Wireless Questions

I work for a state agency, and we are looking into wireless networking for
part of our facility. We have 13 buildings which need access to the network.
Fiber runs from Bldg. 1 out to all the other buildings around, 7 of the
buildings have Cat 5 networks, but 6 have coax network.

The problem we have been having is that whenever there is a power spike or
lightning we have to replace most of the devices in the 6 coax networked
buildings. I'm not sure where this problem orginates, but after 3 outages
this past year, we bought 25 or so fiber -> coax converters, which cost
about $70/each...

I am unfamiliar with wireless networks this big, so I have a few questions.

The buildings are approx. 300 yds. away from Bldg. 1, so what kind of range
do the wireless networks offer?

We need the wireless network to tie into the regular network without any
problems. Is this possible?

We use a Windows 2000 Network, will authenication or security be a problem?

Finally, can anyone recommend routers/cards for this task?

I guess security is my main priority, since there is so much about
wardriving and things like that...

Thanks,
Drew Laing

Drew

Hi, take a look here: http://www.proxim.com/ They should be able to help and
answer all your question.

"Drew" <> wrote in message
news:...
>I work for a state agency, and we are looking into wireless networking for
>part of our facility. We have 13 buildings which need access to the
>network. Fiber runs from Bldg. 1 out to all the other buildings around, 7
>of the buildings have Cat 5 networks, but 6 have coax network.
>
> The problem we have been having is that whenever there is a power spike or
> lightning we have to replace most of the devices in the 6 coax networked
> buildings. I'm not sure where this problem orginates, but after 3 outages
> this past year, we bought 25 or so fiber -> coax converters, which cost
> about $70/each...
>
> I am unfamiliar with wireless networks this big, so I have a few
> questions.
>
> The buildings are approx. 300 yds. away from Bldg. 1, so what kind of
> range do the wireless networks offer?
>
> We need the wireless network to tie into the regular network without any
> problems. Is this possible?
>
> We use a Windows 2000 Network, will authenication or security be a
> problem?
>
> Finally, can anyone recommend routers/cards for this task?
>
> I guess security is my main priority, since there is so much about
> wardriving and things like that...
>
> Thanks,
> Drew Laing
>
>

Robert Jacobs

Your solution would be same as was installed in telco
switching center 50+ years ago. Discover wireless has very
limited range. Then move on to instead address the problem.

To each computer, that other building is a big lightning
rod. When a transient occurs in that other building,
transient travels down coax into the computer, then out of
computer to this building's earth ground. Earthing is
essential for all connections made between buildings. And not
just any earthing. All wires - electric, phone, radio, cable,
network - that leave a building must first connect to the
same single point earth ground.

Look at your home cable service (if it was properly
installed). Cable installs a ground block (or something
equivalent) connected less than 10 feet to the same earth
ground used by the AC electric and the telco installed 'whole
house' protector. If not grounded, then the entire cable
network is a big lightning rod connected directly to your TV.

No fancy protector devices are require for coax. But that
coax cable shield must make a short, direct, and independent
connection to the single point ground before entering a
building.

Why does the telco with a $multi-million computer connected
to overhead wires everywhere in town not shutdown for every
thunderstorm? They use the same techniques.

Concepts introduced in sci.electronics.repair on 17 Junm
2004 entitled "Repairing Lightning Damaged Tv's" at

http://makeashorterlink.com/?D6A612B19
Some background reading

http://www.erico.com/erico_public/pd...es/Tncr002.pdf
http://www.comm-omni.com/edcoweb/grndw.htm
http://www.harvardrepeater.org/news/lightning.html
http://www.xantrex.com/support/docserve.asp?id=337
http://www.psihq.com/iread/strpgrnd.htm
http://www.cinergy.com/surge/ttip08.htm
http://www.psihq.com/iread/ufergrnd.htm
http://scott-inc.com/html/ufer.htm

http://dayton.akorn.net/pipermail/to...il/004413.html

Polyphaser app notes are considered an industry benchmark:
http://www.polyphaser.com/ppc_technical.asp

Much reading. The actual labor is quite trivial. Cure the
problem. This is technology well proven before WWII.
Unfortunately whoever installed the network did not even have
such basic knowledge.

Drew wrote:
> I work for a state agency, and we are looking into wireless networking
> for part of our facility. We have 13 buildings which need access to
> the network. Fiber runs from Bldg. 1 out to all the other buildings
> around, 7 of the buildings have Cat 5 networks, but 6 have coax
> network.
>
> The problem we have been having is that whenever there is a power
> spike or lightning we have to replace most of the devices in the 6
> coax networked buildings. I'm not sure where this problem orginates,
> but after 3 outages this past year, we bought 25 or so fiber -> coax
> converters, which cost about $70/each...
>
> I am unfamiliar with wireless networks this big, so I have a few
> questions.
>
> The buildings are approx. 300 yds. away from Bldg. 1, so what kind
> of range do the wireless networks offer?
>
> We need the wireless network to tie into the regular network without
> any problems. Is this possible?
>
> We use a Windows 2000 Network, will authenication or security be a
> problem?
>
> Finally, can anyone recommend routers/cards for this task?
>
> I guess security is my main priority, since there is so much about
> wardriving and things like that...
>
> Thanks,
> Drew Laing

w_tom