Which is the best option for long distance wifi?

[Mark777]

I have been searching in the internet for best options such as long range types of antenas, but it is a lot information and not cleare. Somewhere says device (antena or other types of devices for wifi) A (for example) is better than B and C, somewhere else B is better than A and C, somewhere else C is better than A and B. I mean many websites but not clarifying which one is better.
I am asking here which are the best options (devices and everything else) or methods to
1. use your wifi far from your house or to
2. receive a wifi in your house, a wifi that is far from your house.

I would like to know which are this options for distances
1. up to 1 km
2. 1-5 km
3. 5-10 km
4. more than 10 km

Doesn't matter the price, i would like to know which options are better for the distances above, in order to have better wifi not considering the price. I live in a city consider even the trees, buildings and whatever could affect the wifi from the city.

Thanks a lot in advance!

 

[thiggins]

Ubiquiti has a range of products to fit all your scenarios.
https://www.ui.com/products/#default

Check their forums for more specific advice. https://community.ubnt.com/

 

[MichaelCG]

Are you trying to connect sites together or clients at those ranges?

But as already stated, the Ubiquiti forums have lots of info on this as well. If you are searching for client options at those distances, good luck with that. If looking for site to site bridges, there are lots of options out there.

 

[Mark777]

Ubiquiti has a range of products to fit all your scenarios.
https://www.ui.com/products/#default

Check their forums for more specific advice. https://community.ubnt.com/

What product more accurately name for up to 1 km, 1-5 km, 5-10 km and more than 10 km

 

[Mark777]

Are you trying to connect sites together or clients at those ranges?

But as already stated, the Ubiquiti forums have lots of info on this as well. If you are searching for client options at those distances, good luck with that. If looking for site to site bridges, there are lots of options out there.

Can you explain more each of these situations, what do they mean this situations, how do they work and what are the challenges for each situation (client and site that you are mentioning)

 

[coxhaus]

Improving the antenna on 1 side does no good if you don't make the same change on the client side.

 

[Deleted member 22229]

Improving the antenna on 1 side does no good if you don't make the same change on the client side.

That's not totally true. With most antenna modifications there will be an improvement not only in transmit but also receive. So in this case it would hear the client device better offering greater range and throughput.

 

[Trip]

Are you trying to connect sites together or clients at those ranges?

Can you explain more each of these situations, what do they mean this situations, how do they work and what are the challenges for each situation (client and site that you are mentioning)

To rephrase the question, are you looking to #1) connect two sites together (Building A to Building B), then distribute wireless to your endpoints at each site via 2.4Ghz/5Ghz access points, or #2) are you looking to try and beam wifi directly to your endpoint devices, say, from building A in the city to those devices out in the suburbs/county, at the various distances mentioned?

Long story short: #1 is very doable, somewhat affordable. #2 is somewhat doable but not super practical, nor affordable.

Long story, explained:

#1 - this is what's known as a "point-to-point" wireless link, and is typically done with a pair of identical antennae (often directional, narrow-degree spread), one mounted at each site, directly at one another. A permanent link is then created between the two. These antennae, especially over longer and longer distance, often operate outside the traditional client wifi spectrum, on frequencies such as mid-band 2/5Ghz, 3Ghz, 24Ghz or 60Ghz (in the USA, at least). This is to ensure an un-interfered-with link that maintains "lock" 24/7, plus adequate bandwidth on that link. From there, endpoint wifi is delivered at each site (building) by re-broadcasting that connection through conventional 2.4/5Ghz access points (which are hooked into the network via switches and/or routers).

#2 - This is often what's know as area-wide wifi, something often done by local ISPs who try to provide "always-available" wireless around cities and/or suburbs, basically by broadcasting a ton of 2.4/5 Ghz from hundreds, if not thousands, of high-density indoor and outdoor access points, which use a mix of omni-directional (360-degree) and directional (fixed direction and "cone" size) antennae. To build this for your own use, you'd either have to broadcast a ton of directional 2.4/5Ghz from the original location, at somewhat-powerful dBi, and/or build a point-to-multipoint network (per scenario #1), with each "point" being a building or plaza-sized area, then broadcast endpoint 2.4/5Ghz around each location; more likely a combination of both. This is theoretically doable, but way more technical and costly than just building a single PtP link (scenario #1), by roughly a factor of the total number of locations per distance.

For point-to-point/multipoint gear, solutions for basically any combo of bandwidth, distance and frequency can be had from Ubiquiti, Mikrotik, Mimosa, Cambium and IgniteNet. For indoor/outdoor wifi, there's higher-density stuff from the likes of Riverbed Xirrus or Ruckus, then more conventional from Cisco (Aironet) or HPE/Aruba. You said budget is of no concern, so I went straight to the top. Mostly.