Networking Issue

[Dman8568]

Does anyone know how I could get a wireless network to reach 1/2 mile?

 

I am 1 of 3 "IT guys" for a non-profit group. This spring we will be having a huge gathering of approx. 500 members, and we are wanting to do a computer-based check-in process with a central server running a master database. Because of the camp's layout, the check-in booth is separated by approx. 1/2 mile from the main office where we will house the server.

 

Any ideas would be more than appreciated, as we have been scratching our heads for the past 3 months on this.

 

One idea we had was to physically move the server to the check-in booth, but we are considering this as a last-resort, as we will be needing to run reports on the same data at the same time from the office.

Edited February 15, 2007 by Dman8568

[Madmanmcp]

There are several things you can look into and it will mostly depend on how much you are willing to spend and what resources you have available at both sites.

 

Repeaters and High Gain directional antennas:

A Repeater is a device that will receive a weak signal and amplify it and send it back out at normal strength.

The High Gain directional antenna will increase the strength of a signal and send it in a single direction, further than a normal antenna.

You can setup several stations along the path to receive the signal and send it to the next one till you reach the final booth.

 

Internet access:

If you have internet access at both location there are software solutions out there that allow networking across the internet, PCAnywhere for instance.

 

Modems:

You can setup a peer to peer network via telephone dialup, PCAnywhere again.

 

Do you really need access of data at the same time? You could always backup the data on one and walk/ride it to the other station and restore it every 30 minutes. (old school solution)

Edited February 15, 2007 by Madmanmcp

[Madmanmcp]

Here are a couple links to give you and idea of what I am talking about.

 

Yagi Antenna:

ht_p://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=56

 

Panel Antenna:

ht_p://www.dlink.com/products/?sec=0&pid=55

 

Access Point:

ht_p://www.dlink.com/products/?pid=326&sec=0

 

Repeater:

ht_p://www.windowsmarketplace.com/details.aspx?view=info&itemId=902738#

 

pcAnywhere:

ht_p://www.symantec.com/home_homeoffice/products/overview.jsp?pcid=pf&pvid=pca12

 

WiFi Router:

ht_p://www.wirelessnetworkproducts.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=1425&gclid=CMf9voW4sIoCFQ6kWAodgmo4uQ