Wi-fi

What does it take to establish wi-fi in a small building w/ 2 apartments?  Does a phone company do it or a contractor or one just buys equipment for d-i-y?  Is there an on-going cost involved?

Arkady

in How To 12 years and 11 months ago

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webby1000 | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Don’t do it.  It will just give you another headache when the internet goes down and your tenants start complaining.  The internet WILL go down–that’s life.  This was a marketable amenity 5-10 years ago but there really isn’t a ROI on this anymore.  Tenants expect to get wifi now.

Arkady | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Thanks for the suggestions.  My idea was to implement wi-fi in apartments that I rent out as an extra amenity.

slopemope | 12 years and 11 months ago

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you just buy a wireless router.  The cheap reliable one is the linksys before their latest which hasn’t had the best reviews.  http://www.amazon.com/Cisco-Linksys-WRT54GL-Wireless-G-Broadband-Router/dp/B000BTL0OA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1338523456&sr=8-1  Run wire (CAT5 – phone wire looking plug) from existing cable modem into this.  This unit allows for both wired as well as wireless connections.  Just remember to password protect the router itself as well as the wireless signal, otherwise the whole neighborhood will leech to you and slow you down.  If the far away points aren’t getting signal, you might need a range extender, other than that this is how tens of millions are doing it.     FYI your neighbor isn’t supposed to share your connection, but they’ll never know so don’t sweat it.  I can do the model i listed above in my sleep if you need help.

brucef | 12 years and 11 months ago

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I have a different take on this. Oftentimes the rubber ducky antenna, or built in antennas on wireless routers assume a suburban layout, in which range is to be maximized horizontally. This sometimes doen’t work in terms of multistory, in that not too much signal goes up or down, and you get poor signal. So I would say as the above posters recommend, but should there be poor coverage, there are relatively inexpensive hardwired alternatives. I wouldn’t say boo to the internet provider, as technically you are restricted from doing what you propose due to the terms of service agreement.

widthom | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Definitely DIY as bklnite says:  I have Time Warner cable internet connected to an Apple Airport Extreme base station ($179) which provides both hard-wired and WiFi signal for my home computer.  In order to reach the tenant on the top floor, I added an Apple Airport Express ($99) on my parlor level which extends the SAME network using same passwords, etc.  You can plug the Express into any outlet and voila!  I’m sure other companies like Beklin and Linksys offere similiar gear but I find the Apple very plug-and-play friendly even if you’re on a PC.  Happy computing!

Bklnite | 12 years and 11 months ago

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Some internet providers supply a wireless router (Verizon did in the past with DSL). Most people use the cable company for internet, and they supply a cable modem with a single hardwired connection. Aside from the monthly cost for internet service, there’s no ongoing additional cost when you buy a wireless router (about 60 bucks) and plug it in to your cable modem. This is DIY. If you’re not comfortable doing it you might find a techie high school kid to hook it up (and set up some security so it’s not left with defaults and open for random neighbors to use) as an odd job .