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Setting up a long distance wireless hotspot

I'm looking into setting up a wireless hotspot between 6 users with a maximum distance between us being 1.5km, which is not exactly line of sight. We are wanting to be able to connect with laptops and pda's so directional antennas are out of the picture. So far we are thinking along the lines of having a dedicated computer running Mikrotik router OS, then connecting that to a one watt amplifier and a 15 dBi omnidirectional externally mounted antenna. What sort of coverage would i expect to get from this equipment and are there any foreseeable problems you could think of?

Thanks Evan

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Reply to
Evan1
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I believe the fine from the FCC would be $5,000 a day.

Reply to
DTC

Evan1 wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@no-mx.wirelessforums.org:

Legally, the highest gain antenna you can connect to a 1 watt device is

6db.

You gave virtually no information about geography, so no answer can be forthcoming.

Reply to
DanS

Without LOS, you don't have a chance. In fact, you need better than LOS; for starters, see

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Reply to
Bob Willard

Reply to
wireless

Line of site is essential. An AP running 2 watts on a tewnty foot mast can be easily seen from 800 feet away outside on a walk around laptop, but walk twenty feet into the shadow of a house, and it becomes invisible.

Why do you want a Mikrotik unit? Just set the access point with WPA and keep track of the users. Oh...sorry, you aren't using an access point. Hmmm... That's gonna be a problem.

I'd go with at least TWO *commercial* grade access point, that's at least $300 for starters. Prices have really come down from the $1,000 range in the last two years.

You could as well use couple of consumer grade APs and hope for the best.

Reply to
DTC

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