Help extending a network

ZO100_marto · Post by **ZO100_marto** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:58 pm

I know this really has nothing to do with scanning but as there are a few radio buffs on here I thought I would put the question up and see where it takes me.

I have a friend who is moving out of town (building a house in the bush) which means no telephone line etc. They will be about 15-20 km's from our house so I'm wondering if I can boost my signal externally to reach them and therefore giving them the ability to continue with internet and use VoIP for making phone calls.

To have a landline put in is 10's of thousands of dollars and they are not eligible for free sat connection as there is Next G coverage in the area.

So is it achievable??

Post by **playworth** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 5:59 pm

cb radio and get really loonnnnng antunnna?

w0mbat · Post by **w0mbat** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 6:50 pm

20Km is pushing WiFi to the limit but is doable for about $2K
Need to have line of sight. If you can't see the property or hit it (theoreticly) with a laser it's a no.
If yes, do a google search on freenet antennas. The guy there is really good and will help with info.

If not, 2 way satalitte is the best next thing. I believe Westnet is doing it, and that the GOV used to have a scheeme where they paid the install and hardware costs and the user pays the monthly fee. There are of course other providers.

This is just a quick overview to answer your question

--Steve

Fastlane · Post by **Fastlane** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 7:48 pm

You'd need VERY high gain antennas, 'coz remember. 802.11b/g is limited to 100mW of power output (or is it??)

I know there used to be an 802.11b link between Freo Hospital and the Nursing Post @ Rotto that worked really well.. this was about 8 years ago though, when the 2.4Ghz frequencies werent so 'polluted'.

w0mbat · Post by **w0mbat** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 8:13 pm

This is the kit I was thinking of.
http://store.freenet-antennas.com/produ ... ecefb2c7af

The westnet link
http://westnet.com.au/internet/satellite/

--Steve

Post by **meg** » Sat Sep 27, 2008 10:39 pm

ZO100_marto wrote:To have a landline put in is 10's of thousands of dollars and they are not eligible for free sat connection as there is Next G coverage in the area.

I didn't realise NextG coverage disallowed you from the satellite subsidys.

If it's of any help at all, we have a dish and SkyEdge modem for Optus sat (and their resellers) that they would be welcome to if they come and get it.

Presumably they'd still need to get an installer and of course monthly ISP fees. Having been down the 2 way sat route, I'd sooner use carrier pidgeons...

ZO100_marto · Post by **ZO100_marto** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:14 am

w0mbat wrote: Need to have line of sight.

The location is quite high so I suspect if the antenna is put on a mast above the tree line this would be possible. I'll have to try and figure that out for sure but first.

Cheers for the links to

ZO100_marto · Post by **ZO100_marto** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 8:34 am

meg wrote: I didn't realise NextG coverage disallowed you from the satellite subsidys.

This is only what I'm been told by others, I haven't actually read it anywhere but haven't found anything on the net about it either

Post by **meg** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:53 am

This is the site with definitive information - they do mention "wireless" though I don't know if their definition includes NextG.

http://www.dbcde.gov.au/communications_ ... _consumers

ZO100_marto · Post by **ZO100_marto** » Sun Sep 28, 2008 9:52 pm

Cheers meg,

yep looking at the gov site it seems I am eligible. It suggests I would fall in to "category D" which means full funding of setup

I will ring Skymesh on Tuesday to be 100% sure.

Post by **meg** » Mon Sep 29, 2008 9:20 am

Looks like either your friend or someone in the same situation put the same question on Whirlpool - got a resounding "no" - NextG coverage doesn't bar you from getting the grant.

http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-re ... ?t=1059856

Try and find a sat operator who is responsive to your phone calls, and who will be around for a while. We started with a good mob, but they got sold to a bunch of morons who didn't respond to problems and didn't purchase nearly enough sat bandwidth for their customer numbers. Eventually DCITA released us and several others from the contracts with no penalty.

ZO100_marto · Post by **ZO100_marto** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 8:36 am

^ Yep thats our thread

And a few of those responses are from company rep who also clearly state the subsidy would be in play.

So now we just looking at which company to go with - either Skymesh or Aussiebroadband. Aussie don't charge for uploads which is great but Skymesh have better VoIP plans....

Boy the choices!

Post by **Bonez** » Tue Sep 30, 2008 12:27 pm

Why don't they just use a NextG data service?

It's a little expensive but well worth it for the cost.

$59.95 per month for 1gb, $89.95 for 3gb or $129.95 for 10gb.

WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

Help extending a network

Help extending a network

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