need help. Best method for wireless to wireless bridging ?

[phill1978]

Hi all, my first post here


my mission:

Ive been tasked to hook up a medium sized 3 story building with wireless for a small amount of users. Not sure how many wireless units i will need, probably between 3 or 4 at a guess.

I don't need anything OTT as the users will be connecting via laptops using VPN to an external service out from a BT broadband connection for internet / email access over the wireless.

So my initial idea was to take a single Ethernet connection from the back of the BT router to an additional wireless router/ accesspoint and then from this I wanted to bridge between the 3 other units wireless to wireless to wireless etc.. (not bothered about limited bandwidth) back hauling from the last one down through the floors.

I have been reading that multiple wireless to wireless setups can pose a problem, in fact on standard equipment it may not be possible. The reason for this is that one needs to be 'root' and one needs to be 'repeater' , of course how do you set the 'repeater' to also be 'root' for the next one along in the chain? they can only be one or the other..

Actually you CAN do this, but you need a dual radio device (5ghz and 2.4ghz) with one band as root and one band as repeater.. hence needing a very configurable access point (cisco for example) and id expect a home/small office unit to not be able to distinguish in this way.

but if there is a unit then that is fine? any suggestions


just wondering what the best and yes easiest model to repeat is and they must support a decent level of encryption too (not 802.1x though)

any help appreciated or any other suggestions of know equipment? I know my home TP-link router can be used as a bridge or repeater but again its only to 1 endpoint and that end point is where it stops, adding more onto that is not possible.


again no structured cabling, or powerline adapters are possible with this one.

perhaps a point to multipoint access point? or maybe go with a proper business grade model?


any help or ideas appreciated

Phill

 

[demo999]

Anyone?

(Ill watch this thread before or post my own question)

 

[keenanj]

what you need are the enh500 outdoor 5.8Ghz 11n bridges.

you do not want to use repeater mode but instead point to point mode.

use one pair in AP / client bridge mode to bridge between each building.

since they operate at 5.8Ghz the connection will be stable and fast.

mount the units outside facign eachother and run etherent inside back to the included power injector and then your switch.

more info here:


http://www.keenansystems.com/store/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=2&products_id=344