Tweet
If you want to share your internet connection with your neighbors, wi-fi is the way to go. Here is what I did.
I already had a Linksys WRT54G (v2) wireless router. The neighbor wanted a faster internet connection (he was on 56k). I told him what his options were when I was helping him with his PC when it had an issue.
I told him that he can call Comcrap and purchase internet only from them for just a "lowly" price of $57.95 a month, or I can setup a wireless connection between our houses and he can share my internet, but of course with him splitting the monthly bill and him paying for the equipment on his end at his house. He jumped on the second option faster than Rage jumping a goat.
He said there was about 100ft between our houses, which I doubted. I didn't measure the distance until after everything was setup. The distance is a tad over 300ft (with a tree between us mind you).
Anyway, here is the equipment needed to do this:
2 wireless routers (one acting as an AP, the other a Bridge).
Free open source firmware for the routers to "beef them up".
Outdoor wi-fi antenna, maybe 2 needed depending on your setup (db gain for what you need depends on how far/where you want the signal to go).
Special low-loss cable (LM-400 or LM-600 generally) with connectors to connect the AP router to the antenna.
Inline Lightning protector.
What I used:
Linksys WRT54G v2 (at my house, used as the AP)
Linksys WRT54GL v1.1 (at the neighbors house, is setup as the bridge)
DD-wrt router firmware (open source, Linksys stuff mostly runs Linux)
12db outdoor antenna (used at my house)
6m LM-400 low-loss cable with the correct connectors for my router/antenna combo.
Inline Lightning protector.
Cost breakdown:
2 routers: $120 (approximate, I already had one)
2.4Ghz Omni Directional antenna with Gain 12DBI: $52.50
LP N Male TO N Female Lightning Protector: $8.99
N male to N male(45cm) Pigtail (used to place the Lightning protector in the cable run): $9.99
LM-400 cable - N male to TNC male RP(6m): $25.79
DD-wrt router firmware: FREE (http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/)
Total Cost: $217.27 (shipping was roughly $15, but I didn't add it)
I got the antenna and accessories for it here:
http://www.wifi-link.com/index.php
When shopping around, I noticed most places wanted about $100-200 for the antenna I bought, so check prices if you do this.
I wanted to cover the entire neighborhood, just in case anyone else wanted to "share" the cost & have decent internet. The antenna I used has a 1200-1400m range line-of-sight (roughly almost a mile). When I setup the neighbors new router (with the new firmware of course) he had a 50% signal from inside his house. If he had an outdoor antenna he would get 100% easily I think. The AP router at my house is pushing 100mw of power (not the factory settings
), which calculates to roughly 31db output at the Omni directional antenna mounted at my house.
His internet is now MUCH faster than it was, and we are both happy about the low cost per month.
The connection is encrypted for those who wonder, so only those who are authorized can connect. I can change the encryption by logging into the router and making a couple of clicks.
Click the pictures for high res.
I already had a Linksys WRT54G (v2) wireless router. The neighbor wanted a faster internet connection (he was on 56k). I told him what his options were when I was helping him with his PC when it had an issue.
I told him that he can call Comcrap and purchase internet only from them for just a "lowly" price of $57.95 a month, or I can setup a wireless connection between our houses and he can share my internet, but of course with him splitting the monthly bill and him paying for the equipment on his end at his house. He jumped on the second option faster than Rage jumping a goat.
He said there was about 100ft between our houses, which I doubted. I didn't measure the distance until after everything was setup. The distance is a tad over 300ft (with a tree between us mind you).
Anyway, here is the equipment needed to do this:
2 wireless routers (one acting as an AP, the other a Bridge).
Free open source firmware for the routers to "beef them up".
Outdoor wi-fi antenna, maybe 2 needed depending on your setup (db gain for what you need depends on how far/where you want the signal to go).
Special low-loss cable (LM-400 or LM-600 generally) with connectors to connect the AP router to the antenna.
Inline Lightning protector.
What I used:
Linksys WRT54G v2 (at my house, used as the AP)
Linksys WRT54GL v1.1 (at the neighbors house, is setup as the bridge)
DD-wrt router firmware (open source, Linksys stuff mostly runs Linux)
12db outdoor antenna (used at my house)
6m LM-400 low-loss cable with the correct connectors for my router/antenna combo.
Inline Lightning protector.
Cost breakdown:
2 routers: $120 (approximate, I already had one)
2.4Ghz Omni Directional antenna with Gain 12DBI: $52.50
LP N Male TO N Female Lightning Protector: $8.99
N male to N male(45cm) Pigtail (used to place the Lightning protector in the cable run): $9.99
LM-400 cable - N male to TNC male RP(6m): $25.79
DD-wrt router firmware: FREE (http://www.dd-wrt.com/phpBB2/)
Total Cost: $217.27 (shipping was roughly $15, but I didn't add it)
I got the antenna and accessories for it here:
http://www.wifi-link.com/index.php
When shopping around, I noticed most places wanted about $100-200 for the antenna I bought, so check prices if you do this.
I wanted to cover the entire neighborhood, just in case anyone else wanted to "share" the cost & have decent internet. The antenna I used has a 1200-1400m range line-of-sight (roughly almost a mile). When I setup the neighbors new router (with the new firmware of course) he had a 50% signal from inside his house. If he had an outdoor antenna he would get 100% easily I think. The AP router at my house is pushing 100mw of power (not the factory settings
), which calculates to roughly 31db output at the Omni directional antenna mounted at my house.His internet is now MUCH faster than it was, and we are both happy about the low cost per month.
The connection is encrypted for those who wonder, so only those who are authorized can connect. I can change the encryption by logging into the router and making a couple of clicks.
Click the pictures for high res.
Mighty nice of you to get an omni directional antenna too. If your neighbors decide to get outdoor antennas tell them to get directional cantennas to point at your omni. You know what i mean right they look like telescopes or speed guns. They decrease the angle of reception down to like 35 degrees to increase range.
Comment