How can I extend my wireless to cover upto 3 kms

[jijoyattitude]

Hello,

I am looking for a solution where by I can provide wireless converage (wireless carpeting) over 3 kms. The situation is as below:

1) I have a huge consturction site. (3kms or more and its a desert). I want to provide wireless network from a base office to cover almost the entire site.

2) Primary use of this wireless network would be to monitor the site using IP cameras.

3) Would also want to provide access to users on site eg: Laptops, PDA etc (This is just a added option)

4) I would have building upto 8 mtrs high, as the construction progresses. I already have a pole of 12 meters where I can install an external Omni Directional antenna.

5) Already have a Point to Point network on the site. I would want to know if the wireless signals would clash with each other (Point to Point with the Omni Directional).

Please advice me of a solution which would be cheap as well as reliable. As of now I do not have a huge fund from my company as I need to show them that this is possible.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards

J

[john.preves]

cheap and reliable is not one option, it is two separate options. Replace 'and' with 'or', and you'll be in much better shape.

I anticipate at the very least you will be adding equipment as the construction progresses.

also keep in mind coverage isn't throughput so just because you have a couple of antennas in the air will not necessarily produce the results expected.

Where are you going to get power to put equipment, where are you going to house equipment over a 3km desert area?

If your intentions were to blast signal from one pole then just stop now...save your money.

[jijoyattitude]

Hi John,

Thnks for your quick reply.

When i said cheap I dint mean dead cheap. I do not want to invest somewhere like 5000 $.

I am ready to buy and add equipments now and as needed.

I am not a professional in this.

The base office has power and I can power the antenna from this location. The cameras at each point will be powered either using a battery pack or solar panels.

While searching the net I saw few options like installing a 24 or 9 dbi outdoor antenna and increasing the wireless range. Would this help?

[john.preves]

little wireless cameras would not have the ability to send back to the base, even thought the base can reach it.

Now if you take regular cameras and wire them into a Cisco switch that was attached to a wireless bridge that could shine back to the base...now you might have something, but your still going to have to do a survey/path analysis to determine if it is feasible.

Coverage isnt throughput. I see one base station with 3 or 4 sectoral antennas depending on direction, pointing two several distribution bridges to bridge the gaps that go out again to the cameras...something like that. And all of it should be higher in the air than your construction.

[andrew.brazier]

John's right, with the right AP/Bridge + antenna combo you can get a signal to reach 15 KM plus. The problem is that BOTH devices have to have this range, wireless clients typically have range of 200M max so your several kilometres short! Again, as John says, your solution for the cameras is back up each camera with a bridge (no need for a switch, just a cross lead will do). For client laptops though, you've no hope of total coverage.