50 ft Tower, Antenna, APs, Question

duaneallman · 09-22-2002

I am trying to connect to a local university's wireless network from my house. I am exactly .6 miles from the university (as the crow flies). The University has about 150 APs all around it. In my backyard, I have a 50ft Rohn Tower. I am wondering if I can buy something like a Omni Directional grid, with something like 24bd gain and put it at the top of my tower pointing toward the university and have the antenna running to something like a Orinoco Silver card? The only bad thing is that it will not be a clear line of sight. We do have pine trees, and I know that those are worst at breaking up a signal. But I do want to try. The other bad thing is that these AP's do not have any kind of external antenna so I wont get any better of a signal that way. I am thinking about just going up the tower, installing a grid antenna, and taking my ipaq and check the signal while im up there. Does anyone think I am just waisting my time? Thanks for the help.

Ebyte · 09-23-2002

i think your wasting you time. no external antenna and trees = bad

don't ask if i think what you want to do is legal. i'm not a lawer

btw, i don't care about the if's and's or but's

p.s. don't take it the wrong way, i'd have goten a 100' tower it i thought it would help

Thorn · 09-23-2002

Quote:

Originally posted by duaneallman
I am trying to connect to a local university's wireless network from my house. I am exactly .6 miles from the university (as the crow flies). The University has about 150 APs all around it. In my backyard, I have a 50ft Rohn Tower. I am wondering if I can buy something like a Omni Directional grid, with something like 24bd gain and put it at the top of my tower pointing toward the university and have the antenna running to something like a Orinoco Silver card? The only bad thing is that it will not be a clear line of sight. We do have pine trees, and I know that those are worst at breaking up a signal. But I do want to try. The other bad thing is that these AP's do not have any kind of external antenna so I wont get any better of a signal that way. I am thinking about just going up the tower, installing a grid antenna, and taking my ipaq and check the signal while im up there. Does anyone think I am just waisting my time? Thanks for the help.

Sure you can do it. A 24dB would probably not be the best choice, for several reasons. First, they're really made for Point-to-Point, long distance, links. (Some people I know run 20-mile links on a 24.) Second, they cost more. I've done 7.6 mile link with a 8dB omni on the AP, and a 18dB panel on the client end. At just over a half mile you should be fine with a 8dB yagi, even to an AP inside a window. (It might be tough through some walls.) That close, and the pine trees probably won't eat too much signal.

Get permission to connect. If you don't and they find out, you are quite literally a sitting duck. It would take longer to get the paperwork filled out on the arrest forms than it would take to find you. Ask nice, and you might even get it turned into some CS or EE class project.

Search on "linomatic" and "university" or "college". He was setting up a similar link for his brother, who is a professor.

BTW, watch out for line loss. At 50', that will eat more signal than the trees.

WiFiCasper · 09-23-2002

looks interesting...http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...yword1=antenna

09-22-2002	#1 (permalink)
duaneallman Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 2	50 ft Tower, Antenna, APs, Question I am trying to connect to a local university's wireless network from my house. I am exactly .6 miles from the university (as the crow flies). The University has about 150 APs all around it. In my backyard, I have a 50ft Rohn Tower. I am wondering if I can buy something like a Omni Directional grid, with something like 24bd gain and put it at the top of my tower pointing toward the university and have the antenna running to something like a Orinoco Silver card? The only bad thing is that it will not be a clear line of sight. We do have pine trees, and I know that those are worst at breaking up a signal. But I do want to try. The other bad thing is that these AP's do not have any kind of external antenna so I wont get any better of a signal that way. I am thinking about just going up the tower, installing a grid antenna, and taking my ipaq and check the signal while im up there. Does anyone think I am just waisting my time? Thanks for the help.

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09-23-2002	#2 (permalink)
Ebyte Registered Member Join Date: Sep 2002 Posts: 10	i think your wasting you time. no external antenna and trees = bad don't ask if i think what you want to do is legal. i'm not a lawer btw, i don't care about the if's and's or but's p.s. don't take it the wrong way, i'd have goten a 100' tower it i thought it would help

09-23-2002	#4 (permalink)
WiFiCasper Coming to an AP near you Join Date: May 2002 Location: Ohio Posts: 40	looks interesting...http://forums.anandtech.com/messagev...yword1=antenna