3 mile long wireless connection

Sneevly · Post by **Sneevly** » Fri May 13, 2016 10:14 pm

Objective here is to deliver the internet from my house to another house exactly 3 miles to the east. A minimum of 500kbps and a mostly consistent connection is what I'm aiming for. Preferred would be >10mbps but I don't see that happening.

The basics:
House #1
Elevation 642 feet + 110 foot tower = 752

House #2
Elevation 676 feet + 25 feet = 701
*would really prefer not to have to put up a giant pole on house #2

The only obstacle observed so far is 3 large trees when using google earth and binoculars. I don't believe a structure is in the way but I will just have to find out.

My understanding is that I would have to use a 900mhz product in an attempt to make a connection.

#1 What 900mhz or other product would you recommend
#2 Do you set it up as a point to point or some thing else?

Preferred budget is $2000 or less. I understand this may not work at all, but I'd at least like to try, and if I can't do it I will simply return the equipment.

If I'm being fuzzy about any details or leaving any thing out please let me know. I am getting an *expensive* fiber connection at my residence/business and am trying to shave down total cost by sharing it with my other business locations.

Post by **Philip** » Sat May 14, 2016 3:08 pm

The main issue is line of sight... If you have that, or just small/partial shading from a couple of trees, you can do great. I wouldn't limit myself to 900MHz. Yes, 900MHz has better tree penetration, however, speed is slower (10Mbps vs 100+ Mbps). I would avoid the 2.4 GHz spectrum as it is overly congested usually. Keep in mind that 900 MHz has much bigger Fresnel Zone (@ 3 miles it is 65+ feet vs. only 28 feet for 5GHz), that means you will actually need higher clearance for 900 MHz (but yes, you will get better tree penetration). Here is a Fresnel Zone calculator for reference: http://www.proxim.com/products/knowledg ... -zone#feet

I would try to setup a wireless bridge from the top of the existing tower to the roof of the other house before investing into another pole. It would have to be with pretty narrow beam antennas (30 degrees or less) to focus the signal at such a distance.

I would personally try the following:
For 900MHz, I would use: two Nanobridge M (NBM9-KIT) ... Or, you can use two Rocket M900 APs and separate directional antennas.
5 GHz - Ubiquiti Nanobeam AC (15+km range, that is close to 10 miles).. https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/nanobeam-ac/
5 GHz longer distance - Ubiquiti Powerbeam AC (15-20mile range models) https://www.ubnt.com/airmax/powerbeam-ac/

Pricing all those options (at B&H)...
900 MHz Nanobridge M ... 2 x $152
5 GHz... Nanobeam AC ... 2 x $100 (may be small for that big of a distance)
5 GHz... PowerbeamACs ... 2 x $217 (the largest model is PBE-5AC-620). The reflectors are 2 feet in diameter

The good part about most models above is that the access points are directly at the antennas, so there is not much signal loss using long antenna cables from the pole. They also support PoE, so you can power them through the single Ethernet cable to them. You just have to point them correctly and have line of sight.

Ubiquiti has a number of other options for long range Wireless bridges in whatever frequency you choose, the main thing is line of sight and ~60%+ Fresnel zone clearance. If you don't have line of sight, go for the 900MHz for better tree penetration.

Please keep us posted, point-to-point wireless bridges are interesting.

Post by **YeOldeStonecat** » Mon May 16, 2016 3:17 pm

A agree, Ubiquiti...
I'm just starting a fun project with them, I'm using their big AirFiber 5 units to shoot a 150 meg connection (soon to be 300) across almost 7 miles of water, to an island.
We've done lots of point to points with the Nanos...they're dirt cheap, have over a 10km range, and work well.
What does concern me right off the bat (without actually seeing your site)...you mention trees.

Sneevly · Post by **Sneevly** » Mon May 16, 2016 9:23 pm

Thank you very much for the input. I believe the "Fresnel" zone makes 900mhz a no go unless I get a very tall pole for House #2.

5ghz I'm going to assume works terrible through trees. The wireless router in my house sucks with 5ghz if you're not in the same room as it. But I'm willing to try any thing.

2.4ghz is still an option maybe. I know you said it is overcrowded, but that might not be as bad assuming the 5ghz and the 900mhz both can't connect at all.

I will try to order some equipment within a day or so, I'm much busier than I expected this time of year.

As far as aiming these two point to point connections, does the software help with that? At 3 miles it'd be like trying to pee with the toilet seat down blind folded.

Post by **Philip** » Tue May 17, 2016 7:41 am

5GHz has worse obstacle penetration, but if you have clear line of sight you can connect miles away. There are some other frequencies (3 GHz ?) that can work to avoid the congested 2.4GHz. If you have a couple of trees in between, that should be your first priority though, and that means you shouldn't discard 900MHz as it has the best obstacle penetration from all those. You can do ok with ~60% "Fresnel" zone clearance, at 3 Miles that's about 40 feet (a two-story house is ~30 feet). Ultimately you have to make the choice, you know your location best.

Even with 4G LTE, most companies utilize dual bands, one ~1.8-2GHz for higher bandwidth, and another 750-800 MHz for better wall penetration in buildings and to avoid dead spots.

As for pointing, many of those Ubiquiti APs/Bridges have led indicators for signal strength right on them, making pointing them easier once they're powered up.

charlelsa920 · Post by **charlelsa920** » Mon Nov 21, 2016 2:32 pm

where do you live? what country as rules for wireless use vary from country to country?
what is between? valley? flat land? farms? town? this could also help decide which frequency to use.