[conspire] (forw) Re: Need help with a couple technical questions

[Tony Godshall]

...

>> 2, How to connect a computer on the first floor to the network switch on
>> the 15th floor. Distance is more  than 400 ft?

...

> It would be difficult (effectively impossible) to run such a connection
> vertically up 14 floors without participation from building management.
> If (as seems likely) no such cooperation is available, you might be best
> advised to try a point-to-point 802.11 wireless link with directional
> antennas and see if you can receive enough signal at each end.
> Unfortunately, transmitting through the middle of a solid building is a
> very challenging use-case; the more-promising use cases involve links
> between buildings where the antennas have line-of-sight communication.

...

You might be able to bounce a wifi signal off a neighboring building.

Directionals at each end, of course, something like a pair of
Ubuiquity Nanostation 2 or NS 5, perhaps, which are nicely
integrated and cost ~$90 each, including PoE injectors.  (I've
not had as good luck doing point to point with the newer MIMO
models and have never tested their "low cost" models.)
Experiments as to reflectivity of the neighboring buildings in
each range would be indicated.

example of a nearby dealer http://www.streakwave.com/ (san jose)

datasheet including directional gain diagrams:

http://www.streakwave.com/mmSWAVE1/Video/ns2_datasheet.pdf
http://www.streakwave.com/mmSWAVE1/Video/ns5_datasheet.pdf

both are capable of running open source alternatives
to the onboard firmware as well, btw.