Wireless Setup and Advice

[swiss]

Hi there,
I am wanting to set up a wireless network in my neighbourhood and I am wanting to share my ISDN connection from my Netgear RT 328 ISDN Router to the laptops on my network through a wireless connection. I am also purchasing a switch . What Wireless access points do you people recommend? I have been doing so research and found this Wireless AP, is it any good? D-Link AirProTM DWL-6000AP (dual band)$499 though it is a bit too expensive. I would also want to extend my signal from this AP so that I could transmit to some friends in the neighbourhood, could I build my own antenne? I am wanting to get the longest range possible, 10km or more if possible. With this would everyone be able to share files through the network like a normal cable ethernet connection?
Thanks

[yonah]

Swiss,

A Couple of things:

- 1. Every AP has its good and bad. My advice is make sure that you can easily return anyone that you buy, because if it doesn't work, you'll want to exchange it. I have had routers/aps that were terrible, yet had rave reviews from anyone else who used it, and I have had ones that I loved, but everyone wanted to get rid of. The only benefit to that linksys model is if you know people on your network are going to connect with both .11a and .11b type cards. Otherwise, you can find one that is just as good, and a lot cheaper.

- 2. 10Km sounds like way to big of a range for anything 802.11 that I have heard - even with powerful external antennae. Broadcasting over that distance may also get you in trouble with your local authorities. I think that 1-1.5Km is about the maximum I have heard anyone claim that they can get Wi-Fi to work. So long as your AP supports an external antenna, you can build and get one to work with it.

- 3. So long as your friends can get a signal on your WLAN, they can trade files and access the net, however - as signal strength drops, so does bandwidth. Someone 30m from the AP may be getting the full 11m, but someone 300m, may only be getting 1.5m.