Planning a Point to Point Bridge
So Ladies and Gents, this is my first go at blogging about something technical. Wish me luck! I have been at DigitalAir Wireless for just over 5 months now and my eyes have been opened to big wide world of wireless, more recently I have been dropped into the sub-world of Wireless Bridging so I thought in an effort to enlighten others into what is required when planning a Point to Point wireless bridge I would document what I’ve picked up in this blog.
So You've got a network in a building and you have need to have access to that network from another location but you don 't have an unlimited amount of money and the pesky council won 't let you dig up a few miles of road to lay a cable? Fear Not! You have a requirement to run back-ups to a remote server in another building but the buildings area not on the same LAN? Don 't worry. To be honest, there are so many reasons you might look at a wireless bridge, I can 't list them all now but if you are reading this then it 's likely you have one of them but where do you start? Apart from the obvious answer of contacting DigitalAir Wireless of course Here are a few things to think about and investigate that will hopefully send you on the right path.
Line of Sight?
Hopefully you have established the buildings you want to connect. What is really important is that you can get line of sight from one building to another. If line of sight is clear then great, no need to read and more of this paragraph. If you don 't have clear view between the two locations then there are ways to overcome this. The use of a mast to gain a height advantage or you may want to have a tree that is obscuring the view cut down or trimmed (they do grow back though). It may also be possible to create a 'dog leg link ' where a third location is used that both locations have line of sight to. Distance between the two locations?
It's worth as soon as you know the two locations you want to link putting them into google maps and having a look at the distance involved. While distance is unlikely to put an end to any plans for a link as most distances can be overcome, it will be deciding factor is the radio that right for your project.
Purpose of the Link?
This is probably a pretty easy question to answer but it 's very important when deciding on a few factors. It will help ascertain the required throughput, if a backup link should be installed and what type of link should be used (be that microwave or laser). For example if VOIP is being used you would want to install a solution they has very low latency so the data packets are going to reach their intended target in good time and ensure it doesn 't sound like you are talking to a Dalek (a member of a race of hostile alien machine-organisms which appeared in the BBC television science fiction series Doctor Who from 1963).
Other Factors to Consider
- Time Frame: How quickly do you need to link installed?
- Budget: What Budget do you have?
- Interference: Are there other links in the area? Are there other factors that may casuse interfearence with the link such as power lines or an Air Port?
"Who you gonna call?"
I know what you're thinking, but the ghostbusters aren 't the right men/women for the job on this occasion.
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