# Help: Outdoor Long Range WIFI
**URL:** https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470
**Category:** NYSpeed Off Topic
**Created:** [March 4, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470 "2014-03-04T18:29:19Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 6:29pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/1 "2014-03-04T18:29:19Z")
Here is the details and where I am thus far:
I am not a networking guy. I don’t know much more about it than your average computer guy. I do understand the fundamentals of what I am trying to do, but to accomplish it I need to understand specifics.
I have a camp out in holland. There is no wifi and I am spending a lot of money using my verizon data plan so I can work and the kids can watch fuzzy movies. There are a couple small towns within 2-3 miles and lots of country homes. There HAS to be a few open networks that I can bounce around on if I get a high powered antenna to grab the signal. The second reason for this is that I want to be able to put the kids in bed and leave the site. I have a networked video camera and a couple old android phones that are being used as microphones. I am not concerned if I cant get the camera to work but I need all of my devices to be on the same network to pass audio around. That said not only do I need to pull in a signal from far away I also want to repeat it from a local router over approximately .5 to 1 mile.
Here is where I am:
I found this little gem [http://www.thewirie.com/marine-wifi-product-AP.html](http://www.thewirie.com/marine-wifi-product-AP.html)
which got me thinking that I could do just this with some stuff I have and a much smaller shopping bill.
That line of thinking led me to this diy solution: [http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/06/the\_wirieap\_marine\_wifi\_perfected.html](http://www.panbo.com/archives/2011/06/the_wirieap_marine_wifi_perfected.html)
Ultimately I ended up with this device and I will add an omnidirectional antenna and POE injector (or just buy a POE AP) [http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-BulletM5-Ti-Titanium-Repeater-Processor/dp/B008FITUZK/](http://www.amazon.com/Ubiquiti-BulletM5-Ti-Titanium-Repeater-Processor/dp/B008FITUZK/)
This device has an Ethernet port on it so i guess i would have to plug the Ethernet from the AP into this to get onto a network, but how do I go about boosting that signal? Do I just get a higher powered antenna and use a wire to connect it to AP antenna port?
Any other ideas or directions that I should be looking in?
Also this will all be mounted about 30-35’ above grade in a tree so that will hopefully help performance.
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### Author:  [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 6:35pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/2 "2014-03-04T18:35:27Z")
Man, I’d be happy that I didn’t have wifi. It’s nice to get away every once and a while.
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### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 7:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/3 "2014-03-04T19:00:15Z")
Don’t get me wrong I do use it to turn off and relax, but I also spend a good deal of time down there over summer and I am often working remote so I really need some form of connection. I always have my hotspot as a backup but I want something better/cheaper.
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### Author:  [@Motocrossx23](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Motocrossx23)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 7:12pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/4 "2014-03-04T19:12:07Z")
Ah, makes sense then.
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### Author:  [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/5 "2014-03-04T20:39:18Z")
So you don’t have a current router at the cabin? Anything PoE will either need the router/switch to provide power or use a power injector.
Sent from my MotoX using Tapatalk
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### Author:  [@mark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mark)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/6 "2014-03-04T21:11:08Z")
what you want to do may sound simple, but if you do not have line of sight its not going to be easy.
.5 to 1 mile line of sight will require a lot less signal than say 100 feet with trees and crap in the way.
wireless is microwaves. organic shit absorbs these waves, so to shoot signal farther, you need more power captain than if you were just line of sight.
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### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/7 "2014-03-04T21:11:20Z")
I have nothing there but what I bring with me device wise. There is no cable and therefore no internet. I know how the POE works, I am just not sure what all the devices that I will need to make a solid long range network. Also since I am leaching on whatever internet someone fails to secure I believe that I can not use a router but I have to use a switch or access point as their router will handle all of the configuration correct?
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### Author:  [@llink78](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/llink78)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:20pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/8 "2014-03-04T21:20:03Z")
Do you have a poll at the rode? Why not see if you can get a phone land line and then basic DSL? Just throwing it out there. Have you driven near the said houses to even see if there is a usable signal?
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### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/9 "2014-03-04T21:26:27Z")
I am over 1/4 mile in from the road and have no way to get a cable back there. It is not my land but a campsite. If this was my land I would have been out with a trencher instead of posting here lol.
In a couple years this wont be an issue but until I build my own camp I am happy with what I have, just need it to be more flexible.
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### Author:  [@mark](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/mark)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:27pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/10 "2014-03-04T21:27:05Z")
to make a solid long range network, you are not going to get it by hopping on joe schmoe’s open Linksys device from 3 miles away. wireless is only as fast as its slowest point, adding an amp to your side doesn’t make it any better if joe schmoe has dinky 3dbi Omni antennas on his Linksys , and your running a 1 watt amp on a 24dbi directional grid antenna that has a 6-11 degree spread…
you are not going to get a good result pointing a directional antenna to an Omni either over a long distance either, and for an Omni to run out long distances its gotta be way up in the air.
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### Author:  [@llink78](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/llink78)
#### Post date: [March 4, 2014, 9:37pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/11 "2014-03-04T21:37:17Z")
The only other option I can think of that will work in your situation is to pay for Cricket wireless service for around 35 a month. That’s if coverage is available there.
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### Author:  [@lorge1989](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/lorge1989)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 5:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/12 "2014-03-05T05:14:12Z")
That attena cost $115, how much more equip do you need? If you are just using this for a few years, bump up your mobile data plan to unlimited and just create a mobile hotspot, if you need to share.
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### Author:  [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 5:32am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/13 "2014-03-05T05:32:23Z")
> [@tpgsr](#):
>
> I have nothing there but what I bring with me device wise. There is no cable and therefore no internet. I know how the POE works, I am just not sure what all the devices that I will need to make a solid long range network. Also since I am leaching on whatever internet someone fails to secure I believe that I can not use a router but I have to use a switch or access point as their router will handle all of the configuration correct?
There would still need to be some sort of cabling done and configuration. Their router, assuming it’s the standard setup will hand out DHCP through it to the Access Point and therefore give you a IP address. It gets kinda tricky if the setup is different.
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### Author:  [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 5:56am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/14 "2014-03-05T05:56:25Z")
Do you have line of sight to the town?
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### Author:  [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 6:07am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/15 "2014-03-05T06:07:24Z")
Satellite an option?
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### Author:  [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 6:41am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/16 "2014-03-05T06:41:13Z")
I have used something like this before
[http://www.simplewifi.com/blackindoor.html](http://www.simplewifi.com/blackindoor.html)
However satellite is probably a better long term option then trying to steal random wifi lol
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### Author:  [@tpgsr](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/tpgsr)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 7:09am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/17 "2014-03-05T07:09:45Z")
> [@mark](#):
>
> to make a solid long range network, you are not going to get it by hopping on joe schmoe’s open Linksys device from 3 miles away. wireless is only as fast as its slowest point, adding an amp to your side doesn’t make it any better if joe schmoe has dinky 3dbi Omni antennas on his Linksys , and your running a 1 watt amp on a 24dbi directional grid antenna that has a 6-11 degree spread…
>
> you are not going to get a good result pointing a directional antenna to an Omni either over a long distance either, and for an Omni to run out long distances its gotta be way up in the air.
I get this… My just get it done side still says trying is better than not. Maybe one of the houses that is relatively close to me \<1/4mi will have something unlocked that I can get on. The business networks that I would be more happy to go after are much farther away though.
> [@llink78](#):
>
> The only other option I can think of that will work in your situation is to pay for Cricket wireless service for around 35 a month. That’s if coverage is available there.
Once I do that is there any way to connect their hotspot to a router to split the connection amongst my devices and boost the signal? That was my hold back on getting a verizon hotspot and ramping up my data plan.
> [@lorge1989](#):
>
> That attena cost $115, how much more equip do you need? If you are just using this for a few years, bump up your mobile data plan to unlimited and just create a mobile hotspot, if you need to share.
I expected to spend in the ball park of $500 for equipment to get a semi reliable network running. Verizon does not offer unlimited and I am not switching all of my devices to another carrier. Also using verizon I am one of the few people that actually get a 4g signal sporadically out there. I assume mounting the hotspot up in the trees would give me a more consistent connection but who knows.
> [@ProgRocker](#):
>
> There would still need to be some sort of cabling done and configuration. Their router, assuming it’s the standard setup will hand out DHCP through it to the Access Point and therefore give you a IP address. It gets kinda tricky if the setup is different.
I don’t mind running cables locally, but I am not digging. I would ideally like everything to be in a plastic enclosure up in the air.
> [@LZ](#):
>
> Do you have line of sight to the town?
From the tree line yes.
> [@ProgRocker](#):
>
> Satellite an option?
a damn expensive one. I though about it and looked at a marine system that was over 1K for the equipment plus a data plan.
> [@LZ](#):
>
> I have used something like this before
>
> [http://www.simplewifi.com/blackindoor.html](http://www.simplewifi.com/blackindoor.html)
>
> However satellite is probably a better long term option then trying to steal random wifi lol
The cantenna is what started this for me. I thought surely there had to be a better method.
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### Author:  [@ProgRocker](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ProgRocker)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 7:12am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/18 "2014-03-05T07:12:45Z")
Doesn’t seem too bad compared to a solution like Time Warner/Verizon:
[http://www.exede.com/internet-packages-pricing/service-availability?zip=14080](http://www.exede.com/internet-packages-pricing/service-availability?zip=14080)
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### Author:  [@LZ1](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LZ1)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 7:15am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/19 "2014-03-05T07:15:11Z")
[http://www.starband.com/](http://www.starband.com/)
🙂
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Idk spend $100 on one of those antennas and a decent wifi card to power it…see what happens.
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### Author:  [@theblue](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/theblue)
#### Post date: [March 5, 2014, 7:17am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/help-outdoor-long-range-wifi/268470/20 "2014-03-05T07:17:55Z")
> [@llink78](#):
>
> Do you have a poll at the rode?
I hope this is grammar trolling
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