I certainly did not expect my choice of words to spark such debate. As Cliff suggests, it would be more properly called an estate, although still a small one (we've been calling it a compound, but I didn't want anyone to think that we were a militia or anything). It is zoned agricultural and has some gardening space (probably sufficient for subsistence), but was subdivided out of being a commercial farm long ago. I am originally from Jersey, however, and I have seen some five-acre farms that are quite profitable.
Thanks to jdray for the slice of farming information, although we are more interested in the barrier.
Thanks to everyone, and please forgive any of my ignorance in these matters. The experience I have so far with wireless is a single Linksys router to serve a two-story house.
The favorite suggestions seem to be either 1) using a (roof-mounted, I assume) medium strength omni-directional antenna to boost the router signal (we currently have a WRT54G, but are open to upgrading) or 2) linking access points using WDS. To clarify, we want to blanket the entire property, including the outdoors. For those who asked, my father is a beginner roboticist, and we want a system that will let him take his creations for walks anywhere on the property using the network.
The main house is close to the center of the property, so we think the single antenna has promise both for functionality and cost. This is the solution we will try first, as it seems to have worked for Fished, and RedLeg also suggests that this is feasible. The only problem we may have is with line of sight: we certainly want every part of the outer buildings to be covered, and these are full-sized houses with thick walls. I will look into, and would be interested in more input about, the likelihood that we can use AirPort for adequate indoor coverage.
If we decide to use WDS, it seems that we would either have to get enough penetration into the buildings to hit a WAP or AirPort device (quite possible); or have a small antennae for each WAP, which would also boost the signal to the area around the houses (although we may not need it because of the central antenna). We could use the reflectors suggested by sans blanket to contain the signal if necessary.
Does any of this sound reasonable? It certainly seems cost-effective and relatively painless (barring any unforeseen incidents regarding me and the ladder). Thank you to everyone for your valuable input, and in advance if you can make additional recommendations!
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Thanks for the antenna information and especially for the mailing list. I'll need all the advice I can get!
Thanks to jdray for the slice of farming information, although we are more interested in the barrier.
This sounds interesting. Where would I place it, and what particular advantages it would have over an antenna?
The favorite suggestions seem to be either 1) using a (roof-mounted, I assume) medium strength omni-directional antenna to boost the router signal (we currently have a WRT54G, but are open to upgrading) or 2) linking access points using WDS. To clarify, we want to blanket the entire property, including the outdoors. For those who asked, my father is a beginner roboticist, and we want a system that will let him take his creations for walks anywhere on the property using the network.
The main house is close to the center of the property, so we think the single antenna has promise both for functionality and cost. This is the solution we will try first, as it seems to have worked for Fished, and RedLeg also suggests that this is feasible. The only problem we may have is with line of sight: we certainly want every part of the outer buildings to be covered, and these are full-sized houses with thick walls. I will look into, and would be interested in more input about, the likelihood that we can use AirPort for adequate indoor coverage.
If we decide to use WDS, it seems that we would either have to get enough penetration into the buildings to hit a WAP or AirPort device (quite possible); or have a small antennae for each WAP, which would also boost the signal to the area around the houses (although we may not need it because of the central antenna). We could use the reflectors suggested by sans blanket to contain the signal if necessary.
Does any of this sound reasonable? It certainly seems cost-effective and relatively painless (barring any unforeseen incidents regarding me and the ladder). Thank you to everyone for your valuable input, and in advance if you can make additional recommendations!