Shared access

karltimber

Hi folks,

If i have bb and a wireless router set-up at home - is it possible to share this connection with a neighbour. At what distance will this connection work to.

The neighbour will have a desk-top so what would be the best way for them to get my router signal - pci card or a moveable wired antenna to the pc.

thx

ButtermilkJack

A handy solution I reckon would be a usb wireless adaptor, around €35 - €40. I think 802.11g has a good enough range. Thing to remember is, even 802.11b, which has an official capacity of 11Mbps, will be good for at least 100-200ft (I think?). Reason being it has a gradual drop-off as you move away from the base, but as most bb packages are only 1mb/2mb connections, even if you are far away you will still pick up speeds of at least 1mb - which means your bb should not be compromised.

I'm a newbie to wireless networks so if anyone has more experience I'd also like to know!

More info

JoyPad

Hi,

It's possible to share the connection, but it's a possible breach of contract. Most ISPs have banned the sharing in their T&C, you might wanna check yours.

If it's not a breach in your contract, or you don't care about that, then consider the following:
The range of your wireless access point depends on several factors: its model/specifications, position relatively to your PCs, walls between you and your neighbour, other metallic items, other radio-wave emitting devices, interference.
The best way to see how far can it reach is to roam around with a wireless-enabled laptop, and use netstumbler to see SNR value (SNR = Signal/Noise Ratio, a measure of how strong the signal is). You may find that the connection goes a long way if you have line of sight, but not as far through stone walls, and not at all through large metallic items (boiler, fridge).

As for connecting a desktop PC to a wireless access point, you got a few options:
1. buy a PCI card, preferably one with an SMA connector. Here's an example. The point in having an SMA connected antenna is that you can easily replace it with a high gain antenna, if you need a signal boost. If you need a huge signal boost, have a look at these antennas.
2. if the signal is strong enough, you can buy an USB dongle. You can't extend the range for these, but they're very easy to install and they're highly portable (i.e. easy to borrow/loan for tests, you can put it on a laptop as well, etc).


NOTE: I'm not recommending you to buy the items I referenced here, they're just for illustration purpose. Before you buy, you should shop around for the items that suit your needs and your pocket.


Cheers,
JP