[dvd7e]

I live and work on a small, family run dairy farm. We have internet at the house, but I'm wondering what is the best/cheapest way to get internet back out to our barn? The barn is about 500-750 feet from the house, with another barn standing in between the two. Primary goal is to get wired internet at one of the offices in the barn, secondary goal or a "nice to have but not necessary" would be to have WiFi in and around the entire barn and or farm (about 10 acres of area), but not interested in paying significantly extra for this.

We have satellite internet at the house (it's too rural, so cabled internet is not available), and the internet company said basically our options are:
1) Run an Ethernet cable from the house directly to the barn
2) Use repeaters/boosters to extend the WiFi signal from the house out to the barn
3) Use a Point to Point WiFi bridge/antenna to shoot the signal from the house to the barn
4) Get another dish on the barn.

Option 1: I don't know how practical this one is.
Option 2: My limited understanding and research makes it seems like option 2 would require several (3? 4?) repeaters/boosters and each one has significant loss in signal so I'm not sure how reliable this would be. Option 3: Not sure yet if we can get line of sight on the antennas. There are a few buildings in the way, may be able to get partial line of sight. But in general, this method seems the best for long range extension of WiFi networks (I've seen some antenna's claiming 20+ miles, that would be overkill for what we need)
Option 4: Too expensive to make it worthwhile - would need to pay for another dish and installation plus another $50-60/month. Basically a non-starter for that cost.

I think option 2 would be great if it's practical (not too many repeaters necessary) because the installation is probably the easiest, and would allow us to have a WiFi network over all or most of the farm, but I'm concerned about significant signal degradation with each repeater. Option 3 also sounds possible, but not sure yet if we can get line of sight.

We're hoping to keep one time cost under $300 or so, with no monthly/recurring costs by sharing the internet that we currently have at the house. In general, the internet usage is pretty low - mostly just accessing files, we aren't streaming HD video or doing video conferencing or anything like that. Just a basic internet connection is what we're looking for.

Does anyone have any thoughts on which option (or a different one altogether) to pursue? Any recommendations on equipment? Any guides/tips on installation?

Thanks!

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Edited by SpywareDr, 29 December 2013 - 07:20 AM.

[SpywareDr]

Think Mesh Networking

Ayrstone - Wireless Farm Networking

Open-Mesh

Meraki

Edited by SpywareDr, 29 December 2013 - 07:20 AM.

[puppet9999]

Another option that has not been listed is to use hi-gain antennas (8dbi to 12dbi or more) such as omnidirectional antennas or a yagi antenna (yagi antennas have a more narrowed focused signal direction). The antenna will be less than 100 dollars. Since you are looking to cover more area than just the second barn, the omnidirectional might be a better choice. It does not appear from the distance you specified that you will need additional equipment on the other end (in the barn itself). Some omnidirectional antennas achieve a mile of distance but will require line of site. 500 to 750 feet is a short distance if the power is right just as a regular Wi-Fi antenna works around/through walls, couches, tables , etc., within the house so does the hi-gain antennas work around obstacles outside - they just have way more power to accomplish the task.

Please take a look at the pdf found at this link. http://www.ampedwire...atasheet_LR.pdf

It is an example only, but a useful one as it provides an example of coverage and it is an outdoor model. I have not used this manufacturer's hardware before and it's been a while since I have worked with hi-gain or directional antennas. The last vendor I worked with was Cisco Access Points and antennas, they are very, very pricey however.
I would have enjoyed being your neighbor to hook this up for you - I have a lot of respect and appreciation for anyone who runs and works a farm.

Good luck.