Long-range wireless options

10-16-2001

I'm trying to make a long-range wireless access so that i can access my home cable connection everywhere on campus (< 7 miles).
As of now my networking equipment is:
SMC 7004AWBR Wireless router
Lucent Orinoco Silver PCMCIA
From what i read on this site, one way to extend the range of the connection is by getting a Yagi Antenna

Since there is no way to connect an extender antenna to my current router (The antenna is not detachable), I have 2 options now:
1. Get a D-Link router, and get the yagi antenna connected to the router
2. Get another orinoco card + PCI card, put it on my desktop, connect the yagi antenna to it... and use ICS.

Now i think the 2nd option is more effective, but would ICS work this way? W
ould this scheme work if there are obstacles in the line of sight? I live a 3-floor apartment and of course, line of sight to the campus is blocked by trees, buildings.

10-16-2001

Your SMC router does have two mmcx antenna jacks inside the case. I own the Dlink 713p, which is a repackaged version of your router. You remove 4 phillips screws on the bottom, and carefully remove the top cover, and metal shield. You will see a pcmcia radio card with two antenna jacks at the end. These are mmcx connectors. I bought a 12 inch mmcx to n male patch cable, and connected it to a 8dbi omni. Works great. You could also substitute any other directional antenna you want. One note: of the two jacks on the radio card, the one closest to the center works best. The other connector off to the side of the card seems to be secondary, on my system it consistently performed worse than the center connector. Keep in mind this will void your waranty, and you also may need to drill a hole to pass the cable through the case, (I used one of the old useless antenna mount holes for this) so proceed with caution. If you are comfortable taking things apart and they usually work when you put them back together, this should not be too difficult for you. The link below is the company I bought the antenna (BS2400XL6) and patch cable (100M-NMMMX-12)from. Good luck.

http://www.antennasystems.com/broadband.html

10-16-2001

I should also mention that line of sight is very important. Buildings and trees really kill the signal quick. For instance, I can connect from inside my friend's house (1 block away)to my router with no problem, as long as I am not in line with 2 small trees between us. With the trees in the signal path, I get no connection. If I walk 25 feet to the side of the trees I get good signal. Keep this in mind before you spend a lot of money on this project. Your coverage will be very spotty at best.

10-17-2001

Hi,

referring to "..Keep in mind this will void your waranty, and you also may need to drill a hole to pass the cable through the case..", what if Akira doesnt put back the case?
The barricade will be caseless and he doesnt have to drill any hole and void the warranty.

I own a Barricade, and I might do what you suggest. But first I have to decide between a yagi or a para to connect to my Barricade. It will for point to point, with buldings and trees in between. Any suggestion?

Later.

10-17-2001

I would suggest reassembly of the case because there is a large metal shield under the plastic cover that may or may not affect the units performance. (noise emissions) I thought it best to put the unit back together as close as possible to its original state. Also make sure you have the SMC "A" version (rounded hump on top of unit) as the original SMC7004WBR may be completely different inside. As for antennas, if your link is between two stationary buildings, I would go for the parabolic 19dbi or 24dbi version. They are less expensive than most yagis, and have more than double or triple the gain of the common 14 or 15 dbi yagis. Extra gain will needed if your signal path has obstructions. If there is enough junk in the path you may not get it to work at all.

10-16-2001	#1 (permalink)
Posts: n/a	Long-range wireless options I'm trying to make a long-range wireless access so that i can access my home cable connection everywhere on campus (< 7 miles). As of now my networking equipment is: SMC 7004AWBR Wireless router Lucent Orinoco Silver PCMCIA From what i read on this site, one way to extend the range of the connection is by getting a Yagi Antenna Since there is no way to connect an extender antenna to my current router (The antenna is not detachable), I have 2 options now: 1. Get a D-Link router, and get the yagi antenna connected to the router 2. Get another orinoco card + PCI card, put it on my desktop, connect the yagi antenna to it... and use ICS. Now i think the 2nd option is more effective, but would ICS work this way? W ould this scheme work if there are obstacles in the line of sight? I live a 3-floor apartment and of course, line of sight to the campus is blocked by trees, buildings.

10-16-2001	#2 (permalink)
Posts: n/a	external antennas Your SMC router does have two mmcx antenna jacks inside the case. I own the Dlink 713p, which is a repackaged version of your router. You remove 4 phillips screws on the bottom, and carefully remove the top cover, and metal shield. You will see a pcmcia radio card with two antenna jacks at the end. These are mmcx connectors. I bought a 12 inch mmcx to n male patch cable, and connected it to a 8dbi omni. Works great. You could also substitute any other directional antenna you want. One note: of the two jacks on the radio card, the one closest to the center works best. The other connector off to the side of the card seems to be secondary, on my system it consistently performed worse than the center connector. Keep in mind this will void your waranty, and you also may need to drill a hole to pass the cable through the case, (I used one of the old useless antenna mount holes for this) so proceed with caution. If you are comfortable taking things apart and they usually work when you put them back together, this should not be too difficult for you. The link below is the company I bought the antenna (BS2400XL6) and patch cable (100M-NMMMX-12)from. Good luck. http://www.antennasystems.com/broadband.html

10-16-2001	#3 (permalink)
Posts: n/a	2.4ghz range I should also mention that line of sight is very important. Buildings and trees really kill the signal quick. For instance, I can connect from inside my friend's house (1 block away)to my router with no problem, as long as I am not in line with 2 small trees between us. With the trees in the signal path, I get no connection. If I walk 25 feet to the side of the trees I get good signal. Keep this in mind before you spend a lot of money on this project. Your coverage will be very spotty at best.

10-17-2001	#4 (permalink)
Posts: n/a	Caseless Barricade Hi, referring to "..Keep in mind this will void your waranty, and you also may need to drill a hole to pass the cable through the case..", what if Akira doesnt put back the case? The barricade will be caseless and he doesnt have to drill any hole and void the warranty. I own a Barricade, and I might do what you suggest. But first I have to decide between a yagi or a para to connect to my Barricade. It will for point to point, with buldings and trees in between. Any suggestion? Later.

10-17-2001	#5 (permalink)
Posts: n/a	smc / dlink antenna mods I would suggest reassembly of the case because there is a large metal shield under the plastic cover that may or may not affect the units performance. (noise emissions) I thought it best to put the unit back together as close as possible to its original state. Also make sure you have the SMC "A" version (rounded hump on top of unit) as the original SMC7004WBR may be completely different inside. As for antennas, if your link is between two stationary buildings, I would go for the parabolic 19dbi or 24dbi version. They are less expensive than most yagis, and have more than double or triple the gain of the common 14 or 15 dbi yagis. Extra gain will needed if your signal path has obstructions. If there is enough junk in the path you may not get it to work at all.

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