Sharing Wireless Internet
Many people have been asking about the best way to share internet with the house next door or even down the street. Although the basics of neighbourhood networking have been described here on Nylon Pool, there was no specific focus on sharing internet.
Before you go out and start purchasing equipment you should take a look at your ISP's service contract to see their attitude toward such uses. TSTT for one does not treat sharing kindly. While last time I checked Green Dot had no problem with users sharing their internet connection. (That's what they said to me at least)
So, If you are thinking about getting an internet connection with sharing in mind, be sure to choose your ISP wisely.
Once you are fairly certain you wont have a problem with your ISP you can start considering your options.
Do not overlook simple solutions. Often all you need to share internet is a few feet of CAT5 cable.
Of course there is nothing cool or high tech about a piece of cable (unless of course its fiber-optic) so feel free to forget I even mentioned it and move on to wireless networking options.
Method A: You can start with a wireless access point on one end and a wireless network card on the other. If this works you are in luck, and you just saved some cash.
Method B: If not, you might need a stronger signal between point A and point B.
Try using a wireless router that is capable of "Bridge" mode. That means it can connect to another wireless access point and join both locations together as one network. The two powerful transmitters should make a better connection.
Try to position them where there would be as little interference as possible. That would be close as possible, In line of sight if possible. Be careful when purchasing routers or access points for bridging. Some will not create the type of connection you might want, and others will only connect to identical model devices.
Method C: For longer distances you might need to position your routers or access points outside the building for better reception. Place them high up, and in line-of-sight of each other if possible. Remember WIFI signals are really not that powerful and anything you can do to improve reception helps a lot.
Our AirWolf routers are perfectly suited to this task because this is what they were designed for.
They can easily be installed outside and will create whatever type of connection that is needed.
To cut cost you could try using an AirWolf router in location A and an indoor router in location B. This setup is already in use by some of our members and it works very well for sharing internet in most situations.
I hope this helps point you in the right direction. Have fun, and be generous. Share some bandwidth today.
