessary to mount the ENH200's outside in a specific orientation or can I simply use a few drywall screws to mount them to wall, regardless of what direction they are oriented it?

Clients are high profile individuals even if only utilizing a 2 mbps cable connection random times through the year. Pending the feedback and guidance here I receive by the 15th I may not take the job as I more or less fell into it.

Am I overlooking any details in this particular set up? Is it cost effective? Would a mesh network be more appropriate?

 

[stevech]

Suggestion: in the outbuildings, install WiFi bridges (WiFi to ethernet). Connect that to a switch to feed things that connect by cat5. Add a WiFi access point to the switch to create coverage in the outbuilding.

The bridge should be an outdoor unit such as Engenious makes, with a gain antenna, pointed at the main building where there's an outdoor ACCESS POINT to service each outbuilding's WiFi bridge. You're a mini-WISP (Wireless Internet Service Provider) with this. Be sure to encrypt.

You don't want but ONE router.
But you can re-purpose a WiFi router to be a WiFi Access Point. Can't (easily) re-purpose a WiFi router to be a WiFi bridge.

 

[kbricked]

Hello stevech! Many thanks for the fast reply.

If I understand what I'm trying to do and what you're suggesting?

The ENH200's are WiFi bridges, with the idea of making use of a single ENH200EXT with 8.5 omnidirectional antenna with pig tail as the omnidirectional WISP? Will this WISP be powerful enough to transmit over 300'? Over 1000'? It will be mounted inside on a second level floor. All four buildings create a side ways U, with the open end pointing to the right; and the office the bottom leg of the U.

What is that makes a WISP? The WISP will be the main Gateway/DHCP server? I am simply extending the clients Internet to their other buildings, with wireless equipment. Is this legal?

Each WiFi bridge (with internal dual polarity antenna?) would then be mounted on an interior wall, without much concern for mounting location or orientation. (ideally) Will this work or do I need to mount Each WiFi bridge and point it in such a way as to ensure best connection to the Access Point, in this case a WISP?

Each WiFi bridge would be attached to a b/g/n wireless router acting as A SWITCH that assigns IP address from the DHCP server to provide wireless coverage per building locations (3) and to reduce the need of unnecessary switches. It seems unlikely that each respective location will require more than 3 (or 4, pending firmware) Ethernet ports as of now as there are no devices requiring cat5e cabling. If there are at some point in time, an additional switch can then be purchased and installed.

The advantage of this setup, to the best of my current understanding, is that I will not reduce network throughput; only an advantage with heavy network traffic.

In theory, for about the same price I can establish a weaker, slower N ONLY WiFi LAN (50mbps vs 150mbps) that is seemingly easier to setup and maintain via open-mesh.com, assuming the MR500 router's can reach 300' through some walls and that establishing a wireless link to the cottage is not going to be on the future agenda.

I'm simply confused as to what the hell I'm really doing, how best to make it all work and if I'm wasting dollars and time with equipment I don't need and/or concerned with a network throughput that will never be utilized. I'm not currently aware of any local individuals who do this and I am, to say the least, quite curious as to how this should be done.

 

[stevech]

Don't use routers.
Just ONE router - the one that connects to or is integral to the DSL/cable modem.
DHCP is done by that one router.
PC's connected to switches send their DHCP requests through the switches and bridges to the one router and its DHCP server.

You can connect a WiFi ACCESS POINT to one of the switches connected to the bridge.

If the distance from outlying bridge to the access point connected to your central router is more than 200 ft. or so, or there are trees in the path, that bridge just has to be outdoors. An indoor bridge is OK if the path is short/clear. Of course, an indoor bridge is less costly than an outdoor bridge due to weatherproofing. You can also save some $ by using 11g bridges. I doubt you'll notice the difference with 11n bridges, but this is an option.

Stay away from mesh networks for this. It's way proprietary, complicated, and not reliable.

keep it simple.

 

[kbricked]

dude. awesome. i'v been googling the last week and i'm still an idiot. bear with me.

I'm confused with terminology.

Lets assume I'm not a WISP. I am not.

The router handling the DHCP responsibilities will be the ENH200EXT.

The WiFi bridges will be born by creating an "Access Point/Wireless Router - Client Bridge" relationship between the ENH200EXT and the ENH200, respectively. In doing so, the ENH200 bridges the LAN/WAN connection from the ENH200EXT via an Ethernet connection to a switch device.

"Wireless switches" will be created by plugging in a standard b/g/n router to the "Client Bridge" and having it automatically assigned an IP address by the only DHCP router, with the respective "Wireless switch" having its DHCP functionality disabled and possibly its WAN port converted to a LAN port pending firmware; making it a WiFi ACCESS POINT for wireless devices per designated outlying hot-spot complete with 3 or 4 available Ethernet ports.

While I would consider going with a "b/g network" and replacing both the main "Access Point/Wireless Router" and "Client Bridge" over that of b/g/n devices for sake of monetary savings, I question how many devices in the next several years will be forsaking the b/g spectrum.

My concern is that the simple WiFi LAN will be 'outdated' simply because of not having wireless n support, and I will probably maintain the b/g/n compatibility simply for the sake of knowing that "anything" will connect to it.

Longest distance from "Client Bridge" to central "Access Point/Wireless Router" is currently ~300'. I'm thinking I'll be OK without having to really point anything anywhere. If external outdoor mounting for either "Access Point/Wireless Router" or "Client Bridge" is necessary, it seems simply a process of location and mounting of the "Client Bridge" device in such a way where the "Client Bridge" is making use of the internal [directional antenna] (?) aimed at the internally, or if necessary, externally mounted "Access Point/Wireless Router".

Will this work?

 

[kbricked]

I'm going to try some standard home routers that work in client-bridge mode. I think it'll span the distance, cut the price (and unused LAN bandwidth) down and be simple.

 

[stevech]

Consumer routers usually don't support bridge mode.

 

[andremike]

Did oyu ever get this working? What did you buy?