Networking Across the Street

[Dave Wyman]

Thanks all for some good ideas on how to connect my network to my 
neighbor's wireless network (she generously offered to let me share her 
wireless network for no charge).

The various suggestions included using a used satellite dish antenna, 
which looked good, but seems a bit impractical, as I'm not sure my 
neighbor would appreciate having the dish on her roof. Still, it got me 
pointed in the right direction. The build-it-yourself cantenna is 
another good idea. But I wasn't clear if I should attach it to my 
network or my neighbors network (there was a third suggestion to put an 
antenna on my neighbor's base station, which is possible but again 
perhaps impractical). I liked the idea of the wireless ethernet 
adapter, which I had to study up on, as the concept again wasn't clear 
to me.

Synthesizing the above ideas, here's what I've decided to try:

1) Purchase a wireless ethernet adapter, like the Lynksys WET11.

2) Stick the ethernet adaptor in the window of my office (o.k., it's 
the kitchen "dinette" ) and aim it toward the neighbor's home, across 
the street.

3) Attach one end of an ethernet cable to the ethernet adaptor.

4)  Attach the other end of an ethernet cable to my AirPort base 
station, which will then transmit the wireless signal from my 
neighbor's home to the iBooks in my home.

The ethernet adaptor (also known as a bridge) should be far better able 
to pick up my neighbor's signal than the antenna in my iBook. But if it 
can't, I'm going to purchase a commercial cantenna ($19) and attach it 
to the ethernet adaptor (or maybe build my own, although I'm not that 
handy with electronic gear.)

Obviously I have too much time on my hands, but this started when 
Comcast stopped letting me attach two or more computers at one time to 
their cable modem, which I had been doing for more than a year. Comcast 
wants me to plunk down another $6 a month for that privilege, then adds 
that Apple computers aren't supported.  Hence my purchase of a base 
station for our iBooks.

There is one other solution, via software. IPNetRouterX (for OS X) can 
be used to network computers, just using the software and an ethernet 
hub, without an ISP knowing about it. But you can't go wireless. For 
now, IPNetRouterX is a free beta program, and it would have saved me 
some bucks (but I wouldn't have the fun of working on a wireless 
network).

So again, thanks for the suggestions, which I think have led me in the 
right direction. If I attempt this, I'll report the results. Frankly, 
I'd love to see our entire block networked!

Dave

-- 
http://www.davewyman.com
http://www.idrivebackroads.com (Guidebook to Northern California)

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