Meetinghouse Internet Implementation Plan 3

[techgy]

Our stake is in the middle of a proposal for wireless internet in each of four buildings. I have been working with the local FM group and their primary concern is the condition of the building. If we were to go with a hard-wired approach then we would need to insure that we follow some guidelines and not do anything that would detract from the appearance of the facility, cause a fire hazard, or a safety concern.

We have decided to go with a wireless approach using a 600mw wireless bridge(s) in each building. One bridge goes into the ASA firewall and the others are placed at various points around the building - in offices where they're out of the way - to provide the "bridge" between the distances we need to cover.

We've evaluated each building and found that this will work very well. Cost of the equipment is around $250 per bridge + the estimated $30-$40 for a wireless USB at each administrative computer. These expenses would be shared on a per ward basis so if a particular building required 2 or 3 bridges to cover the areas the total cost would be shared.

One of our facilities requires 3 bridges and another can be covered with only 1 bridge.
After putting all of our costs together we came up with an estimated cost per ward of just under $300 which isn't bad.

Installation is free since one of our bishops has his own business in the installation of wireless internet

[RossEvans]

We have decided to go with a wireless approach using a 600mw wireless bridge(s) in each building.

Is that a typo or am I just not up to speed on current wireless technology? I thought the legal limit was 100mw.

[jdlessley]

Is that a typo or am I just not up to speed on current wireless technology? I thought the legal limit was 100mw.

The legal limit for unlicensed operations is 1 Watt (1000mW)(which is roughly 30dBm). Greater than that requires a license.

[russellhltn]

What's the typical power output of a laptop card? The limitation may be in the AP's ability to hear rather then the AP's power output.

[RossEvans]

The legal limit for unlicensed operations is 1 Watt (1000mW)(which is roughly 30dBm). Greater than that requires a license.

Duh. I did know that once upon a time.. The byte of my personal memory that held that extra digit was probably overwritten by something useless.

RusselHltn,

I agree, and would add that the receive sensitivity on both ends is also a factor.

[rhusted-p40]

What specific equipment are you using? We've purchased a Netgear dualband wireless router, but the signal isn't strong enough for the back side of the building. I've looked into a repeater, but am having problems getting it configured. What brand of wireless bridge are you using? Is your solution in production and working well for you?

Our stake is in the middle of a proposal for wireless internet in each of four buildings. I have been working with the local FM group and their primary concern is the condition of the building. If we were to go with a hard-wired approach then we would need to insure that we follow some guidelines and not do anything that would detract from the appearance of the facility, cause a fire hazard, or a safety concern.

We have decided to go with a wireless approach using a 600mw wireless bridge(s) in each building. One bridge goes into the ASA firewall and the others are placed at various points around the building - in offices where they're out of the way - to provide the "bridge" between the distances we need to cover.

We've evaluated each building and found that this will work very well. Cost of the equipment is around $250 per bridge + the estimated $30-$40 for a wireless USB at each administrative computer. These expenses would be shared on a per ward basis so if a particular building required 2 or 3 bridges to cover the areas the total cost would be shared.

One of our facilities requires 3 bridges and another can be covered with only 1 bridge.
After putting all of our costs together we came up with an estimated cost per ward of just under $300 which isn't bad.

Installation is free since one of our bishops has his own business in the installation of wireless internet

[techgy]

What specific equipment are you using? We've purchased a Netgear dualband wireless router, but the signal isn't strong enough for the back side of the building. I've looked into a repeater, but am having problems getting it configured. What brand of wireless bridge are you using? Is your solution in production and working well for you?

Engenius ecb 3610S 600mw (bridge)
We installed the equipment recently and the bridges are working fine. We're having some problems with the DSL, but it's not related to the bridges, but the distance from the Central Office (CO). The building we have it installed into required 3 bridges. One at the Modem/ASA5505 and two others spread around the facility. Coverage should be relative good for a majority of the classrooms. We haven't tested it in all areas as our goal was not to try and cover the entire building. Doing so would probably require an additional bridge.

[techgy]

Engenius ecb 3610S 600mw (bridge)
We installed the equipment recently and the bridges are working fine. We're having some problems with the DSL, but it's not related to the bridges, but the distance from the Central Office (CO). The building we have it installed into required 3 bridges. One at the Modem/ASA5505 and two others spread around the facility......

To provide some closure to this statement I offer the following.
We completed our installation of placing the Internet into each of the four buildings in our stake. The Engenius 3610 bridges worked very well. Signal strength is greater than a standard wireless router so their coverage is better. Our plan encompassed the use of the Engenius bridges and small wireless USB devices.

In two buildings we used a combination of the wireless USB and 3 bridges.
If offices are close enough together we used a pair of bridges to span the distance and a wireless USB in between. This reduced the cost without sacrificing the signal. In two buildings we used all bridges.

As I mentioned our goal was not to provide coverage to all areas of each building.

We used a total of 10 bridges in all four buildings. Thus far, we've been operating successfully for a couple of months and haven't observed any issues with the bridges. We're experiencing a problem with the DSL in one building but that issue isn't related to the bridges. Rather, it's being caused by a problem with the cables running into the facility. We've also had phones go dead on us in the same building. The ISP/Phone company is working on this but haven't yet determined the exact cause as the problem is very erratic.

[SheffieldTR]

I trust you have WPA or WPA2 security on these wireless connections, right? Or did I miss where you already said that? Sorry if I did.
Troy

[techgy]

I trust you have WPA or WPA2 security on these wireless connections, right? Or did I miss where you already said that? Sorry if I did.
Troy

I didn't discuss the security, but yes. The network is secured.