[NTLUG:Discuss] Wireless Home Network

[terry]

Jack Snodgrass wrote:
> On Wed, 2004-06-23 at 12:02, Lance Simmons wrote:
> 
>>* Lance Simmons <lance at lsimmons.net> [040621 15:19]:
>>
>>>I want to change my home network over to wireless, but I'm a bit
>>>intimidated.  Have others on the list done it, and what would you say
>>>is the difficulty level?
>>
>>Thanks for all the replies.
>>
>>I'm confused on one point:  the Linux HOWTO's say that you have to be
>>able to SEE the antenna, while the manufacturers' websites show a single
>>router casting a nice rosy wireless glow over a whole house.  Does
>>wireless go through walls?  Because if it doesn't, there's not much
>>point in going ahead with this.
> 
> 
> These are just low power radio devices.... 
> 
> They work best in open air. 
> 
> Metal tends to block signals. ( metal studs, metal lats, 
> wires, furniture, etc. ) 

And the density is an issue too, a brick wall will attenuate the signal 
more than a sheetrock wall will.  You could go through a couple of 
sheetrock walls but the distance will be shorter.  For instance: 
Outside in open air, you might have good luck at distances of up to 300 
yards or so with a particular pair of devices.  Those same devices, 
inside, going through walls and furniture etc, would be hard pressed to 
communicate at distances of 200 ft.
> 
> The higher the antenna... the less items it will go through.. the better
> the reception. 

Right,  and that's where bridges come in handy.  Bridges give you 
several advantages [over regular wireless network adapters].  1. They 
can be placed high above obstacles, (furniture, people, etc).  2. They 
have their own power supplies, (do not use your PC's power supply).  3. 
They transmit higher RF output, (contributing to [much] longer range). 
4. They do not require any software additions to  your computer, (they 
are stand alone devices, and do not require driver software.)

> 
> They are suceptable to other type of interference. 
> 
> If you can run a wire... your going to be better off. 

You're always going to have better luck, faster, more reliable, etc. 
with hardwired network.  Wireless is for convenience, and ease of use, 
where wiring is too expensive or impractical.

> 
> I have a rack mount cabinet with a lot of metal.... 
> sides, boxes, ups, etc. If I put in a PCI card with an antenna 
> out the back... that metal is going to cause problems. If I use 
> a usb device or extended the antenna to the top of my cabinet... 
> I get getter results. If I go wired instead of wireless... 
> I get a lot better results. 
> 
> jack 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> https://ntlug.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
> 


-- 
but test everything; hold fast what is good,
1 Thessalonians 5:21