I'm running 12x wrt45gls in waterproof boxes using Freifunk mesh firmware. Works great. Power is easy 'cos the routers take 12 volts so solar/wind power works fine. I'm thinking of moving away from Freifunk now and just using stock OpenWRT firmware with better security. Right now the mesh is open with access controlled using a vpn which is a hassle.
Most I use 24dbi antennas from - Wisp Router Inc. in the US but also have a couple of omnis and some Rootenna panel antennas.
The system has been up for 18 months with no major problems with sunlight temperatures of up 40 degress and several tropical rain style downpours.
Only real annoying is that if the batteries don't get enough charge the router trips out with low voltage and needs power cycling to reboot.
Are the 2 above items compatible? The netgear wireless MR314 is 811b, 11 MBps thruput, and the ASUS PCI cards are just bought 2 weeks ago. They are internal cards with the small antenna.
I get with one desktop which has this Asus card a very low signal, even though the computer is only maximum 20 feet away and only an internal wall, no electrical wires or plumbing in it, separates the 2 computers.
The 3rd desktop with the Asus PCI card does not get a signal at all, even though it is the most up to date and fastest computer of the 3.
Are the 2 above items compatible? The netgear wireless MR314 is 811b, 11 MBps thruput, and the ASUS PCI cards are just bought 2 weeks ago. They are internal cards with the small antenna.
I get with one desktop which has this Asus card a very low signal, even though the computer is only maximum 20 feet away and only an internal wall, no electrical wires or plumbing in it, separates the 2 computers.
The 3rd desktop with the Asus PCI card does not get a signal at all, even though it is the most up to date and fastest computer of the 3.
I am running from a bt 2wire router to a dlink box and then through a lighning arrester to a 9Dbi netgear ant.
I am getting an intermitant signal and the range is very poor. I have taken the ant down cleaned up all the joints and am waiting for a good day to put it back for testing.
I'm running a D-Link DGL-4300 Gamer lounge gaming router with the default 5 dBi stock antenna (only because it out performs the 10 dBi antenna I got for it, with the stock I get 100% up stairs and down, and everywhere in the house, no joking). I also have an old wireless N router acting as a repeater. So the two N cards I have can get 300 mbps, and the D-Link devices can get 108 mbps..
The gaming router was really worth it. While the game fuel technology seems like a marketing scam, it really does help with the lag on internet, and on network games. Without it, my lag was 30 to 40 ms. With it, it went down to 10ms. That was on a server 20 miles from my home. The range this thing has is jaw dropping. When I was using the N router by itself, it wasn't giving me nearly the coverage this Gaming router gives me now.
While it is a bit on the expensive side, its well worth it to know your getting a high quality router.
I'm running a mikroTik RouterBoard 133 as an access point, with a mikroTik R52 65mW miniPCI card, mikrotik outdoor inclausure and a D-Link 15dBi omni antenna.
The mikrotik RB 133 has a hotspot activated to mange users access to internet.
I have no problems so far. Thank's to GOD.
I keep spacing this board out.
Check out my signature for my setup on the mountain: All Internet traffic from Las Tusas Ranch relayed through DIY solar powered WiFi tower. OUTFIT
I setup a lot of Motorola Canopy 5.2 & 5.7 ghtz gear too. We have been switching out our tower gear from Mikrotik 133 to 333 (three micro-PCM/CIA slots for radio cards)
After a year and a half doing WiFi installations which I love by the way, I have put up and taken down more configurations than I can list. The WISP I work for is small and they have tried lots of different gear in different combinations.
I'm getting accustomed to my areas well enough that I can set an antenna in fog thick as pea soup and pull down a -67dBm signal.
I'm running a D-Link 900+ hardware access point, this is mounted in a waterproof box from Dick Smith (thanks to help from shadowX), i've stripped off the outer shell of the AP, and mounted the aerial connector (RP-SMA) on the outside of the box, for ease of connecting/disconnecting.
I'll be using a DC cable to provide power to this unit, as PoE would drop ~40% of my power over the distance i need to run as the AP runs at 2A/5V. The cat5/DC cable will be housed inside a flexible conduit to sheild the cables from the elements (as the cat5 cable i'm using was not treated for UV).
The aerial i'll be using is a 9dbi pacific wireless omni, which was purchased from fab-corp. As previous tests have shown, this aerial can reach 5km+ if not obstructed, so it'll be perfect for my uses.
I am yet to mount this on the roof, I need a smaller power connector for my AP, as the one that came with the unit doesn't fit into the box that i have. I'll be picking up an angled power connector this week, and mounting the box this weekend hopefully.
I have free wireless connectivity from my government initiated free WIFI for the Nation here in a number locations in Singapore. However, where I stay my signals are totally weak and faint, above -100dBm and never had any chance to use the Hotspot service. Laptops built-in Adapaters were totally useless, then I tried high power USB clients which connections were intermittent.
Recently, I used an out-door client bridge, senao / engenius eoc-2610, hung it outside my window cos it has a 24PoE, a built-in 10dBi antennas and it claimed an excellent 600mW of TX power. Now my connection is always -75 to -85dBm... and connected at 36MB/s Cooooool.
for mobile I am currently using a HP530 laptop with broadcomm internal wireless B/G card.
Home Wlan setup WAS through a Netgear USB parabolic/cantenna hybrid (Dish was free via dumpster diving) directed to Wifeys Frankenstined PC. Worked well enough to access free-FI from public library 200Ft away well enough. Dish/cantenna combo did look somewhat suspicious though. I hate questions.
THEN I discovered the wonderfully cheap and highly adaptable Linksys WRT54G with DD-WRT firmware as mixed mode repeater. WOOT! 200 ft w/o external dish!
I am in planning stage on two projects:
1st project is a mobile rig using the same WRT54G configuration scripted for automatic handoff of internet connections through public hotspots.
Ist Project is mostly complete.. a 500mW Realtek based Usb adapter running trough a 24dBi V-Yagi antenna. still working on how to quickly handoff from one spot to the next
Second Project is a parabolic with yet to be determined b/g router running dd-wrt firmware also in repeater or radio bridged mode. Having a bit of a time finding a dual antenna-d .11g router with external connectors.
Hardware preferences - anything that doesn't require physically modding pcb's. Preferrably little to no cost .
Last edited by mysticvirgo67; 06-16-2009 at 07:31 PM.
I'm running cisco340 aironet - cisco 340 aironet - dhcp server/router/firewall - cisco 340 aironet. 12 DB Antennae from America, LMR400 and Max link 5Km not affected by rain.
Hi!
does any one know what components a wifi range extender is made out of? other than a RF tranceiver and an antenna (omni-directional). was thinkin of building one. any ideas much appreciated.
NETGEAR Wireless MR314 and ASUS PCI card WL138GE 
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wifi range extender 
Linear Mode
