In the modern world communication and connectivity is getting easier by the day, and the revolutionary capabilities of modern tech know no bounds. In this and the following blog articles we will explore Point to Point Wireless connections, discovering what they are, why and where you should use them, and some examples of where they have been used in the workplace successfully.
Point to Point Wireless Connections – What are they?
A Point to Point (PtP) wireless connection – otherwise known as a wireless access point (WAP), Wi-Fi bridge, or wireless bridge – is used to connect two locations together using antennas with a clear line of sight. Rather than one large aerial they use a series of small, powerful ones, routers, and cables to make the connection possible.
Once having achieved a connection, it can be used to receive and broadcast any computer network from one location to another, including an internet connect for up to 50km from the information’s origination point.
Why use a Point-to-Point Wireless connection?
A valid question. Why not just do things the same way as most – get a normal connection and be done with it? Well, it’s simple really, because for those of us that situate our organization in rural, regional, or remote areas, PtP makes connectivity possible. It could be described as essentially a really long ethernet cable, providing connectivity between the two locations.
What is an ethernet cable?
An ethernet cable has a plastic plug on either end, rather like that on a phone, but larger and longer. The cable itself is quite chunky. Ethernet cables are designed to connect computers to one another.
Here are some tips to help you get around local geography and bring internet and internal home/business network services into dead zones or black spots; sometimes a Wi-Fi extender won’t help so you need another way to get connected.
For example:
- Your dairy has all its records stored on an on-site computer. You can access that computer from your house 2km away using a PtP connection.
- One of the buildings that is built on a hill gets great access to a mobile network, while the other building – a mere 500m away – gets no reception at all. Using PtP will allow the other building to connect to mobile broadband.
- You have a building that is set up on the other side of the site. Obstructions around the site will interfere with a Mesh router connection, but PtP on 2m poles will present the building with the office internet connection.
At its full capabilities, a PtP connection can span up to a staggering 50km with a direct line of site. However, unfortunately, your connection will begin to lose speed and quality after 2.5km, and you will likely have barely any connection left at all at 30km.
This is why we suggest that when planning links between buildings you don’t attempt any over the 20km mark in a rural, regional, or remote area.
What is the cost and effort?
There is a fair amount of work involved to be sure the PtP is implemented, managed, and used as productively and securely as possible. These steps are as follows:
- Planning the setup – The most important of all steps, you must assess the market for what is both the most secure and latest model, and above all the right fit for your business. We would advise consultancy at this point; the right help can be sure you get what is the best option for your business.
- Equipment purchase and configuration – Upon finding a supplier find out if they can pre-configure your equipment.
- Installation 1 – Poles, masts, or towers – It is essential that you know how to – or get – the large poles used to clear interference (some 12 metres high) installed to structural requirements safely and securely according to regulations.
- Installation 2 – Equipment – Again, finding an organization that can assist you in these endeavours is highly recommended, as placing Antennas at the top of masts/ poles and running cables is no mean feat. Once installation is complete you can set up the computers and take over all IT, but the crucial installation must be done correctly and to a high standard.
- Costs can be variable – Expect to pay at least $300 per location for the technical equipment alone. You know to start from a two-location setup (the starting point and the finish point) but this can get more complex depending on any extra sites you add. Dependant on size, quality and quality poles, masts and towers start at around $600 and can go as high as over $5,000. This is all dependent on location – if you are on flat easy to move earth then the process may be easier, but if you are situated on a rock face, you will need the appropriate brackets and stays for your location (roof, free-standing, or any other setup).
- Internet set up – Again, if you have an external provider, by this point they will have communicated your goals, and what you want to achieve from the new connectivity, so a plan will already be in place for the moment the connection is operational. The internet will now bring the whole system together, so wherever you are across the locations it will be like you are still in the office setting.
In the following article we will look at some examples of where PtP connections could work within your organization.
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