RE: Off topic - personal problem in VT

People do not encourage you because trees produce mixed results.  What
you are asking is nearly impossible..and nobody wants to give you their
word that it will work.

There has been limited success in shooting through forested areas.  500
feet shouldn't be that much of a problem.  You will probably have to use
high gain antennas (24dBi parabolics) and perhaps up to 200mW of input
power from a Senao/Engenius/SMC Long Range....

Also, if you can get a tower at both ends above the tree line, or at
least above most of it, your chances of success will increase.

If you can get a hold of some 900MHz gear, you may have better luck.

You could also run outdoor cat5 (about 250') from each location, and
plug them into a hub inside a waterproof container, and power the hub
off of a couple pairs of the cat 5.  You could use conduit (smarter way)
or just drape it along the ground...burry it..depends on how long you
want it to last and how much legal liability you want :)


________________________________

	From: [email protected]
[mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jim Mayor
	Sent: Tuesday, January 25, 2005 5:44 AM
	To: [email protected]
	Subject: Off topic - personal problem in VT
	
	
	I hope that you won't think too unkindly of me for interrupting
this mailing list
	
	We live in the boonies of Vermont's Northeast Kingdom and are
trying to stay in touch with the world without going under financially.

	
	Recently we invested in satellite internet access, mainly
because of our  lousy rural phone lines, but also we believed that we
could save money.  The latter included eliminating out second phone line
AND networking with our neighbor.  These friends live in our cabin which
is about 500' as the crow flies from our house.  Unfortunately, the
crows would have to fly over many trees.
	
	Our initial concept was just to provide them with a wireless PCI
card and that would be it.  We have since discovered that trees hinder
the signal while wood floors apparently do not.  We have talked to
several vendors who claim great distances for their wireless
communications, but none will encourage us when we mention trees, even
with "high" gain external antennas.
	
	We next considered simple hard-wiring until we were told that
300' is the practical limitation for hardwiring without repeaters.  We
have not totally discounted fiber-optics, but no one seems to be able to
help us and we suspect the cost will be high.  We have seem the many
clever antennas that are floating around the internet, but when
mentioned, the words "line of sight" always pop up.  One guy put it,
"Leaves really attenuate the signal."  Actually we don't have so many
"leaves" as needles, but I trust the attenuation difference is
negligible.
	
	So, my question is this: Is there any hope for us to set up a
inexpensive (wireless or any kind of) network between our two houses?
If any have a positive answer to that, could you please advise us what
approach to take..., short of cutting down the intervening trees, that
is
	
	Incidentally, if there is a potential for wireless to work with
some high-gain directional antenna, is there any (free?) software
available that will help us to fine tune the alignment of the antennae
once we have constructed them?
	
	Thank you very much.
	
	Peace.
	
	Jim Mayor and family and friends 
	<[email protected]>
	952 Hartwell Pond Road
	Barton, VT 05822-9553
	(802) 755-6307 

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