AirPort Relays
Is it possible at all to build some sort of AirPort Relay device? You could set them up in place to pick up a certain base station or software base station and then broadcast it out to a larger radius. This would increase the 150 feet (barely half a football feild) restriction by adding more space to roam. it would be great for schools, offices,and those really big homes that streatch more than 150 feet in any radii
well, what does y'all think of this done here idea-rum <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
well, what does y'all think of this done here idea-rum <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />
Comments
They can repeat a given network and in fact, this is what schools that use the Airport do to provide adequate coverage to large structures.
You can't have a wireless relay between two basestations, which would be a very nice feature.
I got about 300 feet with AirPort recently.
I remember them mentioning it at one of the ducation seminars I went to.
There ARE 802.11-based base stations that act as repeaters. These are called bridges and I believe the major wireless network players all have them. I know what were once Lucent, then Orinoco, and I think now Avaya base stations can do this. This is a great idea because you can have one point connected to a physical network and then a theoretically infinite wireless network. The [formerly] Lucent base-stations use two 802.11 cards (in this case PCMCIA, great idea because it makes for easy upgrading to new technology), one acting as a transmitter and the other as a receiver. If you don't need wireless bridging you can use the two cards to support clients on two different 802.11 channels, effictively doubling your client capactiy. I don't know if it would be possible, perhaps performance would be bad, to have one card act as an access point and wirelss bridge.
Are you asking if its possible to make like a chain of 802.11b, using only a single WAN connection and providing a coverage cloud?
There are hacks out there for this. Try and do a google search (include Usenet stuff too).
[ 12-25-2001: Message edited by: mslee ]</p>
<strong>They have 'roaming' capabilities, but not a real relay capability. You can have multiple basestations far apart with the ability for a client to roam between them, but the bases have to be on the same subnet.
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...and physically connected to the network. Large-scale wireless networks are oh-so sweet.
<strong>Bastard from Carnegie Mellon. </strong><hr></blockquote>
There are rumors of the network expanding to a 2 mile radius around campus. :eek: :eek:
I wish there was an Airport-enabled MP3 player.
Errr... you mean an iPaq with a wireless card?? Sure, it's kinda bulky, but the technology exists
each person lives in a 150 foot radius of another, but person A does not neccesarily live 150 feet from person D.....
is it possible for them to some how make it so person A, who lives 400 feet or so from person D, to connect to D and everyone else so they can share files?
this would be great! Making relays and making them cheap could allow people to invest in one, set it one a buidling and then anyone can use it for themselves...as long as that is actually possible....public relays
Yup
[quote]this would be great! Making relays and making them cheap could allow people to invest in one, set it one a buidling and then anyone can use it for themselves...as long as that is actually possible....public relays <hr></blockquote>
These exist as well, and are typically referred to as wireless freenets. I know you'll think I'm smoking crack when I say this, but if you have line of sight between two access points (airports), and a directional antenna on each one, you can bridge 10 miles or so. I'll find some links so you know I'm not on drugs . I believe most of the wireless bridges have two wireless cards in them, while the airport only has one. I'm sure at some point in the future you'll see this type of capability, but only when it makes financial sense for them. To me it seems like it would be theoretically possible with just one, but what do I know.
<a href="http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448" target="_blank">http://www.oreillynet.com/cs/weblog/view/wlg/448</a>